‘Keep Moving Forward’ has been a mantra of mine for a long time. I have felt that as long as I am moving in that direction – forward – it was good. Being stagnant or going backwards wasn’t the right movement (although it is sometimes unavoidable). This past year – 2018 – has seen a lot of change and a lot of forward movement. Exciting, frightening, nerve wracking, empowering – the list of adjectives may be endless.
The year began with a trip to Napa for Craft Napa, an annual art retreat where I felt at home among my tribe of creatives (mostly women). The Spring brought both a college and a high school graduation for my two boys, which led me down a path to being an empty nester. After years of soul searching, I decided that the clearing of the nest should include my husband of 25 years. These drastic changes enabled the unleashing of creative momentum that has only scratched the surface of possibilities. With a weight lifted off of my soul and many invisible boundaries lifted, I am undertaking a forward moving, all-encompassing, creative life change.
The new year always brings people to start or reignite their blogs, as well as joining in the many creative challenge that begin at this time. (And mind you, I am still tempting to join in one or two). There is so much goodness on my plate that I want to share it with the world. Certainly I am not the only one moving their retail store followed by moving homes while running the business, taking care of dogs, working out with a desire to get more competitive, planning an art vacation to Bali and seeking a new personal life. In addition there are creative ideas and endeavors that I have never been able to get out of my head and believe it is time to see these ideas to fruition (like videos!). Ready to join me? Let’s go!
As much as I have tried to use my electronics as my method of planning out my life, as a creative, visual person I must always have an old fashion paper planner with room to write down what I need to do by the month and day (at least). I have my new one prepped and ready to go into its adorable case. Washing tape lines the edge of each month and the day that starts each month in the daily section so I can access them easy. I have found this is the best planner for me, as I don’t have to change them out monthly like I did with the Midori Traveler (although I loved the flexibility of the system. ). I also keep a Moleskine sketch book handy so I can make notes, jot down ideas, sketch things I see or ideas I may have.
I look forward to sharing my creative journey with you. I will be documenting my shop build out this month both here and on the StitchCraft blog. Sharing the creative ideas will be fun! Here is to a wonderful 2019 – filled with joy, love and creativity!!
Johanna Creates 