We are well into Spring, and I can certainly feel it rumbling under the surface of my life! So much preparation for the seeds planted (some, so long ago)... ready to burst forth. I wonder if seeds feel as uncomfortable with this process as I do right now. Is a seed prepared for the massive shifts and changes that unfold as it pushes new life out into the world? Perhaps there are days leading up to this emerging when seeds say, "not today... I am just not ready for all of this change".
Or... is it possible that the seed simply lets the world unfold from within... soaking up all that life has to offer, and returning the gift by being a unique part of that unfolding. I doubt the seed has a "worrying mind"... or voices whispering judgements, negativity and self doubt. For some reason, I do.
However, I have some choosing in the matter, and as this Spring (and I) unfold... I want to choose to remain in my curiosity about this unfolding. I want to pay attention, and soak up this beautiful life that surrounds me. I might not even recognize this new world that I am emerging into... What a gift! Will it recognize me? How will this new world I am emerging into, gently weave me into a unique space within it's amazingly complex web? How will I choose to honor and show gratitude for this process? Today I will do my best to choose these questions... over the "questioning" of my talents, skills, patterns and abilities. Today I choose to intentionally push into the light of my hopes and dreams (and loving).
I have been working hard in the garden... it is time to see what comes next.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
House Concerts
Tonight there will be a house concert at the Hammock Hostel (my house), and I decided it was a good time to sit down and reflect about why I enjoy hosting something like this. If you have never been to a house concert... you might be scratching your head as to what it is. I believe the first house concert that I attended was many years ago in Portland, with Chris Cunningham of Storyhill. After that my friend (and talented musician/artist) Chad Elliott further introduced me to the idea of an intimate concert in a living room (or backyard, or anywhere fun!). Since that time I have attended, played, and hosted many wonderful house concerts. I even joined a website called Concerts In Your Home dedicated to connecting folks who want to host house concerts with musicians looking to play!
This evening a wonderful artist, Emma Hill will be performing for friends in my living room (there is still some room if you want to come!). The focus will be on listening and connecting with an artist sharing their music... as well as providing an opportunity for people to connect as community. No matter how nervous I get about... how many people will show, or if everything will be set up right... it always turns out great! Why? Because at the core of an event like this, the intention is to share something authentic. Yes, there needs to be donations so that the musician can keep driving down the road (and pay a few bills), and work to make it all go smoothly. However, it is not about over priced tickets for lots of advertising, bells and whistles, and greed that often gets in the way of people gathering to enjoy a performance. For this reason, both the artist and the guest are taken care of (and usually have a lot of fun).
As I get my musical endeavors moving forward (in the process of recording right now)... I am hoping to play mostly house concerts and share my music in this way. If you would like to host a house concert, with me (or other artists), check out the great resources on Concerts In Your Home, and get in touch!
This evening a wonderful artist, Emma Hill will be performing for friends in my living room (there is still some room if you want to come!). The focus will be on listening and connecting with an artist sharing their music... as well as providing an opportunity for people to connect as community. No matter how nervous I get about... how many people will show, or if everything will be set up right... it always turns out great! Why? Because at the core of an event like this, the intention is to share something authentic. Yes, there needs to be donations so that the musician can keep driving down the road (and pay a few bills), and work to make it all go smoothly. However, it is not about over priced tickets for lots of advertising, bells and whistles, and greed that often gets in the way of people gathering to enjoy a performance. For this reason, both the artist and the guest are taken care of (and usually have a lot of fun).
As I get my musical endeavors moving forward (in the process of recording right now)... I am hoping to play mostly house concerts and share my music in this way. If you would like to host a house concert, with me (or other artists), check out the great resources on Concerts In Your Home, and get in touch!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
30 Items in Etsy... Olive Oil Set
A while back I made it a goal to keep 30 items in my Etsy Shop. That was during the holiday season when the work was disappearing at the same time it was being added. I have been quietly working on some fun items over the Spring, and organizing older pieces... it is time to tackle that goal of 30!
Today's additions include one of my favorite collaboration pieces, an olive oil set made with the help of Chad Elliott. We played with a few designs, and cranked out quite a few of these. There are a hand full left after a few years of selling (and becoming one of my favorite wedding gifts). Bring a set to your table before they are gone!
Today's additions include one of my favorite collaboration pieces, an olive oil set made with the help of Chad Elliott. We played with a few designs, and cranked out quite a few of these. There are a hand full left after a few years of selling (and becoming one of my favorite wedding gifts). Bring a set to your table before they are gone!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
... Where was I?
Yes... it has been awhile since I have put attention towards blogging, or anything else related to TreeBed Design. Aside from a little Etsy energy... TreeBed Design has been pulling in nutrients, and preparing to leaf out during the Spring!
