NEW from the studio this week …

a whole series of mandalas for the wall … soon to be available from compendiumshop.ca

Mary Ann Moore has a new guide book!!!

See her new guide book here. 

My creative and talented partner Mary Ann Moore has a wonderful new guide book fresh in the world! Twenty years in the making, Writing to Map Your Spiritual Journey is brimming with inspiration and practical writing practices to help you go deeper with your own story.

This is rich, deep and beautiful work, and I am delighted to see it finally available to the whole, wide world to enjoy and be inspired by.

Please take a few moments and check out the link, which will show you the contents and give you more in-depth information.

“Mary Ann shares her expansive knowledge of earth-based practices and goddess spirituality to connect you more deeply to your writing and your own story.” Writing to Map Your Spiritual Journey is a digital PDF available from the International Association for Journal Writing (IAJW).

To learn more and to purchase, please visit: iajw.org and look under Products: Journal Writing Tools or access from this direct link:
International Association for Journal Writing

Austin Kleon

Keep Going ~ 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad,
by Austin Kleon (Workman Publishing, 2019) is a diminutive book that packs a large dose of inspiration between its covers.

Released late last year, I picked up my copy in the midst of our new crazy, unpredictable times, and I am very glad I did!

Each of Austin’s books are based on “10 Things”, which is the same format he uses in his weekly newsletter. This format means he has taken the enormous time and effort to “whittle” things down to their core ideas, and I must say, he does it quite brilliantly.

I’ve been a fan of Austin’s since his first book, Steal Like and Artist ~ 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative, (Workman Publishing, 2012). That’s when I signed up for his newsletter at austinkleon.com, which arrives every Friday morning and is one of the creative boosts for my week.

He is a man of books and ideas, play and exploration, and music … there is ALWAYS something in his newsletter that makes me smarter, feel better or want to try something new.

His second book, Show Your Work! ~ 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered, (Workman Publishing, 2014) is a most direct and inspiring guide to getting your work out there in a practical and sustainable way!

Yes, Austin Kleon, who lives in Austin, Texas, is a creative cheerleader, in good times and in bad times. I love having him right there on my bookshelf, where I can refer back to his creative inspiration anytime I need it!

austinkleon.com

Diana Beresford-Kroeger

To Speak for the Trees: My Life’s Journey from Ancient Celtic Wisdom to a Healing Vision of the Forest

I LOVE this book, and the film that came from it. Diana Beresford-Kroeger writes so beautifully and shares her unbelievable scientific knowledge in a lyrical and heart-felt way that makes you want to keep reading and reading and reading … and then start it all over again.

She LOVES trees, because she truly and deeply understands the depth and breadth of their importance as the basis of life on this planet. “I want to remind you that the forest is far more than a source of timber. It is our collective medicine cabinet. It is our lungs. It is the regulatory system for our climate and our oceans. It is the mantel of our planet. It is the health and well-being of our children and grandchildren. It is our sacred home. It is our salvation’”.

To read the story of how she became a scientist is truly inspiring. Literally, she was raised by an entire community, and educated in ancient Celtic ways. She is brilliant at making connections and staying curious, all the while, explaining it as if she was writing poetry.

For me, this was an uplifting read and I am so very, very thankful for the work Diana continues to do, each and everyday, from saving heritage trees species on her farm in Ontario, to sharing her vast knowledge to help the world understand trees with greater insight.

See an excerpt here.

See: Call of the Forest – Film Trailer here

Common Foundry ~ Cory and Laura

This is my new favourite shop in Nanaimo … they carry fine writing pens, pencils, paper and other lovely, useful, essential items for people who still gravitate toward analog! It is a tiny shop beautifully laid out, clean, calm and a pleasure to be in.

The owners, Cory and Laura are both graphic designers, and it shows in all of their curated choices of product.

Yes, this is going to be a regular stop for me. Some might say an indulgence, I think more in terms of nurturing my creative soul.

See what they are up to on Instagram here

My New Daily Practice Pack ~
exclusive to my website!

compendiumshop.ca

Using What I Have (new core practice)

This is going to change EVERYTHING. In fact, it already has.

