Honour

In last week’s All Stitched Up! we unpacked some of the ways in which we bring worth to our time with needle and thread, with one of them being how we consider the space in which we stitch.

Not long after unpacking those thoughts, we came across an article by Rachel Burke where she shared some of the ways she honours the creativity in her life by keeping her working space interesting and inspiring.

As Rachel creates the majority of her work from her home studio, she finds herself constantly ‘rearranging and adjusting it to reflect (her) state of mind or a project (she’s) working on.’ That said, she has three simple ideas to ensure the space we choose to create in is a space we want to be in.

We should make the space work for us and strive to make it a place we love being in.

Firstly, she believes that we need to claim the space we work in and make it our own, regardless of its size or location. Over time Rachel’s learnt that any nook can become a precious creation zone – from her parent’s garage, the corner of a tiny room and even the entry way to a house!

Then, we should invest the time in developing some aesthetically pleasing organizational systems, whether that be through colourful storage solutions or creating small zones within the space for different tasks.

Finally, Rachel encouraged us to keep the space tidy by incorporating a 10-minute tidy at the end of each day – a quick pack away, emptying of the bins and a little sweep or vacuum is all it takes. She reminded us that future us will thank us when we get to walk into a clean space each time we pick up needle and thread!

Beyond just the space in which she creates, however, Rachel honours her creativity in her day-to-day approach to life. From getting dressed and making star sandwiches for her children’s lunches, to picking that ‘just-right’ mug for her morning coffee, Rachel approaches each ‘small’ decision she makes with the notion that she is the curator of her life.

With this in mind, she strives to make choices that most align with her sense of creativity and will bring the most joy to her life.

Her words had us pondering whether we honour our creativity in both the spaces in which we pick up needle and thread as well as the ‘mundane’ decisions we make day in and day out. And do you know what? It turns out we have a little room for improvement!

Here’s to each of us honouring our creativity in ways both big and small…