greetings from the studio. i love doing deep cleaning when no one else is around. found my old business cards, old press, tranquil space tattoos from a 2004 trunk show, and oodles of tea bags. amazing what one can accumulate.

i began the day a little too zealous and was promptly stopped in my tracks with a dizzy not-quite-right spell. i think my body was wanting one more slow day before returning to fifth gear. it got a few more hours and it’s been in third gear ever since. after lots of e-mails, i met up with some girlfriends in town from denmark and seattle for tasty pad thai and then to the studio for meetings, a class, and lots of faxes to my accountant. still here feeling oddly grateful for this special space. sometimes you have to take a step back to see all that there is to be grateful for and i’m feeling it tonight. the people that pass through the doors, the team that work here, the overall vibe – it’s fun to think back on the seedling in my living room in 1999.

i was perusing my 2008 calendar this morning and outlining when i teach my weekly classes, travel to west virginia, north carolina, colorado, new york and oklahoma, volunteer, take workshops, lead workshops, and was getting a bit nervous. carving out creative space is a MUST in order to keep up a sense of vibrancy. while preparing my creativity coaching responses today (a 16-week online course i’m taking) i had to focus on the importance of “joining” with clients – being completely present – and exploring what meaningful work looks like. the key thing is to find it for myself on a regular basis rather than when my to-dos are completed. it’s like thinking of yoga as a “reward” for when all to-dos are done. yoga isn’t a reward, it’s a MUST for sanity. same with creative play. i gotta remember that. remind me! i’m going through my planner pad and marking fridays as creative play as often as possible, even if only for a few hours. this will include designing, writing, sewing, knitting, collaging, reading, decorating, organizing and anything else i can think of that feels enhancing. 2008 vows to be different, especially since there is so much exciting change coming – (secret to reveal shortly)!

happy day after, ladies!