“Conditions for creativity are to be puzzled; to concentrate; to accept conflict and tension; to be born everyday; to feel a sense of self.” - Erich Fromm
Carrie says: A family. Space, as in a cottage and opportunity.
Danielle says: Fuller generosity to myself, my circle, my world - I want to give more than I ever have! The courage to open more deeply. Pure art. Ten thousand beautiful moments - at least!
I love bead stores. I love the colors, all the sparkly, glittery, glowy bits and pieces. I love the sense of endless possibility.
Usually, I know exactly where I’ll gravitate: Oh! that cobalt! Mmmm, this glows like a ruby. Ahhh, sparkly crystals like snowflakes! And… this looks exactly like the necklace I made last year. Oh.
Listening to My Intuition
Something different happens when I’m making a gift. Before I go into the store, I’ll pause to think of my friend: the last chat we had, that long night in college when we drank too much wine, the way she walks down the street, the flea market finds she ogles but won’t let herself buy. As I walk around the store, I try to hold her gently in my mind. And then I see what jumps out at me.
Huh. Funny. I never noticed those cloisonné beads before. And this Venetian glass pulls out the turquoise in the cloisonné. I wonder if she likes turquoise. I can’t stand turquoise. Wait, aren’t her eyes turquoise?
Why are those frosted flowers singing at me? Those must be the palest pink I’ve ever seen. They look spectacular with the glass. Does this hematite work? NO! Maybe add some gold spacers, and… Wow. That looks like Rebecca.
The Bic pen is not something I would necessarily label a classic piece of design. Yet, when I recently noticed a few items in the design world using the Bic pen, it got me thinking about just how great a piece of design this little fella actually is.
Write down your thoughts, scribble your doodles or leave your loved one a note; the Bic is the pen most likely used to complete all those tasks. I bet if you looked around your space throughout the day you would come across the Bic pen more than once. Hidden in the bottom of your bag, in a desk drawer, a friend’s jacket pocket, the Bic is everywhere and with an estimated 14 million sold worldwide everyday it’s no wonder.
First patented by Hungarian inventor ladislao Biro it was later to be developed into the Bic we all know and love by Frenchman Marcel Bich in 1950. The Bic is a classic example of how a design can become great, and after reaching over a hundred billion sales in the past few years, it’s easy to see why the Bic is immortalized in the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Something To Write Home About
How many times have you been using a Bic Ballpoint and found that by the time you’ve finished you’ve managed to chew the top — totally destroying it of its purpose? Well, now you have the perfect excuse for chewing your pen lid after design outfit Zo-Loft created the ingenious Din-Ink cutlery set, three pen tops that transform your Bic into cutlery when that lunch time bell rings. The greatness of this product doesn’t just stop there, as all the tops are “made by annually renewable resources, like natural starch and fibers, to be 100% biodegradable, non toxic and hygienic.” These tops are totally environmentally friendly in every way — even the packaging is biodegradable.
“Tattoos are chapters - recorded chapters of a life. I can tell you where I was, who I was with, why I did it, what it meant. Was I sober, was I sad, was I 12, was I 17? “ Pink
Why he looks great:
1.Tattoos: Art work displayed beautifully under his short sleeve white shirt. Wonder what these tattoos say about his life?
2. Rock Star Flavour: Love his pointed sexy shoes and dark skinny jeans.
3. Preppy: School boy short sleeve white shirt and navy v neck vest create a clean and crisp look.
4. Beauty: A great hair cut is the best calling card for his business, hairstylist.
5. Watch: One accessory, a simple stainless steel watch.
You already know Pearl from her regular wisdom doses on our blog. Our resident Relationship Coach always gets us thinking deeper and bigger…
Carrie says: Curiosity is the key to creativity. Asking: How does this work? What if? Wonder what? I yearn for more creativity, this question reveals how I’m suppressing my curiosity. If I let myself be more curious I would be savoring daily delights with people and creating beauty in my life; photos, books, food, fashion and home, well…everything!
Danielle says: I’ve stopped being actively curious about each of my parents. Sigh. I take their history for granted, as if I know the whole story. If I engaged in some memory-lane questions about their own stories, who knows what I’d find…softening, sadness, affirmation, some wicked laughs.
Pearl says: I have started to think about this question more as I watch my two teenage boys move swiftly into adolescence. In the time it took me to go from packing extra cheese sticks in my purse to making sure their cell numbers were programmed into my phone—my boys have gone from “But, why?” to “Yeah, I know.” Their curiosity about everything and anything was certainly trying at times but it was my constant reminder not to take anything for granted. It was also a reason to pause and ponder. It prodded me to find things out and connect to new people and ideas. When we stop being curious we start to get cynical and close ourselves off from the wonder of the world around us. So I started to examine what I have stopped being curious about. The longer my list, the closer I got to some pretty core issues in my life. Here are a few things from the beginning and end of my list. I have stopped being curious about…
Who my new across-the-street neighbors are?
Where the recycling collectors on our street go home to?
Who is wearing the clothes I donate to the Vietnam Veteran’s Association?
What makes my husband laugh when he is watching TV in the next room?
Why am I keeping myself so busy?
What relationships have I let slip out of my life?
Carrie says: Curiosity is the key to creativity. Asking: How does this work? What if? Wonder what? I yearn for more creativity, this question reveals how I’m suppressing my curiosity. If I let myself be more curious I would be savoring daily delights with people and creating beauty in my life; photos, books, food, fashion and home, well…everything!
