End of year, End of decade, End of an era … and so much beginning!

I have always viewed limitations as a challenge to be mastered, even if they are not my choice. I think I learned this from my work as a graphic designer. Lofty ideas are great, but often the client wasn’t as inclined to go to the extra expense to do something unique. Budget restaints, size requirements, lack of a big picture vision have often been imposed limitations on my design work for others. So, this year of years, with its very definite limitations has helped me to really sharpen those skills in some lovely ways.

My desire to “use what I have” has certainly been thrown into high gear, and with some surprising and awesome results. Things I probably would have never entertained before, will now help me move to the next place in my work.

The one thing that is still baffling me beyond everything else is, TIME. It is slow and yet there are times it seems too fast. How did we get to the end of the second 10 years of this century? Where did that 20 years go?

And of course, as is inevitable, there is the end of an era in my family. My last blood relative of my parents generation died a few days ago at the wonderful old age of 90 … a new benchmark in our family, going back at least three generations.

These are all milestones. This year and all that happened and all that will happen from it, time marching on … spring to summer, summer to fall, fall to winter. And the passing of the baton from one generation to the next, where suddenly, I can be considered an elder. That’s really a lot for one year.

When you live with a writer, this also means you live with a reader …

My partner Mary Ann Moore maryannmoore.ca is a writer, and a voracious reader. Since she reviews books as well, we get tons of books coming into our home, pretty much every week. This is like living in a library, where you get the latest  books to check out, no waiting in line … well, except I have to wait for her to finish them first. 

There are a some really great books that arrive, and I probably wouldn’t have heard of them without my resident writer/reader, so I am very thankful! 

I also receive books as gifts …  of course. The Lost Spells written by Robert Mcfarlane, and illustrated by Jackie Morris, is one of those gifts. It is wonderful. A feast for the eyes and mind. I just pick it up and open it to any page, and there I am transported into the magic and mystery of the natural world.  You can read more about it and see some of the amazing illustrations HERE

I work my way through the pile of books a little at a time, so all of these books shown are currently in play … all at various stages.  Yup, no chance of me ever being bored or having nothing to read!! 

Uppercase Magazine has been one of my favourites for a number of years. It is a design and inspiration publication with no advertising!! And, it’s Canadian!

The very first issue I stumbled upon was Issue 17, which was all about calligraphy! I was hooked. Each issue from Publisher/Designer Janine Vangool is filled with such a wide variety of work, and is always rich with inspiration. She also produces some stunning design books.

Check Janine and Uppercase out Here

Issue #48, which is just being released now, is all about Stationary and Papergoods. I can’t wait!! This, as many of you know, is my thing. In a big way.

I am excited to share that, I will be in this issue, with my “Vestiges” Pencil Holders. Yes, I really did submit my work and was accepted. (This is something I almost never do!)

What I know for sure is, when my copy arrives, everything else will get dropped and I will grab a cup of tea and curl up and soak in all the yummy stuff that will be inside.

I am so excited!!!

Small things can make a huge difference. 

I purchased a new shower curtain for Christmas. I’ve been looking for one for months. Mary Ann was very patient with me, when I suggested we turn our old one around, so that the pattern wasn’t showing as much. I wanted something less bold, and until I found it, turning the current one around was a simple solution. But not a long-lasting one. 

While Christmas shopping, I came across this one, simply white cotton with a lovely open woven design. Simple. Elegant. I did not however know that it came with a secret superpower … it lets a beautiful light into the shower, that the old curtain blocked out. Now the shower feels spa-like. It glows. 

Yes, it is small things like this that really make me incredibly happy!

And so, we look for happiness in this year to come … 

The New Year will bring with it much anticipation and expectation for just about everyone I think. There is a thing about turning the calendar over and seeing a whole new, fresh year ahead. A sort of reset.  We don’t know what around the next bend, it’s all a big question mark, but I think the act of believing in good things can help to make good things happen. 

For me, January brings with the launch of a few new things in my world, which I am pretty excited about. Each of them seems to have spurred me on to explore other avenues as well … so perhaps this whole year will be about rolling out new things that I have discovered. 

