This is the tenth installment in a series, Find Your Creative Voice, based on the article 10 Questions that Will Help You Find Your Voice over at Accidental Creative, because it’s so important to find your voice when building a comfortable nest, be it a one room apartment or a sprawling mansion. I will be answering the questions that author Todd Henry has posed, and I hope that you will answer them too.

In case you missed the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, or ninth installment…

Question 10 :: If you only had one day left, how would you spend it?

No, I wouldn’t spend my last day plunger fighting. But I would want to spend it with those two crazy awesome people in the pic – my amazing kids!

My kids drive me to excel and to find my creative voice. They inspire me to greatness. Because I want to set an example for them of someone who has found what they want in life and pursues it with passion. If I can teach that to them, what an incredible lesson!

So if I had only one day left, I’d spend it with them, the most important people in my world. I’d probably spend the first 30-60 minutes getting all business out of the way – do this, don’t do that, call about this, etc. And then I’d spend the rest of the time with them creating awesome memories. Which is what I want to do with them every single day.

If you only had one day left, how would you spend it?

Feel free to start a dialogue on the subject of creativity and if you only had one day left how you would spend it in the comments and on the Homage Style Facebook page.

Hope you enjoyed the series, and most of all, may your find your creative self!

This is the ninth installment in a series, Find Your Creative Voice, based on the article 10 Questions that Will Help You Find Your Voice over at Accidental Creative, because it’s so important to find your voice when building a comfortable nest, be it a one room apartment or a sprawling mansion. I will be answering the questions that author Todd Henry has posed, and I hope that you will answer them too.

In case you missed the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth installment…

Question 9 :: What change would you like to see in the world?

I’m sure that there’s plenty of change that each of us would like to see in the world. I don’t know that I can reasonably narrow it down to one single change.

But there is something that irritates me in the design world that I would like to see change. The attitude of “let’s change out everything and get everything new.”

I see it a lot on house & home shows, especially those where people are looking to buy a new home. They will walk into a perfectly fine home, look at the bathroom or kitchen and say, “Oh, this is a complete renovation,” when in fact the room was just fine.

It’s part of the reason that I prefer to do home styling rather than work as a full-service designer. I can’t bear to see all of the waste, just because styles have changed a little.

The change that I would like to see in the world is for first world inhabitants to learn to live smaller. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Just because you have the money to renovate your entire kitchen, doesn’t mean that everything needs to go and be replaced with new.

This is not to say that I will never renovate anything, because I’m sure that I will. But I will strive for a timeless look that can survive fads and won’t need to be renovated every decade.

It’s painful to see so much waste in the world, so much that goes to the landfill. Let’s all move toward a world in which we reuse that which can be reused or give it to someone who will reuse it. I’m sure there are plenty of people who would love your old out-of-date kitchen cabinets. So while I’m sure you think it’s cool to smash them for the TV cameras, it would be so much cooler to casually unscrew them and let someone reuse them.

That is the change that I would like to see in the world.

What change would you like to see in the world?

Feel free to start a dialogue on the subject of creativity and what change you would like to see in the world in the comments and on the Homage Style Facebook page.

Up next in the series…If you had one day left, how would you spend it?

This is the eighth installment in a series, Find Your Creative Voice, based on the article 10 Questions that Will Help You Find Your Voice over at Accidental Creative, because it’s so important to find your voice when building a comfortable nest, be it a one room apartment or a sprawling mansion. I will be answering the questions that author Todd Henry has posed, and I hope that you will answer them too.

In case you missed the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, or seventh installment…

Question 8 :: What platform do you own now?

You can have all the dreams in the world, but if you don’t make a move to follow through and take steps to begin the journey to make those dreams come through, what good are they?

Sometimes – many times – we may not be in the perfect situation to do a full launch of the major dream. Just as often there is a way to kick it off low key. Small steps, you know?

So what platform do you own now? What can you start doing now?

Homes are my passion. I want to buy them, design them, renovate them, and decorate them.

However, right now I’m not in the financial position to launch a full-scale renovation operation. I’m a single mom with two kids, one of them in college, plus I work full time in another industry. So it’s just not feasible now.

But I do have a platform I own now…my house. Why not start with what I have? It’s the place that I can begin to launch my dreams. It may not the ultimate end goal, but it’s what I can do for now. The place that I can practice my craft. My launching pad.

What platform do you own now?