For many years I have worked with the principle of using up what I have in and around me, as well as “repurposing” things I have found. Well, I have to say that this wee pandemic we are in, seems to have ramped that up to a whole new level.

What surprises me most is that I wasn’t aware until now, that my default mode was to notice I needed something to do what I wanted to do, and so would run out to the store and buy it. HAH … that became seriously impossible during the deepest part of the pandemic. So, I had to make do with what I already had in my possession.

This not only presented me with new creative challenges, but it has sparked a whole new way of thinking and doing. I am talking about a serious shift in creative forces, which will help me to create a wonderfully new vision of what I do and why I do it.

Turns out, in the nooks and crannies of my home/studio, there is a ridiculous amount of “stuff” to be used up. Oh yes, I have been an expert at neatly stowing things away, so that we do not live in clutter or catastrophe, but it’s still a lot of stuff that needs to not be neatly stored anymore.

So, in the coming weeks and months, you will be treated to a myriad of things coming out of the studio, which I promise will all be practical, functional and beautiful … all while clearing out some interesting things that have collected over the years. Stay tuned!

Please enjoy a wonder-filled week ahead!

~sarah

 PS … if you haven’t signed up to receive this blog in your email, I would love to have you along for the journey … just pop up to the top of this page and on the right side you will see the SIGN UP area. Easy!

After an extended absence from writing my own blog, I have decided to bring it back to life! It is just one part of a whole revamp of my website and online presence. 

The most notable change to my site and my emerging world is my little online shop called compendiumshop.ca, which will house all the new things coming out of my studio … and there will be LOTS of new things emerging in the coming months!! I am working on a whole new selection of one-of-a-kind, hand-painted pieces that will represent three areas that are very important to me ~ salvaging, function and beauty. So some of the future is completely new for me, and I am pretty excited.

What has emerged from our pandemic times for me is a need to change what I am doing, and how I am putting it into the world. Three shops that carried my work pre-pandemic, have either closed completely or downsized their inventory all around. This has left the Salish Sea Market, in Bowser, BC, as my single outlet for furniture pieces. Ahhh yes, a shift is in the works. Reinventing myself and my work, and although it’s taken me months to get to this point, I now feel much more prepared to move forward. I am so very thankful to everything and everyone who have helped me get to this point.

I have re-energized much of the website, adding, removing and updating throughout. I am most intrigued about my little shop though … trying to create what I would like a bricks-and-mortar store to feel like, but here, online. It will definitely be a work-in-progress, and will be updated with new pieces regularly. (Hopefully weekly!)

My internal wisdom continues to tell me to move slowly and intentionally through these times. No Rush Required. So far, this wisdom is working perfectly for me.

In deciding to reactivate my blog, I want to share a variety of aspects of my world, once a week, on Sundays. It’s my way of sitting with you and having a little visit. So, if you aren’t signed up to receive this in your email inbox, I hope you will  join me on this curious adventure called LIFE … with all it’s peaks and valleys, joys and wonder!

I promise to do my best to inspire and inform.

My desire is to create a community here! I hope you will join me.

Welcome to my new world.
~sarah

 

Yes, the NEW Mandala Decks are finally here … I am so pleased with them! They are a bit larger than the previous ones and feel nice in your hand. The card stock is heavier too.

I have replaced the original two decks with this one. It has 36 cards and represents the original deck, some of the second deck and a whole bunch of new mandalas.

I took my inspiration from the 30 Days of Calm colouring pack that I designed, so I took some of those and coloured them!

How do I use these cards … well, I randomly choose three cards each morning to set the tone and ground the day. So far, the cards I have chosen or the cards that have chosen me, have been PERFECT.

If you are on Vancouver Island, they are available at Lobelia’s Lair and Departure Bay Aromatherapy, in Nanaimo, and at the Salish Sea Market, in Bowser.

Of course you can also order them from me, right here. And I will send them right to your door!

May there always be something that grounds your day and keeps you happy!

~sarah