On Decorating a House

People ask me all the time for ideas to decorate their house. I sort of have to ask them a lot of questions about what they like and don’t like and then just do what I like. every decorator in the universe does that. that is all they can do.

Listen and then try and incorporate some of the listening to what they like. that is what I do. I will never pick out things I hate.

But really people should be able to do it themselves. There are no rules. People say there are rules but they are broken all the time. Like what is art. that definition is broken all the time. Because it is not a massively important thing. A building won’t fall down and people won’t die if you pick out a certain color or style.

For that reason you should be able to do it yourself.

You just need to know what you like and most people don’t have a clue. It is a visceral response that you need to yes yes to one thing and no to another. But you have to have the gut feeling or nothing will make sense to you and you will be at the whim of someone else’s gut feeling.

Your own guts are important/ You should be in touch with them.

This is an exercise I do for my creativity class that you can do to build that gut feeling up.

close you eyes and imagine a space that can have anything in it at all. this place is your room and nobody else will ever see it . Only you. You have infinite money to spend on what ever you can think up.

You might think this is easy but it really tests your ability to decide what you like. It is a hard exercise but it is revealing and most people are surprised by what they come up with.

Here is the facts on decorating. If you are reflected in your house like a mirror you will be successful/ It should feel like you/ It should smell like you and be an extension of your spirit.

There is no right or wrong thing in deciding what you want in your house. If you want a fluffy green rug with purple trim then you must be a super fun person who is willing to take risks.

People respond to innermost being  and nobody thinks any better of you if you are stylish and whatever hip means.

I have a friend that has a Scooby Doo doormat . If you took one of her classes you might be intimidated by her skill but then you go to her house and see the doormat and that says she is accessible. She just is quirky too which is fun and wonderful.

Obituary

I often wonder what people are thinking when they write obituaries. Are they trying to list what the deceased accomplished  in the way of a job. Or is it how many kids and grandkids they had or what their favorite sport was.

An obituary is a notice that someone has died and it is the last time you can speak to this world. Such a monumental  event maybe could  be a clearing house for finishing unfinished business. I mean wouldn’t you want to say I am sorry to everyone you  hurt or I am so proud of you, or leave a thing or two about what you learned that is important form living for how ever many years you had.

Instead there is a list of what high school you went to and who your second cousin is.

When I die I am going to write a long obituary not about what I did or did not accomplish or who I married or how my kid turned out.

I am going to write about what is most important for anyone to know about me, Yes I was a painter but that is not important. I have people but they also are not important. What I can share as I am leaving this world, that is important. I would love to read anyones last thoughts . You don’t know what you would say until you are there but I imagine they would be worthwhile.

Lived and died yes but what was significant in between those dates in what matters.

Birthday

When I was young, getting older was fun till you reach around 40 then it is depressing. I was freaked out when I turned 40 and then again 50 and then again 60. Something about the decade ones is a reality smack down.

I couldn’t figure out why it was a shock until this morning. It is not because I was  losing my  youth and time to do something worthwhile in my life. That is the first thing I thought . No I don’t think that anymore.

That is what I  told myself.

It is this.I should be wiser than I am by now. That is the thing. People  should have more wisdom under their  belt and you should be better than you were last year because of it. Time is your best friend in that category.

If you have been given more time you should have a wisdom bank account to match. I think that is the freak out fear most people have. Youth and looks and money and job etc mean almost nothing in the long run. Wisdom means everything.

So to make birthdays better  I am going  to look back over what I  have acquired in the wisdom department and go from there. Being older should be better and better no matter what our outside circumstances are. If you used all that happened to you in the past year then you have grown and matured and Thank God for that.

 

So I approach my 62nd year with a list of what I learned so far on this journey. I make a list to keep focused on what is important and remember I can never do this year again.

Boho interiors

the basement in my house is where my husband and I have been dwelling for the past few months. It has a kitchen and bath and 1000 square feet so it is not like we are slumming. We did this because he went back to school and if we rent out our first floor of our big house  we don’t have to pay a dime for the mortgage.

So we have been here since September and are doing fine.

ish

the thing about interiors is that you have to feel comfortable and not stressed out so you can work. So the space we lived in had to be made as warm and cozy and light filled as possible. Randomly looking through pintrest I found Boho style which is short for Bohemian. It is a riot of colors and lots of textures and pretty much hippy looking which has a lot of beads and small white lights everywhere and lots of good smells and gobs of art and feather and mirrors  and material draping all over. This was perfect for making our CaveB as we call it, super comfortable.

first I was going to do Japanese style but then the Boho came screaming into my view and my heart was in agreement. I am not Japanese style no matter how I love it, it is too stark for my bones.

I need womblike emotions going on in my environment to feel healthy.

That is why I am writing this blog today. Your environment no matter if it is a tiny house or a mansion or a basement apartment has to feel nurturing to you or you will get sick and depressed. You don’t want that for anyone.

Your Man will like it no matter what you pick because he picked You for a reason. Your insides should match your outsides. If they do, he will like it too. Don’t even ask him what he thinks . Just do it and say “Welcome home to me!”

 

The Art of Noise

In the 80s Laurie Anderson made a record called “The Art of Noise”‘ She is an artist who paints with her music and uses her talking voice in the recordings.

I was thinking about how noise in the background sometimes makes the noise in our head be quiet for a while. It is like a mini vacation from thinking about whatever you might be dwelling on.

some artists i know must paint in the quiet. they have to listen for the voice to tell them what do do next and other voices would be distracting.

some like music or talk radio in the background. Then you can build a wall around yourself made of the noise  to help you focus on your inner voice .

It is a good experiment to try a different environment when you are working to see how it goes. every once in a while I will play music I don’t know anything about  just to stir things up.

Every artist should have a large noise vocabulary. It can be like a new tool

 

error: Please do not copy.