Hey everyone! Today is an exciting day — the first installment of the Creative Collective!!! In case you missed my initial post, detailing what this whole thing is about, then the Creative Collective is a year-long community building, creative program. I’ve thought up 23 fun activities for us to do (roughly two/month), which are designed to help you exert creativity in all its forms — from writing and music to painting and bartending, we’re going to get creative in the best ways! Just visit this post to read all of the year’s prompts. On the specified day, I will hold a link up here, on my blog, where you can share a blog post or photo related to YOUR project. Then, we can all peruse each other’s artwork and make new friends to fuel our creativity during 2014. Can I get a WOOOOOHOOOOOO?
SO. Today is the day of our first linkup! Here is the prompt for today’s posts:
Think of a word that you want to focus on in 2014.
Find a piece of paper, cardboard, old pizza boxes, whatever, and write your word out. You can include photos, magazine clippings, paint splotches, random household items, or anything, really, that embodies this word to you. Make it colorful, if you like. Then hang it somewhere in your house or bedroom where it can inspire you and help you maintain your focus throughout the year.
I spent SO much time trying to choose a word for this year. Some top contenders that didn’t make the short list were “grow,” “refine,” and “innovate.” But something felt like it was missing. I even thought about “radiate” and “ecosystem” for the longest time. The former reminded me too much of radiation and the latter only conjured up images of deer and insects living in peace.
As I kept sifting and searching for what I felt I needed MORE of this year, I realized something big.
About four years ago, I got a small infinity symbol tattooed inside my wrist. To me, this tattoo was a reminder of the value that all beings hold — that we are connected to everyone who comes into our lives and that there is always something special and meaningful about these people (and other creatures).
During the past couple years, I feel like I lost touch with this side of myself in certain ways. The perfectionist in me has fully taken over and I’ve become more critical of others and less love-filled than I would like. And as with anyone who has built their own business, I spent much of 2013 focusing onĀ me. BuildingĀ my blog.Ā StartingĀ my design studio. Me. All the time. It made sense, of course, and focusing on my goals and life for an entire year led me to some beautiful revelations and welcomed changes to my lifestyle. I was happy, thriving, and excited by everything I was doing.
But as I look at 2014, I don’t just want to think about myself and my goals — I want to think aboutĀ us. All of us. How I can be a better human to the rest of the world, rather than just to myself.
And thus, “All Together Now” became my word(s) of the year.
All Together Now reflects my desire to commit myself to others. It might be as simple as saying more enthusiastic greetings to my neighbors — learning about who they are as people and leaving them with a warm, safe feeling each time we part. Or it might be more complex, like my role in Bloggers Giving Back and striving to do as much community service as I can. But at the end of the day, I want toĀ want to do things for others.Ā I want to intentionally make people’s days. I want to remember the absolute importance that we all have in this world — that our lives are all changed and distinguished by the fact that we exist here, together. I can’t wait for this year ahead and can already feel my mind gently shifting to meet this goal. It will be a good year, I know it. š
For my art (above), I chose to keep things simple. I experimented with watercolors, stamps, and fine-tip black Sharpies and had a ball doing it! I had a couple failed attempts before creating my final piece, but enjoyed how those failures just got me thinking in new ways, even if I didn’t like the end result. I framed my final piece and it is now sitting right in front of me on my desk. š I can’t WAIT to see what you all created! Link ’em up below!
Creative Collective Linkup RULES
- You MUST leave a comment on the person’s blog who linked up directly before you. Check out their post, share some love, and make them feel like a creative all-star. (Don’t worry, the person who links up after you will return the favor!…Comments for everyone!).Ā
- Please link up your posts or photos related to our Creative Collective prompt. Do not share links to unrelated DIY projects or to your blog’s homepage. They will be deleted.
- If you like this project, share it! The more the merrier, ya dig? I even made a cute little button for your blogs, which links back to the Creative Collective page! Just copy the code and you’re good to go. š