Feel free to start a dialogue on the subject of creativity and what platform you own now in the comments and on the Homage Style Facebook page.

Up next in the series…What change would you like to see in the world?

This is the seventh installment in a series, Find Your Creative Voice, based on the article 10 Questions that Will Help You Find Your Voice over at Accidental Creative, because it’s so important to find your voice when building a comfortable nest, be it a one room apartment or a sprawling mansion. I will be answering the questions that author Todd Henry has posed, and I hope that you will answer them too.

In case you missed the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth installment…

Question 7 :: What would blow your mind?

This one is easy! See day 5 and day 6!

It would completely blow my mind if I could spend my days working on homes. All things homes. Decorating, designing, renovating. You know the drill.

I love homes. I love dreaming about them. I love dreaming about blowing out this wall or designing a room a particular way. I love being on site when a house is being renovated. I love it all!

So it probably comes as no surprise that it would blow my mind every single day if I could make this my full-time gig. Someday soon, I hope.

The original article at Accidental Creative suggests that you list 40 things that would blow your mind. I won’t bore you with my entire list here, but try writing down the entire list…it’s great fun and pretty damn inspirational!

So again I will ask…what would blow your mind?

Feel free to start a dialogue on the subject of creativity and what would blow your mind in the comments and on the Homage Style Facebook page.

Up next in the series…What platform do you own now?

This is the sixth installment in a series, Find Your Creative Voice, based on the article 10 Questions that Will Help You Find Your Voice over at Accidental Creative, because it’s so important to find your voice when building a comfortable nest, be it a one room apartment or a sprawling mansion. I will be answering the questions that author Todd Henry has posed, and I hope that you will answer them too.

In case you missed the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth installment…

Question 6 :: If you had all the time and money in the world, what would you do?

See Day 4. What gives me hope.

Because what gives me hope is the very same thing that I would do if time and money were of no consequence.

Houses.

Glorious houses.

I’d buy them and fix them up. Maybe sell them, maybe rent them, maybe both.

Sounds like I’m really beginning to put a name to the face of my dreams.

How about you? If you had all the time and money in the world, what would you do?

Feel free to start a dialogue on the subject of creativity and what you would do if time and money were no object in the comments and on the Homage Style Facebook page.

Up next in the series…What would blow your mind?

This is the fifth installment in a series, Find Your Creative Voice, based on the article 10 Questions that Will Help You Find Your Voice over at Accidental Creative, because it’s so important to find your voice when building a comfortable nest, be it a one room apartment or a sprawling mansion. I will be answering the questions that author Todd Henry has posed, and I hope that you will answer them too.

In case you missed the first, second, third, or fourth installment…

Question 5 :: What did you want to be when you grew up?

Or, if you don’t think you’ve grown up yet, what do you want to be when you grow up?

To be honest, I went through a heavenly host of career choices as a kid, from teacher to writer to actor to brain surgeon, and finally to opera singer, which is what I ended up studying in college. And is not what I’m doing now.

While it’s quite motley selection of professions, one thread runs through most of them – creativity.

I’ve always been a creative type, beginning with Mom-inspired crafty projects and knitting and sewing. But the difference between me and my mom was that I was always a crafting risk taker, which would end up serving me well in my adult life, allowing me to just jump in and do things – decorating things, that is – that might scare most people. After all, what couldn’t be solved with some Kilz and a couple of coats of paint?

It wasn’t until I owned a home that I was exposed to what I consider to be my true talent – decorating and renovating homes. A late bloomer of sorts. Which is why I don’t always think there’s a clear-cut direct link from your childhood dreams to your adult talents. Sometimes, it’s more of a progression. Learning this and that, leading to the next thing, then the next, and suddenly you realize what you want to be when you grow up. Even if you’re already grown.

And sometimes it’s a case of having other life responsibilities when you finally figure out what you want to be when you grow up. Like me. So that’s when it’s critically important to do little things to feed your creative soul, and if you want to go in that direction, make plans to gradually transition into your new career as your reponsibilities permit.

Honor your path, no matter what it is. And every week, do a little something, moving you toward your new creative life!

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Feel free to start a dialogue on the subject of creativity and what you want to be when you grow up in the comments and on the Homage Style Facebook page.

Up next in the series…If you had all the time and money in the world, what would you do?

