In 2020, let’s weave intentionality into our lives in a grounded, deep way. One of the conversations I’m passionate about having stem from ways to normalize the heck out of making more conscious choices and really gaining awareness over what a ‘peaceful environment’ means to you. Some people operate best in a very minimal, clean, clear environment, while others (mySelf included!) find those settings to feel stale and impersonal! I love having little nostalgic pieces and sacred tools/relics to help with my productivity and inspiration! There are so many blogs and sites feeding a message that says something along the lines of:
‘We’ve thought about it for you and our professionals know what will bring the most joy/happiness/peace/relaxation/tranquility to you and YOUR life! It’s this: ________!’.
Sure, there are juicy, helpful tidbits that will benefit most/many people, but there are aspects of ‘WELL LIVING’ that are so individual and personal to each of us that truly getting curious at what OUR Wellness Path & Practices look like is where the real magic lies!
Today I want to offer some ideas to sit with surrounding creating an intentional workspace. I know that not everyone has a ‘work from home’ lifestyle, but rest assured, this method can easily be swapped to rework the master bedroom or even curating a sacred space for self-study/ceremonial work/journaling, etc. (Online Course for Creating A Sacred Space coming soooon!).
WHY?
In the collective consciousness, a lot of us are realizing that the monolith industries of fast-fashion, texture, color, ever-changing newest, best, brightest have one main vein; curate new trends to remain flashy and relevant in order to create new consumers. I know this may sound wild to a lot of you, but, in adopting a lot of these simplifying techniques, the same dopamine and serotonin (happy hormones) rushes occur that purchasing a new x, y, and z would deliver… but in a completely different way.
Shedding negative
narratives and
developing my
own (unique!) style:
One of the past programs many of us are liberating from is the inability to consider ourSelves unique, special or acknowledge our greatness. Don’t get me wrong, remaining humble in the midst of self-celebrating is important too, but being able to stand in our power and say ‘Yes, I did this and I’m super happy and proud of it!’ not only lifts us up, it lifts up and gives everyone around us the permission to do the same. This was the dream I had going into the ‘Operation: Office Transformation’ project. You see, I always felt like the ‘cool interior decor’ gene skipped me. My Mama had an enviable ‘shabby chic’ decorating style that was as unique as her personality, she was complimented on it all the time (we moved once a year for most of my life so we got to experience a LOT of ‘blank slate’ opportunities.)! I wanted to have a similar style, one that’s uniquely ME. So when I decided to FINALLY renovate one of our guest bedrooms into the home office I’d wanted for years (3+ to be exact), I knew if I was going to enjoy this, I’d have to shed the ‘you can’t decorate’ narrative, get curious and create something uniquely my own.
So that’s exactly
what I did!
Simplifying my home decor and infusing it with intent from piece selection, to placement, to recognizing and connecting with the piece of memorable nostalgia and meaning every piece represents has filled my cup so much more quickly and purposefully than just buying new ‘hip’ things. Taking an intuitive approach with my home decor style has fulfilled a part of me that I never knew always wanted to play a role as an interior decorator. Now, at the end of the project, it turns out I DO have my own interior decor style! I just had to be patient and really sit with mySelf, asking what I was drawn to and giving mySelf time to collect little bits of meaningful treasures that have made their way into my life over the years.
Now… I’ll share
that process with
you!
- Set Intention -What is the Purpose of the Space?The first step in creating a business is addressing what the business is and who it’s for (the same goes for creating an intentional/sacred space — different purpose, same idea with creating awareness over it’s functionality). It is, by far, the most challenging part of brand development for many business owners, simply because this ‘mission statement’ is the bare-bones skeleton foundation of everything that the business has to build upon. This is the method I utilized when approaching this project and I’m so glad I did. Everything started falling into place after this was established. I knew going in that I wanted a main focus (aesthetically and otherwise) to be around these 19 sunset-on-fire hued roses that Curtis gave me for my 30th birthday in May. This year, as many of you know, finding beauty in death and non-attachment has been a constant challenge that I’ve had to sit with and glean wisdom from. It’s come to inform a lot of my work, in a really beautiful way. Initially, I was going to staple the roses onto the photo gallery wall, until I realized that the rough process of stapling was sure to damage the fragile dried petals. I decided to hang them and was caught off guard when one-by-one they began playfully dancing (it’s summer in Las Vegas, ceiling fans are on!), spinning effortlessly. This gave the room an entirely new, etheric feel and I couldn’t be more thrilled.
2. Invite in what inspires and motivates you!
I don’t have the answers for you. That’s what makes my work so fun. I love sharing my own experiences and let you know the method and process I USE to find out what will work best for me. I do this in hopes to inspire you and get you thinking in a way that prompts the idea that no one outside of you has the answers you’re looking for. This is where we can begin the internal process of awakening our own intuitive nature and finding our own unique path. A unique path of expression, inspiration, and cultivation. NOW: In order to have work I create feel like ME, I need to feel rooted and connected to who I am. What I started doing, in the weeks leading up to the skeleton being laid down to really have a space to decorate, was keeping an eye out for extra special pieces I already had that meant a lot to me. Crystals I’ve done incredible work with, gifts from friends given in meaningful times, Vintage vases purchased for me by my Grandma Nene (Dad’s mom), palo santo gifted by a dear friend, a pyrite heart gifted for luck and abundance, small brass trinkets my parents (never used to let us play with growing up!) that they gifted one another as their first Christmas gifts after getting married when they didn’t have any money. These precious pieces hold so much meaning for me, and by placing them within eyesight, there’s a sense of feeling ‘close to home’ with whatever I’m working on. When in concert with other grounding practices (yoga, journaling, connecting with family, inner child play), whether it’s for my youtube channel, blog, The Vulnerability Enthusiasts FB group or the upcoming online workshops I’m producing because I feel connected in this setting, the work I’ve been producing in this space the last few weeks feels uniquely me! I’m enthused to get to my desk so much more often and have been devoting more time than ever to developing my budding biz!
3. Infuse with Purpose – Energy Guide
Sacralizing a space is also incredibly personal work. Whether you work with (ethically and sustainably sourced) smudge tools, oracle/tarot decks, journaling, meditation, etc, set some time aside to really infuse your new space with intention. Speak aloud what it is that you will lean into and accomplish in this space, along with how those fruits will benefit in your life. With everything setup and decorated, I sat with my ‘Healing with the Angels’ Oracle deck and asked ‘What is the work that I am to do in this space? What energy will be provoked in those who come across my creations?’ and received the ‘Listening’ card, which has a beautiful meaning about following guidance that is presenting itSelf or that you intuitively feel within. It feels pretty darned aligned with everything my mission stands for!
This is how I’ve curated an intentional workspace that I am eager and inspired to get to, daily. I’ve easily been doubling or tripling the amount of time I spend creating. I encourage everyone reading this to get intuitive and curious at finding a decorating style that allows them to play and get creative. From this space, everything we create is infused with deeper meaning every step of the way and is sure to ripple outward!
This blog article is a counterpart to the TOTAL OFFICE TRANSFORMATION (+tour!) // Creating a Workspace Infused w Intent youtube that I uploaded recently. As promised, I laid out the process that went into curating this peaceful work sanctuary.