Keep an eye out for more blog posts... and lots of fun things happening in the branches of TreeBed Design. For example, there will be a house concert at the Hammac Hostel (south) on Feb. 25th. The Hostel joined Concerts In Your Home last fall and has already hosted one concert with Carrie Clark, and is excited to host Emma Hill on the 25th. If you are interested in the concert series email me for more info, and you may end up hearing lovely music like this...
Keep an eye out for more blog posts... and lots of fun things happening in the branches of TreeBed Design. For example, there will be a house concert at the Hammac Hostel (south) on Feb. 25th. The Hostel joined Concerts In Your Home last fall and has already hosted one concert with Carrie Clark, and is excited to host Emma Hill on the 25th. If you are interested in the concert series email me for more info, and you may end up hearing lovely music like this...
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Remembering (again)...
As I have listened to the September 11th anniversary coverage the past week, I have been deeply connected to the stories. I have been thinking about my own story... Walking into the Graceland University library to use a computer, and seeing the image of the World Trade Center burning on TV. "What a bizarre accident..." I thought to myself. Later I sat alone in the Iowa shack I was renting, and cried as I watched the horrific story unfold on the news. There was nothing sensational or overblown about the coverage... it was a pure scrambling and grasping for answers about what was happening. My heart grew heavy with the weight of the events, and more so for the implications for the future. Hate, fear, grief, struggle, war, revenge, pain, blood, suspicion, divisiveness... I heard a distinct voice from inside that said, "time to step up to the plate". Someone would need to meet the extremes of these difficult times with the same force of energy that carried out these attacks, and all the reverberations of horror it would unleash. A retaliation of love, hope, peace, joy, acceptance, forgiveness, understanding, healing...
On the first anniversary of the attacks, I was ready. Our collective response had already dissolved from the unified shock and vulnerability that brought us together as a community. Fear was now dividing us, fraying our shared pain into weapons of sorrow. I challenged my community (anyone who's e-mail address I had) to take a different kind of remembrance... to respond by planting a tree. A political response and action to support beautiful life in the face of our destructive times (I had read E.F. Schumacher's Small is Beautiful earlier that year). I was putting myself out there, learning, planning... working towards better times.
I am writing this now, because I have lost that energy. On the 10th anniversary of an event that changed me (and so much else), I am feeling trapped under the weight of this undertaking... to create a loving response to our broken world.
Why is this a post in my design blog? Finding the energy to move forward, to heal, to grow a beautiful world to be a part of... will take intention. We will need to rely on, and use the tools that we have gathered, the lessons we have learned (often through pain), the knowledge passed down from our ancestors. All of the systems and spaces we are a part of were designed by people just like us... and in many cases there are better designs out there if we choose. We designed our own internal systems for dealing (and coping) with our life experience... nobody is going to fix us. We must do that for ourselves (often with help from others), and if we do... perhaps we will find the energy to stand up for better design in our communities, nation and world.
This is what I want TreeBed Design to be about... working toward "regenerative design" for ourselves and the world we are a part of. My first step will be taking a course that has been on my mind for a number of years called Ecology of Leadership. I hope to use this time (and space of learning) to regain energy and focus for my own path.
This is a path that I hope to share, and by writing this down... I am creating the first steps of intention. It is true that "we must always remember" the major events that create the grief we carry, but it is what we choose as actions that will reflect how we honor those memories. And so I will begin... again.
On the first anniversary of the attacks, I was ready. Our collective response had already dissolved from the unified shock and vulnerability that brought us together as a community. Fear was now dividing us, fraying our shared pain into weapons of sorrow. I challenged my community (anyone who's e-mail address I had) to take a different kind of remembrance... to respond by planting a tree. A political response and action to support beautiful life in the face of our destructive times (I had read E.F. Schumacher's Small is Beautiful earlier that year). I was putting myself out there, learning, planning... working towards better times.
I am writing this now, because I have lost that energy. On the 10th anniversary of an event that changed me (and so much else), I am feeling trapped under the weight of this undertaking... to create a loving response to our broken world.
Why is this a post in my design blog? Finding the energy to move forward, to heal, to grow a beautiful world to be a part of... will take intention. We will need to rely on, and use the tools that we have gathered, the lessons we have learned (often through pain), the knowledge passed down from our ancestors. All of the systems and spaces we are a part of were designed by people just like us... and in many cases there are better designs out there if we choose. We designed our own internal systems for dealing (and coping) with our life experience... nobody is going to fix us. We must do that for ourselves (often with help from others), and if we do... perhaps we will find the energy to stand up for better design in our communities, nation and world.
This is what I want TreeBed Design to be about... working toward "regenerative design" for ourselves and the world we are a part of. My first step will be taking a course that has been on my mind for a number of years called Ecology of Leadership. I hope to use this time (and space of learning) to regain energy and focus for my own path.
This is a path that I hope to share, and by writing this down... I am creating the first steps of intention. It is true that "we must always remember" the major events that create the grief we carry, but it is what we choose as actions that will reflect how we honor those memories. And so I will begin... again.
Monday, October 4, 2010
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