This little book may change your life...
Happy First day of Fall!
September always feels like a fresh start to me. Having taught for so long I can't help but feel nostalgic of the new school year. Setting up my classroom was always fun for me and I loved pulling out all my new art supplies and planning how I was going to share all the things I learned over the summer. I have to say that to this day smelling a box of crayons still makes me swoon.
I had shared on facebook that I was rearranging my studio again and a friend of mine mentioned how it was like setting up my classroom. Although I never thought about it that way I had to laugh because there is some truth to that. I moved things around to create a bigger space to paint and allow me to hang up all my work in progress so I could actually see how they were coming together as a new body of work.
In the process I am taking bits of time to reorganize, declutter and inventory my work. I have been holding onto a lot of things from when I was teaching full time "just in case". I am finally ready to let them go and send them off to new homes. This will help with my goal of simplifying my life, making room for new things to flow my way. It also makes me treasure what I have even more. I am doing this in my home as well and am very inspired by Marie Condo's little book, "the life-changing magic of tidying up".
This is such a sweet little book and it does work like magic.
Marie has a certain order to decluttering that makes sense to me. You group like items together starting with your clothes. As I moved onto my shoes I was astonished at how many I had in various places all over my house. Every shoe, boot and flip flop was tried on for the "joy factor". This was powerful! I let go of anything that was uncomfortable or that I didn't love. I even said goodbye to all my "too tall" high heeled boots and shoes. Now all of my shoes and clothes fit in one place and I can see them all which makes getting dressed much easier. Anything new I buy will have to pass the "joy"/comfort test. We always seem to gravitate to the same shoes and clothes anyway, right? Why not just keep your favorites? I still have work to do but this progression is liberating and helping me hone my intuition. I am gaining a better understanding of who I am today and where I strive to be in my life.
live only with things that bring you JOY
As I was inventorying the things in my studio I realized I hadn't photographed and listed my new prints! I am working on freshening up my shop with a new look and have been experimenting with different ways to photograph my artwork. These are two of the latest editions to the shop. I styled them with beachy frames and flowers from my garden. I will be adding more throughout the week if you would like to take a peek.
Assess your life, the things you love and the lifestyle you want to live.
Cheery Smiles & JOY your way...
p.s. What are the most joyful things in your closet? Share in the comments below. :)