Sarah Clark | Sarah Clark Design

Take the next easy step!

by Sarah Clark | Feb 1, 2022 | Ideas

Never has the phrase, “Take the next easy step …” been needed more in my life!

Somehow I must have known this when I designed my 2022 calendar, that February was going to need an everyday reminder to just take the next easy step.

Life is full … and in January it was even fuller of life and death events, tugs to old worlds and the ominous reality of finding a new home.

Any one of those things really would have been enough. Really. But, oh no … apparently we had to do them in tandem. YIKES!

In all of it, I just kept reminding myself that nothing lasts forever, that each day I was closer to the trauma and drama being over. It was all about staying in the present moment, while acknowledging that it will change.

And, of course it did. A little over a week ago, we secured a new home. To say that it is beyond anything we had been dreaming up, would be a severe understatement. It is amazing in ways that go deep into my bones.

I will tell you more about that as time goes by … and introduce you to this new adventure, once we get settled.

For now, and the rest of the month of February, I am going to heed the advice of my friend and mentor, Liz Garratt …

“TAKE THE NEXT EASY STEP.

If it isn’t easy, it isn’t the next step!”

The new desktop wallpaper for February

This follows in the footsteps of my printed calendar … just something nice to share. (if you would like a calendar for your wall, I still have a few and they are on sale in my shop!)

This should be a simple right click to make it your desktop image … if you have problems, please contact me and I will email you the file.

I hope you enjoy it!

Things continue to be completed in the studio … although I am not sure how.

I have dedicated myself to finishing things in the studio, and not moving anything undone to the new house.

Each day, I move things along in a quiet and peaceful way. There is no rush, just a desire to complete things and move them to their next home.

These are two of the pieces that I have been working on for the past several weeks. The panel has been in my studio, waiting patiently, for about 2 years.

The table, named Charlotte, was a gift from two lovely people who bought one of my tables, and then gave me their old one to rework and sell. Now that’s the kind of support you don’t see everyday!

I encourage you to purge your stuff …

One of the biggest lessons in this move is, we all hang on to way too much stuff. We don’t go through things and toss them, or give them away, nearly as often as would be good for us.

And why is that? Because it’s hard. And why is it hard? Because we allow it to pile up.

The other thing is, we have attachment to things. Or we think we might need it some day.

My most embrassing moment of this packing up, was finding a container stored in the basement, filled with coloured glass that belonged to my father. I had forgotten all about it. All of that beautfiul glass has been sitting in a dark container in the basement for almost 17 years!! That is shameful in a way, and certainly does not honour the makers of those lovely pieces.

There are many other things that will not move to the next house, and what makes me feel good about moving these things along is where they are going.

The books are off to Well Read Books, which uses the proceeds of sales to fund all of their literacy programs.

All of the other stuff is going to friends or to Haven Society Thrift Shop, whose mission is: “to promote the integrity and safety of women, children, youth and families and the development of a respectful and healthy community.”

It feels lovely to clean and carefully wrap things up to give away. To send them off with intention that just the right person will find what they need, at a price they can afford, and the item goes on to be useful once more.

photo by Wendy Morisseau

And here we are, at another New Year … the Chinese Year of the Tiger. There will be lots of energy with this one, that’s for sure!

I am off to purge another cupboard or two, and do a bookstore and record store run … so we can have some floor space back, and stop freaking the cats out!

Cheers to February! Stay well and happy.

~sarah

Everything points toward slow and intentional

by Sarah Clark | Jan 3, 2022 | Ideas

I love how just the right words of wisdom seem to find me, right when I need them most!

This is from Tisha Morris and her new year message:

“As the world and our daily lives have become more and more complex to navigate, consider setting your top 3-5 priorities for this year rather than intentions or goals. Notice what doesn’t make your list – that’s as important to know as what makes your list. With any change (especially when made from the heart), we must let go of something(s).”

She concludes her post with this:

“Be not afraid of going slowly,
be afraid only of standing still.”

~ Chinese Proverb

Yes, this feels right. No rush. Move with intention through it all as it unfolds.

tishamorris.com

And moving with intention is just what we will do this year … we have to find a new home by March 1st. It is worrying, looking at the state of rentals in the area, but then I remind myself, this is not our first rodeo (a phrase I have come to love!). We have been in this exact place before, and things have worked out very well. I have to remind myself again. And perhaps again.