Yes, for me the isolation has been an incubator of ideas coming to fruition. It seems to have its own momentum right at the moment … with me showing up and taking the next steps as needed. There is still much to do to get it all ready for the first of the year, but I am on it. One step at a time, no rush required. Enjoying each and every moment of the unfolding. 

I am so looking forward to sharing it all with you!

Hydrangea Leaf

I have this photo above my work table, it’s one I took last fall. It was one of those perfect moments of being in the right place at the right time. The lighting was perfect. Believe it or not, I didn’t have to do any “post production” on this photo, this is how it appeared out of the camera. I enlarged the image to a 16” x 10” photo, which is about four times the size of the actual leaf.

Yesterday I was looking at this image. Really looking at it. After awhile, I became so entranced by its intricacy and the unbelievable variation in the colours, that I could hardly believe it was “just a dying leaf”. It is amazing is so many ways. It took me on one of those journeys through my own being, which is a pretty amazing experience. It became my meditation for the morning. Inside this image there is magic and wonder, miracles and joy. I experienced a calming power. This is what nature wants to offer us every day.

Unexpected Treasures …

I met my friend Jan this week, for a catch-up coffee. We always have such a great time together, talking about creativity and what we are working on. We also share our love of old things. Jan suggested that we wander over to a new second hand store, just around the corner from our coffee shop … and that is where these two treasures came from.

Admittedly, I could have spent much longer, and a lot more money there that day. There was lots that wanted to bring home with me. But I am glad I didn’t “overload” myself with new projects. It’s not something I want to do. I chose these two pieces, brought them home, and immediately started working on them. It felt perfect. I was right to bring home only what I am able to work on right away.

After months of having a studio full of stuff, and then clearing it all out and reorganizing it, I am loving the space, and the freedom that space gives me. This is a good lesson to learn, for sure! It makes working on these two pieces even sweeter!

Website Antics …

Working on my website is often not the easiest task I undertake in my studio. Sometimes is just plain old freaks me out. My technical skills in this area are nil. Zero. Don’t exist. The template that I work with allows me to work on the “front end”, where I see what I am doing. Sounds easy, but sometimes the technical gremlins play very nasty games on me. Like they did on Friday.

I was making some additions to the site, and all was going well, until it wasn’t. Suddenly all of the changes that I had spent an hour doing, disappeared. On the screen, it had all gone back to the way it was.

Now, years ago, I learned to SAVE every few minutes, if the program doesn’t do that automatically. But it looked like everything was just gone.

My trusty, wise and in the moment, very calm partner, Mary Ann, suggested I just go look at the site outside the editing program. I did, and the changes were all there. Whew … relief … frustration level dropped. Ahhh.

And of course in all of this, I must remember, Mercury is currently in retrograde, so anything to do with technology is susceptible to going a bit wonky. Breathe. Just breathe.

All at once …

This last week has brought news from all the corners of my world, about people who are experiencing health concerns. Each of them, although working through different issues, have a common thread. Breathing.

Of course I know well enough that when that many people “appear” in my sphere with the same need, this must also be a message for me. And so, I started to pay better/more attention to the act of breathing, and lo and behold, I wasn’t doing a very good job. I was doing what most of us have been doing for months, some for year, shallow breathing. Never really filling up our lungs.

Breathing is a simple thing. Sometimes I laugh at myself, recognizing that breathing is an involuntary muscle action, but without it, we are gone.

So, I am going to pay attention to all of these messages that have reached me, and actually practice my breathing each day, several times, and enjoy all the health benefits that will come from that simple act of self care.

Gift Giving Season is coming …

The pandemic has changed my buying patterns, dramatically. I have purchased far less over the past 7 months, but I have also been much more aware of where I choose to buy. Small, local shops are my top pick. Anything online is way down on the list. Online stores do absolutely nothing to support my local economy, and in some cases, don’t even support anything in Canada.

It is one thing this darned pandemic has crystallized for me, it’s that every dollar I spend is a vote for what I want my world to look like. When I take that to heart, it changes how I buy. I want to have my local merchants, and in order to do that, I have to support them. I don’t want ship-loads of cheap plastic stuff filling up my world, so I don’t shop in places that rely on that as their focus.

If shopping locally costs more, it doesn’t mean I don’t do it, it means that I buy less. This is a good thing. For me, this feels like a much needed change in my world, especially coming into the gift giving season!

