By Alison Marks

Paul Kaufman said, “If you’re looking to find the creative spirit outside of yourself, you’re looking in the wrong place.”  I agree; a wise creative spirit lives in each of us. But it’s what’s around us – the things we bump into out in the world as we go about our lives – that sparks our spirits and gives our deep selves the opportunity to come alive and interact with the world in concrete, tangible ways.

The good news about this is that you can decide what kind of experience you want to have in life and consciously design the spaces you spend the most time in so that they meet those needs and desires.  You can consider your needs on different levels, from the soul level – what delights my senses and makes the best parts of me feel alive? – to the practical – how can I set up this hallway so that my flight out the door each morning is smooth and orderly?

By just being aware of what makes you feel good, you can learn to easily generate ideas about positive changes you can make in your home, many of which are simple to implement and even many that don’t cost any money. 

Pay attention

Pay attention every day to what really moves something inside you.  It may be a rusty nail, a fine piece of art, some trendy new shoe. You may even want to start a “stylebook,” a binder or notebook where you can record thoughts, make sketches, paste in photos and clippings. The thing that’s important is that you practice developing your perception of how things make you feel, as if you were toning up your leg muscles by walking every day.  You may not be totally successful at first, but with time you will become more attuned to the qualities of the things you encounter and how well they would enhance your overall sense of wellbeing and aliveness if you were to bring them into your home.

Start with what you’ve got

Creating a home you love doesn’t usually mean going out and buying all new furniture and moving walls.  It starts with appreciating what you already have that you love.  What are the things about your home or the things you own that truly make you happy?  What are the things that bring beauty to your life? Any of these can serve as an inspiration point, a doorway into starting to design a space for your soul.  A list might include things like:

-          an existing element in your home: an arch, a view, a fireplace, the light quality

-          an object or collection: maybe some beach stones and shells, 400 alligators, or possibly a clay pot your kid made for you

-          a special piece of furniture: an old beat-up table from the flea market, grandma’s sideboard

-          a color or particular palette: Bright orange? French blue? Both together?

-          a material or texture: a huipil from Guatemala or sari from India, old wood, deep dark metals

-          your family or other relationships

-          a particular place in the world, historical period, or culture that you feel close to

Select things that you have some level of passion for, not just things you have become attached to over the years.  Ask yourself, “what is it about each of these things that I love?”  Make a list of qualities that appeal to you. (Your stylebook is a great place for this!)

Create your home based on what you love

You may be surprised at how easy the process of creating a space that brings your chosen qualities alive is once you’ve taken a little time to get clear about what makes your heart sing. The approach is not to decide on an identified style like “Arts and Crafts” or “French Country,” but to use something that comes from within as your inspiration and yardstick. There are no "right answers." Don't get discouraged if some of your selected qualities are seemingly at odds with each other. Trust the process; it will all come together in the end. Take it a room at a time: 

1. Decide which qualities you want present in that part of your home.

2. Spend some time in that room with your stylebook or notepad, and brainstorm all the large and small things that could be done to enhance that quality.  Remember to consider ideas that would appeal to your different senses – textures, visual delights, sounds, smells.

3. Make a plan involving one or several items from your brainstorm list.

4. Follow through with your plan!

As you’re out in the world and come across an item or idea you may want to bring home for that room, you can easily decide whether it belongs or not based on how well it might contribute to the qualities that you’ve identified for that space.

If you start to develop your home by following these guidelines, the environment around you will start to make a picture that reflects some aspect of your deepest self. You will feel great and life will flow more easily because who you are is acknowledged and your soul has space to be free.

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All rights reserved.  Alison Marks and Inside Out Design Coaching © 2007.