Artful Living

I've known since I could hold a crayon that creating was my work. Life handed me countless canvases, that of unburdened youth, weary restorations of many old houses, joyful chaos of child-raising with endless art projects and Halloween costumes, to deeper personal transformations of later decades. Each asked that I bend a creative eye to whatever needed tending. Creation never waited for perfect conditions.

After decades shaping historic and modern spaces, I've learned every room, or image, holds memory and possibility. Your shelves, wardrobe, walls don't just function, they tell your story through intentional layers. Even silence and negative space speak... if you listen.

The beauty lives in working with what you have. Limited budgets become creative constraints - like coaxing old mill-work back to life or reusing fabric for curtains and upholstery, met with nervous hesitation and the sudden remembering of hands that know what to do. Skill gaps spark growth: the first fumbling attempts at wallpapering (now done with eyes closed), teaching myself new software, stubbornly unrelenting late at night. Small experiments, like using or wearing bold colors, wondering if I've used not enough or too many patterns, build courage over years.

What emerges carries personality and essence. It is alive with ease and spirit. Everything waits to be artful if you choose it - the plainest white coffee cup, cut glass pitcher catching light, minimalist sketch on scrap paper, or multimedia creation from found objects. While I know that form most often follows function, beginning with an artful end in mind is a good process. Art percolates in the everyday. 

Artful living is the quiet, thoughtful practice of choosing beauty, whimsy, statement pieces, and telling details to create your own personal art project. It is curation of daily life so your exterior reflects the spirit within.

And the best part? You can always change it or start over.