This is the fourth installment in a series, Find Your Creative Voice, based on the article 10 Questions that Will Help You Find Your Voice over at Accidental Creative, because it’s so important to find your voice when building a comfortable nest, be it a one room apartment or a sprawling mansion. I will be answering the questions that author Todd Henry has posed, and I hope that you will answer them too.

In case you missed the first, second, or third installment…

Question 3 :: What gives you hope?

As the saying goes, hope springs eternal. Without hope, what is there?

What gives me hope? Like so many, I hope that some day human beings will be able to live together in peace, accept and celebrate one another’s differences, and that all will have what they need to exist and support their families. Whether or not that will ever happen, who knows.

But on a more personal note, it gives me hope that maybe some day I will be able to purchase a house to renovate, which I could then rent or resell.

It gives me great hope to imagine fixing up a shabby interior and dreaming up an amazing new design for the house.

And it gives me hope that I can share my experiences here on this blog, and maybe, just maybe, touch someone who finds it interesting and even helpful.

It gives me great hope to know that somewhere out there is a tribe of people who love what I love, just waiting for me to join in the fun.

And finally, it gives me great hope that maybe some day, I can spend my days doing this that I love so dearly.

We always have hope…

What gives you hope?

Feel free to start a dialogue on the subject of creativity and what you have mastered in the comments and on the Homage Style Facebook page.

Up next in the series…As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

This is the third installment in a series, Find Your Creative Voice, based on the article 10 Questions that Will Help You Find Your Voice over at Accidental Creative, because it’s so important to find your voice when building a comfortable nest, be it a one room apartment or a sprawling mansion. I will be answering the questions that author Todd Henry has posed, and I hope that you will answer them too.

In case you missed the first or second installment…

Question 3 :: What have you mastered?

Mastery. Now we’re getting to the meat and potatoes.

I have mastered the unique ability to let a home speak to me and to design it accoringly. To take the hints given to me by the fixed assets of a home and add complimentary design.

And on a smaller scale, i have mastered the ability to move decorative elements around, to edit a vignette – picture the movements of a magician playing a shell game – and to make that grouping of elements sing.

I have also mastered the ability to bring together unique, and often dissimilar, items together to create an interesting artistic display.

To be honest, it’s difficult to put into words what I think that I have mastered. I was raised in an era that sharing mastery of something is tantamount to bragging. But I said it anyway and hope that you will also get all introspective and braggy and discover and share your special talents.

What have you mastered?

Feel free to start a dialogue on the subject of creativity and what you have mastered in the comments and on the Homage Style Facebook page.

Up next in the series…What Gives You Hope?

This is the second installment in a series, Find Your Creative Voice, based on the article 10 Questions that Will Help You Find Your Voice over at Accidental Creative, because it’s so important to find your voice when building a comfortable nest, be it a one room apartment or a sprawling mansion. I will be answering the questions that author Todd Henry has posed, and I hope that you will answer them too.

In case you missed the first installment…

Question 2 :: What makes you cry?

I’m not much of a crying type these days, which I suppose is a good thing. Some of the things that bring me to tears are serious tragedies, like the things that make me angry.

But there are things that make me feel sad and wistful, with a sense of “if only,” much of it having to do with home and family.

It is sad to see families separated from one another and separated from their homes, as so many have been recently through job loss and foreclosure.

Families should have some place to call their own, no matter how small – a place where they can feel shielded from how harsh the world can be sometimes.

While human tragedy is certainly of much greater importance than what happens to any building, it still does instill a sense of melancholy in my heart when I see the demise of a former beauty like this one…

…who stands empty, lonely, and in disrepair on the fringes of my town. It leads me to wonder what lives were lived there and what memories are lost from families over the generations.

I wish I could save these beautiful structures and the families who lived in them, as well as the families who would so benefit be restoring homes like this. Maybe someday that wish will come true. Seems like I’m uncovering part of my creative voice already…

What makes you cry?

Feel free to start a dialogue on the subject of creativity and what makes you cry in the comments and on the Homage Style Facebook page.

Up next in the series…What Have You Mastered?

This is the first installment in a series, Find Your Creative Voice, based on the article 10 Questions that Will Help You Find Your Voice over at Accidental Creative, because it’s so important to find your voice when building a comfortable nest, be it a one room apartment or a sprawling mansion. I will be answering the questions that author Todd Henry has posed, and I hope that you will answer them too.

Question 1 :: What angers you?

