Tending a Handmade Life ... reboot
Making a Life and morning light …
It’s been awhile …
Golly, I’m sitting here to write this and I have so many things to say, my brain is absolutely busting with it all … so I hope you’ll bear with me as I try to sort through the crazy mash-up in my head and put it all down in a coherent and, hopefully, interesting read.
If you’ve been following along on Instagram or Facebook, you’ll know I’ve been struggling a bit … and I am not alone. My recent posts have spurred an amazing number of comments from other makers going through similar creative challenges. It’s heartening to realize I’m not in this muddle alone.
But hallelujah and praise be … something shifted with this last new moon … something that feels positive, something like resolve … a way forward. The starting point is transparency.
I follow lots of gorgeous Instagram feeds … swoonworthy lifestyles, boutiques and makers with luscious images in inspiring locales. That’s the whole point of Instagram, right? But it’s a two-edged deal. On the one hand, all those gorgeous pics feed my ravenous appetite for creative visual juice. On the other hand, they end up reminding me that I really don’t like where I live. As I write this, my throat closes, my heart clenches and my eyes start to mist up. There it is, I really really don’t like living in Gainesville, Florida.
It seemed like a good idea at the time … actually, it WAS a good idea. We moved back to Florida in 2014 for a terrific job at the University of Florida for Dave and mainly, with his father in decline, to be closer to his family. We’re both born and raised in the state, but moved to the Pacific NW in 1982 and then back and forth between the coasts for the next 30+ years. We’ve moved something like 28 times since that first move … lots of those moves within the same town, but still. We’ve lived mostly in what I call ‘postcard’ places … cities and towns that show up on Top 10 lists, bucket list destinations for many … vibrant, thriving, creative, scenic hubs.
When we moved to Gainesville, we hoped for the best. We didn’t even really look around to check out the town before accepting the position. We just went with it. Looking back, I’m pretty sure we would have made the same decision, but overall, it’s been a disappointment. We sort of knew that Gainesville was in the ‘birthing stage’ of becoming an interesting place and progress has been made … farmers markets and the creative culture are growing and improving. But on any given day, there’s just very little that engages or inspires me or calls me out to explore.
Oy, I need to stop right here and not make this a long diatribe of me whining about not liking where I live. The reality is we’re here and I have to find my way to making it work for the foreseeable future …
Truly, my life does not suck. Dave has moved rapidly through the ranks at UF to now be the Chair of his department and we live very comfortably … in a safe neighborhood, in a solid home surrounded by our collection of beautiful vintage and handmade treasures. My workroom really does feel like my ‘Sanctuary Studio’ and I have the luxury to come and go, to work and create whatever my muse presents.
But what about that derned muddle that I’ve been waddling in for so so long? Well … as I was saying, something has shifted. So as of today and right now, what does that mean and where do I go from here?
Re-engage with my Tending a Handmade Life model, create and share the work I’m called to make, whatever it may be.
Start each day with an open heart and see where I’m guided.
I really do have plenty of positive things I can share about where I live and they’re not just about ‘putting lipstick on a pig.’ Morning light is always a good place to start.
Leave expectations behind … back to that open heart thing.
Ask for help … okay, that one stabs a bit since I really hate asking anyone for help … but it’s a message I keep getting, so now seems like a good time to start.
Stay transparent, be genuine, don’t whine, reside in gratitude, remember and affirm in my heart Richie’s mantra, “everything is a blessing.”
Finally, I want to thank Melanie Falick and her book, Making a Life, for the nudge that, just this morning, pushed me over my tipping point, cementing my resolve and returning me to my own path, Tending a Handmade Life.
Stay tuned!
with deep gratitude and light filled blessings …