P.S. I Love You More Than Tuna … THE BOOK … is out this week!

My friend and fellow cat lover, Sarah Chauncey’s new book, P.S. I Love You More Than Tuna is being released this week. I have had the honour of reading a review copy, and it is FABULOUS.

Sarah has written a book to help people who are grieving the loss of their companion felines. It came out of the loss of her own cat Hedda after 19 years, and the condolence card her friend and illustrator, Francis Tremblay sent her.

The card was the catalyst for creating a book to help other people through the terrible and sometimes excruciating lonely grieving process. Sarah and Francis combined their considerable talents to create this wonderful book. It is generous of heart, yet simple in design and message. Like a good friend who can just sit with you and know exactly what you are going through, without saying a word.

This is a wonderful gift for anyone who is grieving the loss of their cherished companion animal. Whether the loss is recent or not, P.S. I Love You More Than Tuna is a reminder that their furry bodies may be gone, but not in spirit, or from our hearts.

See it here .. and if you are able, buy it locally!!

P.S. I Love You More Than Tuna
©2020 Sarah Chauncey and Francis Tremblay
Published by Sounds True
ISBN 978-1-68364-697-6

coming to the end of a project means you need to switch energies … and
what that energy shift can mean

Riding the wave of excitement of a project like compendium 7, and then finally seeing the printed copies, sitting on the desk, ready to send out, is amazing. It’s also the place from which I want to harness all that energy and keep it going. Sometimes that is possible, sometimes it isn’t. The reason: because whatever is next, you are starting again, and sometimes beginnings aren’t that easy.

Almost the moment I finished compendium 7, I wanted to start on c8, because the ideas were flowing so nicely. And I will do this, start on c8 sooner than later, but there is one thing I need to keep in mind, (you might call this a character trait), is that I throw myself ALL into something, and other things get tossed aside. It is a very fast way to create burnout for me.

I don’t want to do that anymore, and I am learning not to. Every day I practice the beautiful balance of moving from one thing to another, to keep a bunch of things all going in the right direction. My body is also much happier with this plan. Never staying in one place long enough to create an uncomfortable outcome for me physically.

Ahhh, the continuing learning that happens in a life. I like it!

the changes in life can be challenging …

I am one of the millions of people in the world who have cataracts in their eyes. At the beginning, it was annoying, but now, as I await my turn to have surgery, it is truly bothersome. Fine work is hard. The computer work is harder … although I just made some adjustments to my screen via the Accessibility part of my system, and it is helping a bit.

It is another one of those reminders to keep moving between things, so as not to get too tired out by the strain that is caused by murky vision.

This week, I read an interesting article from Microsoft about their Chief Accessibility Officer, Jenny Lay-Flurrie. She has had a hearing loss since she was a child, and learned to work around it … no one knew she couldn’t hear properly. She would practice lip reading in front of the mirror to mask her hearing loss. This is what we know as an “invisible” disability. It is not obvious to anyone, so it is often not accommodated or recognized.

Then, not long ago, Jenny suffered a major blood clot in her leg, and suddenly had a visible disability. Her mobility was deeply affected, and there was no hiding it. She was shocked by the change in her world. Things she never knew were problematic suddenly were monumental. She discovered a new world …. one that is not all that accommodating to physical differences in ability to get from point a to point b.

Jenny also experienced the kindness of people. They were more eager to open doors and help her, making sure she was okay. They noticed her in a new way.

I am astounded that we don’t just make everything accessible to everyone. But we still don’t. The barriers are everywhere. What to me might be a half inch lip on a doorway, is a barrier to someone else. Cracks in sidewalks are a hazard to anyone with mobility issues. Vision and hearing issues are so often not taken into consideration when designing spaces.

I found the article very interesting, although long. There is some really good stuff there … and the recognition that huge corporations are trying to make the world a more accessible place for everyone made me hopeful that one day soon, everyone will be considered when designing places, spaces and services.

The Story of Jenny Lay-Flurrie

the season has officially changed … my cat tells me so!

This was the week of the official change of season at our house. Squeak, our wild-thing, outside guy, decided that it is now time to come in sometimes and sleep in the warmth and comfort of the house. I had to make him a nest in the studio, of course, and he seems pretty blissful about it. (He is currently curled up like a squirrel, which means a BIG sleep!)