I remember that the answer is already in the works, we just don’t know about it yet. This is where my practice of trust and faith needs to ramp up. Turns out, not many humans like those in-between places that are void of answers. it pretty much scares the poop out of us.

So we wait. And do what we can do, which is trim down all of our stuff by probably 60% … which will feel good, since we are taking it slowly and intentionally.

We are finding strange things every day. Like a letter from my Mother to my Father, before they were married … it was in Mary Ann’s collage stuff … hmmmm … curious. I remembered that it is connected to a piece of stone my father had kept, and I still have … more on that another time … it’s just fascinating to find these little threads.

And so, the journey continues, getting life organized in a whole new way … for the future!

Yes, we are reimagining our lives, and it feels exciting for sure!

A new offering … coming once a month … a gift to you!

This is my first, but not last Desktop Wallpaper … I will do one each month, to refresh my computer screen, and be inspired by both image and words.

This follows in the footsteps of my printed calendar … just something nice to share.

This should be a simple right click to make it your desktop image … if you have problems, please contact me and I will email you the file.

I hope you enjoy it!

January Desktop

A couple of new pieces from the studio … as I venture into finishing all unfinished pieces that are here.

These two, a bamboo bowl and a turntable, have been in the studio for awhile, waiting for their remake. They were done simultaneously, which is interesting. One has a Southwest feeling, the other a Celtic. Hmmmm …. I have no explanation, I just show up and do what I am told.

The bamboo bowl is more decorative than practical. It can’t really hold food … well, I suppose it could enteratain things with a skin that will come off … oranges, as an example.

The turntable can serve two purposes … I have put a hanger on the back, so when it is not in use on the table, you can hang it up and enjoy it. I like mult-function pieces!

My favourite paper … Canson Marker

I switch back and forth between pens, markers and pencils on a regular basis, so it’s nice to have found a paper that loves all of them.
This paper is smooth and makes my writing instruments glide across the page. There is no bleed-through, so using alcohol-based markers is just fine.

It is a delight with a fountain pen. So smooth. And the brightness of the white means that colours pop!

It’s one of my favourite things!

photo by Wendy Morisseau

There are so many things that are swirling around in my head these days, all about the future. I think what might serve me well in these moments is just be here in the present, answering the questions I can answer and doing the things I can do, without fuss or worry. It sounds easy, but as you all know, it’s not. This is yet another of the lessons of life that I must practice, in order to get really, really good at it!

May your days be filled with what you desire!

Happy New Year!

~sarah

This year is finishing with some deep truths and an abundance of richness

by Sarah Clark | Dec 27, 2021 | Ideas

This feels like just the right wisdom for this moment …

Rabbi Rami Shapiro writes a column for Spirituality & Health magazine, where he answers questions. He’s really very good. He’s compassionate, direct and sometimes very, very funny.

In the November/December 2018 issue, which happened into my lap recently, the editors gave a little little bit of background on how Rabbi Shapiro came to have a column with Spirituality & Health, and they shared his answers to life’s 5 Big Questions.

What Am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? What am I here to do? Why?

And it is the Why questions whose answer I deeply appreciated, as I make my way though another of life’s inevitable shifts. Here is a brief snippet:

“You are not here to win something, or to earn something, or to escape to some other dimension. You don’t have to find something extra from life, you only have to live life rightly – with curiosity, courage, and compassion. When you do, your heart will open and you will be filled with an ever-increasing capacity to love and be loved …. you are an experiment; you are a way life explores living. Live your life as an experiment, and see what you can learn about living well, taking care of self and others. And then share what you learn with others.
This is why you are here.”

spiritualityhealth.com

Small boxes and wee sets of drawers will literally call me from another side of a store … “Sarah, we are over here … and we need you to help us!” Both practical and with good bones, these two little treasures found their way into my studio recently. They were plain and boring, but with a certain style. Each asked for a different approach. The three-drawer one is solid aromatic cedar and in my world, would hold pens and things, but in the real world, it is most likely for jewelry. Which is fine, don’t get me wrong!

The six-drawer one is solid birch plywood, very sturdy, and perfect for corralling all sorts of things (for me, pens again). When it came to knobs, I couldn’t find any that were suitable for size, so I made my own. I also used three different exotic wood veneers on the drawer fronts, which belies the humble wood beneath. It feels rich in so many ways, I was so pleased to see it come together.

