I love technology as much as the next girl, but sometimes you just gotta take a step back and find something to scribble on! The month of January is all about organization, and I wanted to share with you how this serial procrastinator gets her stuff together, with the help of one of the oldest tricks in the book. ~ This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. ~ Organizing Hacks Organization hacks are probably my favorite thing of all time, and I’ve shared some of my favorites over the years. Hairband Keeper from a craft… Keep Reading
30 Days of Creativity with #30create
Do you ever find yourself in a rut, where you feel like you’d love to get to work on something the moment inspiration strikes, but that moment never comes? Well that’s me, usually every winter. This year, as winter turns into spring, I’ve decided to take inspiration into my own hands, so to speak, and challenge myself to 30 days of creativity. They say that the best way to get the work done is just to do it. Butts in seats. Words on the page. Paint to the canvas. I truly believe that, but there are so many things that get in the way of creativity, namely LIFE. Prioritizing Creativity… Keep Reading
Surviving Creativity – Overcoming Doubt
Doubt is the enemy of creativity. Every new idea brings hard on its heels the haunting thought that it can’t really work after all. “I don’t know if this idea will matter to anyone.” “Maybe I can’t actually pull it off.” “Someone else more talented/experienced than me has probably already done this.” Maybe some people don’t suffer from doubt and self-questioning, but I believe that most creative people do. (Can I get an amen?) Somehow, doubt is as much a part of the creative process as the very seed of the idea itself. No series on creativity would be complete without dealing with the challenge of doubt. In fact, it’s such a… Keep Reading
2015 Year in Review
Is anyone else as shocked as I am that it’s almost the end of the year? I mean, I know New Year’s comes right after Christmas, but somehow this one snuck up on me anyway. As I’m getting ready to take The Palette Muse into 2016, I thought it would be fun to look back at what happened in 2015. When I did, I realized why I’ve been feeling kind of busy lately. Here’s a quick rundown of some highlights from my 65 (!) posts this last year… The year started with a few organizing projects, my favorite being this pantry makeover. What was once a sad and cluttered coat… Keep Reading
Surviving Creativity: Finding Fulfillment
I was going to call this post “Defining Success” because to answer the question, “How can I be successful while being creative and doing what I love?” we need to define what success looks like. But as I thought about it, I realized I generally dislike the word “success.” For me, with my background in Human Resources, it carries corporate-ladder-climbing, creativity-restricting connotations. Really, what I want is a word more like “fulfillment” or “realization.” For creatives, what we are constantly reaching for is that elusive feeling of completion. By the way, if you missed my first posts in this Surviving Creativity series, take a minute to read through the introduction post, the one… Keep Reading
Surviving Creativity: Do Less in More Time
Sometimes I feel like creativity and productivity cannot peacefully coexist in my life. I can either get stuff done, or I can be creative, but put the two in a room together and they fight each other like brother and sister. However like all siblings, Creativity and Productivity need to learn to get along because they’re stuck with each other. Being creative without actually producing something is eventually pointless, and being productive without any sense of creativity becomes downright boring. So like most moms, I’m stuck with the job of getting the two to work out their differences, and hug and make up. We need to find a happy medium somewhere…. Keep Reading
Surviving Creativity: Setting Priorities
Why is it so hard to pick one of the many projects in my mind and get to work? And I can’t tell you how many times each day I’ll be in the middle of a project, and start thinking I really should be working on something else. Do you have these problems too? Tell me I’m not alone! I started wondering why it can be so difficult to get started, and then stick with, any particular project. I don’t believe I’m truly ADHD, although that diagnosis probably wouldn’t surprise my family who know me best, and love me in spite of my scattered tendencies. (This post is part of… Keep Reading
Surviving Creativity
I am a creative person. I don’t say that to brag, it’s more of a confession, really. Hello, my name is Meredith and I’m a…*hangs head*…creative. What does it mean to be a “creative”? Well, mostly it means that it’s hard for me to get anything done, due to the constant barrage of ideas in my brain. Yesterday I put some pasta on to boil, and went down the hall to check my email for a couple of minutes. Some unknown amount of time later I found myself wondering what was that strange noise, coming from the kitchen. It was the sizzling sound of starchy water boiling over onto my stove… Keep Reading