And this is how seasonal change gets truly recognized and honoured in our house.

And so, that’s it for this week … as I head over to the other side of my studio and see what needs to move to the next step … but first, I must check on my Carrot Cake in the oven.

Always remember … whatever the problem, either tea or books will solve it!
Happy Week to you!

~sarah

this is the proof copy, that means we’re close to print!

After months and months and a few more months of not being in the mood to write compendium and feeling like there was no point in it, the mood shifted and the writing began. Of course, with all of the compendiums, number 7 didn’t “stay on track”, it started in one way and I thought it was heading in a certain direction, and then suddenly, it shifted gears and morphed into a different storyline.

I think that I took out more from this issue than I have in past issues, but I also know it will fit in somewhere in the future, so I have kept it all. It will appear randomly in coming issues no doubt.

A snapshot of c7: inner wisdom, watch & listen, the garden, vestiges, welcome to compendiumshop.ca, the shape of my life, the stuff in my head, rare moments, everyday stuff, curiosities, nourishments, spaces + places, font love and new loves.

some exclusive things in compendiumshop.ca

There are some things that I have made “exclusive” to the compendium shop … just because everywhere I sell my pieces should have something that no one else has.

For the shop, it’s the Daily Practice Pack, which includes all the pieces I use in my daily practice with mandalas. It includes: 36 mandalas to colour, with ample room to write thoughts on the back, a Mandala Meditation Deck, so you can choose your cards to ground the day, a cedar stand to display them smartly, and of course, a little instruction guide to help you along.

All you have to do is add your favourite colouring method and you are ready to go!

Also exclusive to the compendium shop are “word plaques”. These are each one-of-a-kind, hand painted and original designs, and the words that are inspired by them.

Of course, I also have many mandala plaques that do not have words on them too! I invite you to take a wander through the shop! HERE

another revamp of the studio … hopefully the last for awhile!

Yes, I knew I needed to shift things in the studio, to accommodate a changing landscape of work and stir up the energy, but I have to overcome the tendency to overthink it! This was a small revamp. A practical change to create some area to house “works-in-progress” and tools and supplies I use regularly. It was all designed around the little table you see. My friend Jane found me this table at a garage sale a few years ago, and she scooped it up, thinking I would paint it and sell it. I didn’t. I fell in love with it for some reason, and it has never left the studio. The drawer houses mandalas on paper … literally hundreds of pieces. It will house my paper cutter, which can be easily moved if I need the table top for something in the moment.

That’s the thing about my small space, it has to be able to be rearranged in small ways all the time, to accommodate the various things that I get up to! And who knows where the future will take me, it seems there are new things bubbling up. Stay tuned!

I have a rare cat breed … a Wetcoast Cat or is he a Rainforest Cat?

Just this morning, which is cold and rainy, I made a lovely, warm, comfy bed in my studio for my outside guy, Mr. Squeak. He tried to stay, he really did … but the sound of the rain outside seem to call him back … and off he went to sleep outside, on the chair we put on the porch. He will fall deep asleep, listening to the rain, and no one will bother him there.

A brilliant writing guide …

If you are looking for an inspiring guide to help you get writing about your life … may I suggest Writing to Map Your Spiritual Journey, a self-guided writing journey, by Mary Ann Moore … my brilliant partner in life!

This is the beautiful culmination of Mary Ann’s of pilgrimage into writing as a spiritual and healing practice.

Please check it out to read all about it: HERE

This might be just what you need to get you started on exploring your own writing practice and amazing story.

Nature in the fall … captures my imagination

It’s only in the last few years that I have discovered the pure magic of nature in the fall. It is entirely possible it has something to do with my stage in life, but who knows. I am just glad I now see and appreciate it the way I do.

The light, the colours, the richness of things that are at the end of their season. The webs … oh the webs. This year they aren’t like anything I have ever experienced. In one perfect moment on one day, I captured these images from the patio doors in the dining room. An hour later, the sun burst through and you couldn’t see them anymore. They were still there, but the circumstances had changed completely, and they disappeared from sight.

In moments like that, I feel I have been given a rare gift, and I am so very thankful to receive it!

May the week ahead be filled with
wonder and delight!

~sarah