“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” - Winston Churchill
The term GENEROSITY usually brings about images of money and giving to charitable organizations, but that’s not all generosity is about. I absolutely believe in being generous with one’s money and other resources like time, energy, experience, knowledge, skills, etc - but I think generosity can be expanded upon.
So often, we spend far too much of our lives trying to fit in - to be normal. We go with the flow and neglect what makes us different because we’re afraid OR we go the opposite route. We do all kinds of crazy outlandish things in an effort to say, “I’m not like anyone else - I’m weird - I’m special.” I’ve definitely been guilty of both paths in my life - and neither left me feeling fulfilled.
“Jack of all trades, Master of None”
Ever head that before? Well I’m calling total shenanigans.
The Classy Hippie was born from a life-long struggle with that phrase and society’s obsession with telling all of us to pick one thing - because we can’t possibly be or do more than one thing.
Well, frankly, that’s a load of crap. You aren’t one thing, you don’t have to do one thing & you can be and do all the things. Yes. It’s true.
When it comes to life, I seek living in harmony over finding balance - finding the rhythm for each season I’m in. Life isn’t about creating equal space and attention for every area in your life, it’s more about approaching the different areas that overlap and flow from one into the next in a harmonious way. It's about realizing when to push through and when to stop and rest.
Last Tuesday, Carl and I went to see The Minimalists’ new documentary film. It was released for one day in many theaters across the country. We both thought it was a great film and highly recommend it to anyone interested in pursuing an intentional, meaningful life. Check out their website to keep up with when the documentary will go on sale.
Without giving too much away, here were my biggest takeaways…
Last week, I wrote about my first shopping experience as a minimalist and my disappointment over how hard it was. I had researched ahead of time, set a budget, made a list and made a plan, so it should have worked out perfectly, right? Wrong. Once I actually went shopping, all of my planning essentially went out the window and I felt like I had failed. Not completely, but enough for it to not have felt like a win.
A few days ago, I was listening to this episode from The Minimalists Podcast, when the lightbulb went off. DUH! No wonder I had felt so defeated. I had made a crucial mistake - I had forgotten the difference between easy and simple.
Over the last year I have learned more than I could ever fully express. I’ve read books, listened to books, watched/ listened to Ted talks, watched YouTube, and listened to COUNTLESS podcasts on and about EVERYTHING under the sun. I have fully embraced my love of learning and have been a complete sponge this last year, letting myself follow one rabbit after the other.
Shortly before 2015 began I came across the concept of choosing a word to center your year around as opposed to making a resolution. As I listened to the woman talk about her word and how it weaved throughout her year, I was sold on the concept. Listening to her gave me the sense that her year had been fulfilled in the way that she wanted, and not simply by making an empty promise to herself, but by thinking on, reflecting on, and applying her word throughout every aspect of her life.
Right then, I had my word. Aware.
“Design is a full time job
It is the way you look at politics, funny papers, listen to music, raise children...”
So, what do you do?
I'm a designer.
So....
Design is hard to define. It's life. It's all encompassing. It's everywhere you look. It's decisions AND it's feelings. I've wrestled with the notion of picking my 'thing' for the majority of my life. I felt pressured and constricted to just pick ONE.
Why? Why just one?
This world is so jam-packed with beautiful places, people, things, experiences, why would I or better yet, why should I have to limit myself to one? In a world where mastery is highly praised [as it should be,] being a jack-of-all trades is often ridiculed and diminished.
So, when you're a designer [and a dabbler,] it's difficult to narrow down what it is you actually do. One day it could be architecture, the next a lamp, the next a wedding, the next an ad campaign, the next an art exhibition, etc.
To me, it's all the same. It's about the process, the intent and the expression. What are you creating and for whom? The tools are the same, but the canvas is different. I know I'm vastly over-simplifying it. It's important to have a focus, but that certainly doesn't mean you have to have the same focus for the rest of your life. Architecture was my focus for 24 years, the last two years have been a re-shifting of that focus, and now I'm focusing on Graphics and Events, or rather Identity and Experience design.
I couldn't be more excited and would encourage anyone to go towards what lights them up. It's scary at first - you feel like you can't change now, because that would mean you've wasted so much time. That couldn't be further from the truth. Nothing is wasted. Your past and your experiences have all culminated in making you who you are today. It's never too late to make a change!
So. What do I do?
I design.
Yesterday it was a building. Today it was a logo.
Ask me again tomorrow.
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