Alas, they were not to be mine and hold my wares … but rather, to become a treasure for someone else’s treasures. The are waiting at the Salish Sea Market in Bowser, BC, for their forever homes.

What’s been keeping me reading these days …

As you can see, I have fallen for a couple of authors in this pile of reading materials … Matt Haig and Brené Brown.

Sometimes I think the best way to say how much I enjoyed a book, is to see how many flags I put on the pages. Let’s just say, I might have to go out and buy some more sticky flags ….

Blue Grass Velvet is the name of the ink, from Ferris Wheel Press, in Toronto, Ontario. It is exactly the colour of the box. It is luscious and lovely and a colour I never thought I would buy.

But then, it grabbed me and I am glad it did. I love it. And because I love it so much, I filled up my oldest everyday fountain pen with it. My Waterman gold nib is perfect for it. The writing experience smooth and velvety … yes, just perfect!

And the name reminds me of my mother … she wore Elizabeth Arden Blue Grass perfume … it’s almost as if I can smell the scent when I write!

Check them out … they have many more amazing colours! ferriswheelpress.ca

photo by Wendy Morisseau

As this year ends and a new one is on the horizon, so is a new life for me and my partner Mary Ann. We have to move. After 16.5 years in our place, the house has been sold, and we are new-home bound.

This is a big deal on so many levels … it means looking at our lives and seeing what fits and doesn’t, right now and going into the next age and stage of our lives. It is rich with experience, that’s for sure. As yet, we don’t know where our next home will be. Nanaimo is a somewhat busy rental market, and the sticker shock of current rents means we have to rethink things – a lot!

But this is not our first rodeo, as the saying goes … and we remain in a state of trust and faith that things will work out in our highest and best interests. We are blessed to have friends and family who hold that same wish for and with us, so we feel supported, even though we don’t have answers. The next while is going to stir up lots, as we let go of many things that have been around and in our lives for decades. But this is part of life.

This is where I am sure the “on a positive note” mandala deck is keeping this present in my head and heart, as it reminds me daily that “I will be the river”, “I am happy” and “I surrender to what is”

My wish for all of us is that our lives remain rich in love and connection!

~sarah

In and around the studio this week …

by Sarah Clark | Oct 18, 2021 | Ideas

My handwriting changes all the time.

I have never had my handwriting analyzed, because I wouldn’t know which sample I might use … unlike most people I know, my handwriting definitely changes based on the pen I am using, the paper that I am writing on, and for sure, the mood I am in. Consistency is not a word I can use to characterize my writing words!

Years ago, when someone saw that my writing is, for the most part, often quite nice and easy to read, suggested that I hand write a book sometime. No … couldn’t do it unless it was all in one sitting. But I do love to write, that’s for sure!

I am so excited to share these two books with you … both written by my life partner, Mary Ann Moore!

Yes I had a hand in designing them … Writing Home A Whole Life Practice I did cover to cover, and Fishing For Mermaids, I designed the front and back cover and spine. You can read more about these in the shop! This is the first time Writing Home A Whole Life Practice has been offered to the general public. Previously it was only used with Mary Ann’s mentoring clients. It very exciting for us both to see Mary Ann’s work out there in the larger world!

Currently beside my reading chair …

I am reading a lot more these days, and the diversity of what I am reading is sort of neat! Some of the books I dip into, like the Nick Bantok, which is always good for a creative boost! The Anatomy of the Spirit, by Caroline Myss, PhD., is one I am reading for the 2nd time … the first time was about 30 years ago. When the Body Says No by Gabor Maté, I just finished reading for the 4th time! It is such a good book!

The Lettering Manual book is one I am working through slowly … it’s like a University degree in lettering, but more fun! Professional level, but done very nicely. It’s for people who are pretty serious about lettering! (That would be me.)

The others are a bit of dipping in and out … between my main reading … The Inspired House, The Artful Dodger and Drawing on the Artist Within, came to me free, from a bookstore that was giving away all the things they couldn’t sell, before the closed their doors … a pretty sweet score, if I do say so. So people went out of there overloaded with books, and were coming back for more. YIKES! I was quite happy to pick a few. Books can be overwhelming!!

