I hope to take the ordinary and make it extraordinary.  I believe that if I take the risk, I will be inspired to create and manifest items of my artistic expression. The process begins with exposing myself to things that are beyond my circle…deliberately positioning myself to see things that expand my creative thinking process.

Many of my creative pursuits begin at home. “A true home should be the container for reviving real hospitality, true culture and conviviality, real fun, solid comfort, and above all, real civilization. And the most creative thing that anybody can do in this world is to make a real home” (Seymour 13). When my children were young, we moved from house to house. It was my job to make the house a home; I found this challenge exciting and believed in its importance. However, once I experienced a divorce and the empty nest syndrome, where I live is just a house. In order to awaken from my unconscious life, I believe it is important to “create” a home for myself.  I believe it should be a sanctuary that provides me with the peace I so desire. According to John Seymour in his book The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It, “One of the essential characteristics of a good home is ‘craftsmanship.’  It seems to me that all human artifacts give off a sort of cultural radiation, depending on how much love and art has gone into their production” (13).  I have collected artifacts from all over the world and while I collected them, I was filled with excitement. For far too long, these relished items have gone unnoticed and unloved.  It is time to wake up and take notice of the items, to clear away the ones that no longer hold a purpose (whether utilitarian or memory), and to clear away the clutter that fills my home, my heart, and my mind.

I joke that I could whip up a pen and ink drawing, watercolor, or wall hanging if I had time. Even though these activities take time, I need to find the time. It is amazing how I lose track of time when I am engaged in these types of activities -- time that I would otherwise spend doing meaningless activities that have no lasting peace and satisfaction.

In the chapter titled “Time Affluence,” Wann writes, “Advertiser H. Jackson Brown Jr. once wrote, ‘You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, [Louis] Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein,’ yet in our world of overconsumption (which several of these luminaries foresaw), the way we use time has a direct bearing on our personal ecological footprints” (88).  I often think about the way I use my time at home; I think about the exchange I make when I disengage by participating in mindless television or activities. I could certainly make better choices with my time.

My recent trips back to Europe remind me of the lifestyle choices that Europeans make and what I have fallen into here in America.  Wann also reminds me, “Personal consumption is less of an obsession in Europe, where more time is spent on energy-neutral activities such as lively conversation, reading, gourmet cooking, civic celebrations, and direct participation in sports.  Europeans have a stronger environmental ethic; there’s less food waste and much higher recycling rates. Manufacturers are more conscious of designing regional systems that conserve resources. It simply takes less energy and fewer materials to live a good life in many parts of Europe” (180).  It falls back on the choices I make and how I spend my time and money.

For my “house” to be sustainable, I must not only have the intent of visiting each room each day, I must take action and make a commitment.  If I make the commitment, I believe I will experience life at its purest. I know this idea to bring the relaxed lifestyle of Europe into my home will be an exchange of sorts, an exchange of time, focus, and purpose.  It is my desire to nurture this seed of an idea and allow it to grow. Even with small changes to my regular routines, it is possible that the changes in lifestyle will reap great rewards. Wann states, “The secret of success at the national and global scale is not really a secret: it’s in plain sight, and it’s called moderation. We’ll get more value from less stuff and better stuff, by tapping into riches like quality products, brilliant design and redesign of cities and towns, cultural and aesthetic greatness, curiosity and fascination about how nature really works, cooperation with coworkers and neighbors, and generosity, just because it feels right” (257). I hope that I harvest success as I reinvent my life, create a sustainable “house,” and accommodate peace and happiness as I look for la dolce vita.