Welcome to my happy place of DIY, homemade, homegrown, handmade, nourished & crafted, whole hearted living. Finding magic in the mundane & growing some roots in the process.
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If you’ve been here for the long haul, you might remember when I worked on beautiful, creative pieces of furniture and used this space to share & sell. As my autoimmune disease got worse, working on furniture got harder and harder until eventually I had to step away & stop taking commissions.
Letting go of past versions and allowing myself to grow into new adaptations has been a pretty intense learning lesson.
Growth hurts!
This last year, I’ve been experiencing a deep creative block. It’s been a bit bewildering. Creativity has always just been natural to me. One of my superpowers. Losing it has felt horribly uncomfortable and humbling.
Analysis paralysis, overthinking, perfectionism, lack of motivation, overwhelm, money, uncertainty, and self pity really clocked me upside the head.
On the 1st day of October, I gave myself a creativity challenge in an effort to break whatever this is. I challenged myself to create something every single day of the month. I’ve been calling it “Maketober” and it has been just for me.
No rules, no forced mediums, no expectations. Just exploring my creativity in a way that brings a little joy each day.
Making my own sunshine.
The other day, I found my daughters’ matching twin bed frames, from when they were little bitty girls, down in the corner of the basement. Those sweet hand-me-down vintage beds got touched up with a bright sunny yellow, because it just felt fitting. I don’t usually use spray paint furniture, but since these beds had been previously sprayed 15 years ago, I just went with it. I only recommend spray paint for small pieces. If you are going to spray paint, follow up with a couple coats of flat/matte finish to even out the sheen.
Working on them confirmed that I won’t be starting my furniture hustle back up, but it sure felt wonderful to paint again
The photos in this post are of those sweet little bed frames.
The creative effort I leaned into on one particular Maketober day was staging and photography. At first I felt overwhelmed and uninspired, but decided to let down my expectations and just rolled with it. These pics are the result. Are they perfect? No way. However, they felt good and that’s what matters. See the point here?
Creating just to create.
Not for others, just for you.
Want to know the unexpected part?
The more I was creative, even in the most insignificant of ways, the more creativity flowed! By the final days of October, I was genuinely looking forward to making and doing each morning! I was excited to try new things. For the first time in months, my perspective felt brighter and there was magic flowing again. Finally.
*Deep contented sigh*
A few of you, over on Instagram, have asked me to put together a Make Month so you can follow along too. To be honest, the thought is overwhelming me a bit, so I’m gonna ask for a few months if that’s ok? I’m trying to decide how to go about it all, and am currently mulling over ideas. The holidays are already incredibly stressful and I don’t want to add another thing to your, or my, plates.
I’m thinking I’ll get a post up after the new year so that we can do a make month together in February. For me, February is a pretty dreary month plus peak SAD season, so why not combat that with a little creativity!
What do you think?
Interested?
If so, what would you like to see? What would you find helpful? I would absolutely love your thoughts and input on this!
Please share with me in the comments below!
Update: Ready to do a make month challenge of your own? Welcome to Makeuary! Stop by THIS POST for a free printable calendar, over 150 creative ideas, details, and a little inspiration to get your creative juices flowing!
Happy Creating!