Did you know: Most of the “seagulls” found along the British Columbia coast nest on inland lakes far from the ocean? from Birds of Southwest British Columbia, 2005 Heritage.

I don’t think in all the years I have lived here, I’ve taken a photo of a gull … and it’s not like there aren’t a billion opportunities! But this feathered friend, just off the waterfront walkway, seemed to need to be acknowledged with a nice shot! I was happy to oblige!

Heart Patterns from Stanford University researchers

Patterns of the Heart when exposed to music.

As someone who is fascinated by patterns, I was delighted to see this come up recently on Facebook.

Stanford University researchers, Cardiologist Sean Wu, MD, PhD, and Utkan Demirci, PhD, an acoustic bioengineer and professor of radiology have been looking at the effect of music on heart cells. “Utkan brought up this idea that we could use acoustics to pack the cells very densely and still maintain an ability to control and tune their organization — and we got really excited,” says Wu, associate professor of medicine.

You can read all about it here: https://stanmed.stanford.edu/listening/innovations-helping-harness-sound-acoustics-healing.html … it’s pretty amazing and hopeful for use in medicine I think.

The image above shows the ‘cymatics’, or geometric patterns created in heart cells when applying various sounds.

photo by Wendy Morisseau

In and around the studio these days are the usual dozen or so projects. I have a cabinet that I think is next up to be completed. I picked up two round canvasses, about 20″ in diameter, which I have never worked on before, so that will be interesting. They are in the mid-stage of things.

There is the thinking and plotting of new projects, and how to start a few that are in my head. I’ve been inspired by a suggestion from a friend, about modifying something I have already created, so I will see if I am brave enough to go down that road.

I am always thinking about the little compendiumshop.ca and ways to make it even more fun!

All in all, it is a lively and lovely time here in the studio, and I wish the same for you, whatever you are doing!

~sarah

My favourite time of the year!

by Sarah Clark | Oct 5, 2021 | Ideas

Autumn is my season, for sure!

This is the time of the year that I feel most at home in my being. There is a calmness that comes from the quiet and end of season, the natural world going into hibernation and the onset of hunkering.

Since I am not a fan of the chaos of summer and the stresses that it now brings each year, Autumn feels like the perfect rest after being out of touch with myself. It reminds me to take pleasure in the simple things in my life.

It is also when I get back to letter writing, which is one of the things that seems to disappear in the summer. Lately I have been sending Bento Box Letters, and even though I knew they were going to be a lot of fun, it turns out that they are simply spectacular in their ability to slow me down and have some fun, while connecting to a loved one.

This is the example letter that I did, to show at least one possibility … and then I got a letter from my friend/pencil/pen buddy, Simone … and opening it was such a complete thrill!

The gift of slow production …

Pretty much everything I create is a slow process with many steps. Over the years, I have found that sometimes the simplest of things can bring great calmness and pleasure to my day. Recently I was making up some new card stands, which starts with a light sanding, then staining and top coat, before embellishing them with a unique design. I was having such a nice time staining 24 new stands, imagining that each one is created for one other person. I may never know this person, but it is the energy of connection through the work that I want to create.

The same thing happened when I was putting together some Bento Box Letter packs. Each one folded carefully, knowing that one person is going to open it up to create something special, and then send it off into the world. It’s what I love about how I have decided to structure my world, how I am making it sustainable on every level, and making energetic connections with each piece.

Well, thanks to my co-creator, Wendy Morisseau, our NEW Every Day a New Beginning Meditation Deck, is flying off the shelf, so to speak!

I think I would speak for both Wendy and myself, when I say there is a definite joy in seeing how much people are drawn to this new deck. They see the calm it is all about, and the sharing of good energy to start every single day.

We had to put in a second print order as soon as the first one arrived, which made us smile from ear to ear, and it made our printer chuckle! I’m thinking it won’t be long before a third order goes in!!

photo by Wendy Morisseau

I notice that the garden, in its final moments of this year, is calling to me again. It seems to like to do this in the fall … to show me the rawness of things ending. I find them fascinating and inspiring. I also find it very calming. I’ve never been that good at endings, but I think that perhaps I am learning some grace around it through this season.

Thank you for stopping in to connect!

Be well in all that you do,

~sarah

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