Anger is a pretty strong term. A lot of things anger me. Things like…

• Child soldiers in Uganda
• Dictators and others who torture and maim
• Starving children all around the world, including here in the the wealthiest country in the world
• Rapists and murderers
• Wall Street con artists
• Melting polar icecaps
• Congress

Um…that’s a pretty expansive list. Serious stuff. Not a direction I necessarily want to explore here in my shelter blog.

But as it pertains to my home and creativity, I don’t know that anger is the question I’d choose to explore. Maybe I’ll switch it up a little to…

Question 1a :: What irritates you?

OK, that’s better.

There are a number of things that irritate me. Here’s the short list…

• Clutter
• Perfection
• Imperfection
• Lack of time
• My own inactivity

Carving smiley faces into the piano kinda irritates me.

OK. Let’s explore.

Clutter

Fact. Clutter irritates me. Yet clutter dominates several prominent areas of my home.

I could list all of the reasons (ahem…excuses) why I have clutter, and frankly, a couple of them are pretty darn good reasons. But all of that is irrelevant. Because clutter irritates me. Clutter is stultifying. Clutter makes me unproductive.

There, I said it.

Clutter. Makes. Me. Unproductive.

My messy office

Clutter prevents me from reaching my full creative potential, because it consumes my thoughts and energy. I spin my wheels thinking about all of the things that I need to declutter, rather than embarking on all of the creative projects that I have percolating in my head.

Clutter is the thief of creativity and productivity.

Time to call the clutter cops.

Perfection

What’s wrong with perfection? Isn’t perfection, well, perfect?

Sure, but we’re not perfect little Stepford wives, making it difficult to attain perfection. Damn near impossible. Especially if you have other people inhabiting your world. And pets. And life in general.

Don’t be fooled by bloggers with perfect homes and perfect photos. Most will probably admit that the other half of the room is stacked high will all manner of whatnot. And shelter mags are as bad as fashion mags, because they come in and “style” a perfectly awesome house for their pics. Learned that from The Nester’s photo shoot for Better Homes & Gardens.*

*Dislcaimer: In the event that this sounds like sour grapes, it is so not! I love The Nester – she’s on the short list of blogs I read daily – and am thrilled that she has this exciting opportunity that most of us would jump at, including me. Was just surprised to learn that what you see in a shelter mag has been “styled” by a magazine stylist, very similar to the way that perfectly gorgeous models get airbrushed for fashion mags.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming…

Striving for perfection is a fruitless pursuit. So give it up and learn to live with imperfection. It’s my mantra. I say it all the time…out loud. “I’m learning to live with imperfection.” And it let’s me off the hook. It doesn’t give me permission to do a crappy job on projects, or in life in general, but it’s the forgiveness that I need to be able to deal with all of the factors that life throws at me that are completely out of my control.

Waiting for the day when you will make it perfect will kill your creativity, because that day will never come.

Say it with me…

I’m learning to live with imperfection.

Imperfection

So if perfection is so bad, what the hell is wrong with imperfection?

Nothing really.

“Aren’t you learning to live with imperfection?” you may be asking.

Yes. Yes, I am. But imperfection still irritates me. Frankly, it’s what drives me. And that’s a good thing.

In my mind, I have a creative vision of how things should look, and every time I look at a part of my house that needs a creative update, I start to twitch a little bit. Creative cognitive dissonance, if you will.

So all in all, imperfection, while irritating, is a motivator that inspires me to expand my creative expression and realize it from a vision in my head to a reality in my home.

Lack of time

Pretty self explanatory. Time is short in varying degrees for all of us. We only have a short time on this earth, and often it’s filled with other things than just expressing our creative selves. So it’s important to make the best of it, finding the time and energy to express ourselves creatively, even if it’s only for a short time each day. Creativity is a part of our soul. An important part. Don’t ignore it because you don’t have the time.

My own inactivity

See also: Lack of time

My own inactivity is one of the things I find most irritating things about myself. Plenty of really good reasons for that inactivity – full-time job, kids, general family and household responsibilities, health issues, napping – making it so that sometimes – often times, in fact – it’s just so much easier to sit down and veg out after a long day at work.

But no matter what, no matter how tired or busy I am, time is passing, and if I want to do something remarkable in my life, I’m going to need to step it up a notch. Stop being irritated with my own inactivity and make my creative dreams come true!

So that’s what irritates me…what irritates you?

Feel free to start a dialogue on the subject of creativity and what irritates you in the comments and on the Homage Style Facebook page.

Up next…What Makes You Cry?