It takes a lot of force to live deliberately today. Of course as I’m thinking that, I accidentally put the already ground coffee into the grinder instead of the whole beans. It is too easy to become distracted and overburdened with unnecessary things that the TV or the Internet tells us is important. Even going to the gym, the guy wanted me to pay an extra $600 a month for a personal trainer! At the same time, it seems easy for us to get caught up in finishing our home and getting good deals on the stuff we choose to keep in our homes. I think most of us just have the wrong definition of home. Home is a place you retreat to that makes you fully comfortable and safe. It should not be a receptacle for trendy, gaudy accessories and cold design. Some of the greatest designers and creative people have sparse homes. They realize that the process should be evolving, and that a home should revolve around its owner’s life. It can never truly be finished. A homeowner should not mould to a homes needs.
Our society propels the idea that we are one giant mass, on entity that can be marketed to and exploited. We have to remember that we are each an individual and are born with so much creativity. It is difficult to find your talents in this sort of setting. We have to make a special effort to remember to be creative and then work very hard at it. It is all too easy to go out and buy pre-fabricated furniture and plastic plates and forget the amazing quality and timelessness that can be found in handcrafted, unique pieces. I have fallen into this trap and probably will again in the future. We can also go buy prints of famous painting that don’t hold a lot of meaning to us, call it art, and not attempt to create something with true value.
But finding your creativity can be difficult as well. I don’t think we should all run to Michael’s and buy some stickers and put them in a scrapbook. I’m talking about acknowledging your needs as a human and making something that works for you. Bringing nature inside the home or shaping nature in the outdoors, like a garden, is the most common way humans are creative. Living slower and making better decisions can be creative. I think growing vegetables and cooking them is too. I love to write as well. It is low-impact but can be incredibly versatile and unique. We should look beyond what others tell us is the right thing to do. Most people don’t know what they’re talking about or why they do and say the things they do. They just do them because that’s what they were always told. Just live and create what you feel is right.
Of course, some people are drawn to color and space more than others. When I was a kid I was always moving around my furniture and when I was a teenager I painted my walls yellow and purple! Later I tried to imitate what I thought was the colors of Mexico by painting one wall orange, one red, one lime green, and one bright yellow. I’m grateful my mom put up with this and allowed me to experiment with color. Now I’m obsessed with negative space. I also have learned to appreciate natural commonplace objects as art. I’m sort of on a minimalism kick although my home does not really represent any of this. Homes don’t always tell us about people especially if someone else designed it. I would be very content right now just having nothing in my living room and adding objects and furniture that I find and love and that are functional. I would also love to be surrounded by books that I truly love. Books have a way of representing who a person is.
I hope I don't come off as crazy...sorry people.
