This summer was full, full, full. I think when we went into it I had this intention for slowness and lots of days spent at the beach with my boy. It didn't quite go that way but it was so rich and rewarding I'm leaning into that. We did find many happy days in the garden, on the road (unplugged) and venturing into nature. We prioritized recharging important relationships with family afar and in the process had some amazing mountain, lake and ocean adventures, completely unplugged from technology. I breathed in the space – mental and physical – and really felt present. It was hard coming home to long to-do lists each time but it was worth it in so many ways. Now we're settling into fall and trying to find our centre again. We've been spinning a bit, and so we know we'll focus on trimming a bit more next year.
The gift of time, slowness and being present is something I've learned is really important to me. A core value. I am shaping the year ahead with so much intention and this is at the centre of it. A dear friend shared this book title with me – Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less – and I know with crystal clear clarity this is the next pathway for me. To say no to things, to stop worrying that I'm missing out on things and simply enjoy the JOMO - the Joy Of Missing Out! It's very timely actually as we unwittingly launched ourselves into a massive house purge in the summer, and so here we are in the midst of chaos in our home and all I can dream about is simplicity, having less, doing less, feeling more spaciousness and peace each day in my surroundings and in my lifestyle. We watched the documentary TINY: A Story About Living Small and though I'm not ready to move to a 100 square foot home, I'm stirred. This is the beginning of a new chapter – challenging ourselves to pare down to what's essential, and LET GO of the rest. I'm inspired. More to come.
xo Ginger
Friends, change is everywhere in my life right now! I'm moving my studio and simplifying. My business is transforming. And we're partnering with SelfDesign to support us in homeschooling our son.
It's a lot, but it's good. This is a year of allowing, inviting, and trusting. I truly feel connected to the spirit of ease more than I ever have. I'm saying yes to a lot of things I wouldn't ordinarily, and holding my no's to things that consume too much space or just aren't feeling right. I'm letting myself be "drawn by the strange pull of what I really love" (rumi). The result – walking a path that is winding freely, and being intentional in how I choose to follow it without trying to control where it leads too much. Trusting and leaning in.
Ok, so let me share more about these big changes:)
Studio Move
I'm moving! Well, my studio is. Going from 100 Braid Street Studios
back to our attic, my original studio space lovingly known by many as
the loft;) This is a huge step in simplifying my life and work, in going
back to a quieter place of stillness. Having a studio away from home
has been truly wonderful and connected me with a beautiful creative
community who will be missed (and it gave me way more space just a few
short blocks away!) but I'm ready for the shift back to quiet
simplicity. I am in the process of re-creating my sacred space at home -
stay tuned for pics! I'm so excited about this change. It's going to be
beautiful and I'm so looking forward to creating soulfully in it.
[Preparing my attic studio for the move. Clearing out lots of the old to make space for the new]
Transforming My Business
I'm excited to announce that Red Pear Creative will be migrating to a new entity under my own name, Ginger Deverell. I am taking a step away from my graphic design work to be with my family, support my son's homeschooling and focus on my art. Red Pear has been my boutique company for 12 years and I've grown with it and received so much creative fulfillment from my work with clients during these years. Now I'm looking forward to the next steps on my journey. You will see my new artist brand emerge over the coming year – it's personal, feminine and whimsical:) I will continue offering and expanding my artful product line and selling original paintings. I will be exhibiting my work more which is a neat shift for me. I will be spending more time tinkering around with surface pattern designs and hopefully producing some neat products for all of you to enjoy:) I will make room to play and experiment in the studio. And I will continue to work at getting my surface designs and artwork licensed while creating art that is true, beauty-full and meaningful, and living a slow and present lifestyle with my family.
[A few of the artful products I currently offer - find them here]
New Focus
This next chapter is about family, a homeschooling adventure, creating
spaciousness in life, following our bliss, trusting our own compasses,
simplifying and enjoying life's simple pleasures together. It's about having more stillness in our days. It's about moving closer to licensing my work in a way that I'm really inspired by, carefully choosing boutiques to carry my whimsical gifts and products, and being true to the path that I know in my heart. It's feeling like all the pieces of work and family are becoming woven together rather than being two separate paths that occasionally cross. The road ahead is feeling wide open.
[Stillness – continuing the practice of writing my mantra on my body]
And so goes the building of an intentional life. One step at a time, and feeling so right and true. I read this quote in this inspiring post
from Andrea Scher on her Superhero Journal and I was SO incredibly moved I thought, Yes. Yes. It has been my compass since.
“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” —Rumi
Thank you for sharing this journey with me. And thank you to everyone who is buying my art and rooting me on – I'm so grateful for you!
With love,
Ginger
My gosh the journey into your authentic life is something else. I've been in hibernation for a few months now, recalibrating and finding my way through lots of change. I'm starting to unfurl and come back out into the open where I can be seen again, and in some ways it feels amazing and just TRUE. In other ways it's scary. I'm changed and still changing and I suppose in some ways it feels very vulnerable. I don't have fancy labels or roaring successes to define me and I'm not entirely at home in my body and style right now (although that's evolving daily), but I'm beginning to find my centre and feel steady again. My life is quiet these days with a whole lot of being right where I am and not too much striving and achieving. It's a transformational experience. I'm simply being me—the me that's been there all along, the one that I've been struggling to love no matter what. And that's enough.
I think the hardest part though is letting go and allowing the journey to unfold. I catch myself in moments of self-doubt, feeling like I'm wandering blindly with no idea where I'm going, desperately clinging to the idea of success by achievement – being on track, having a plan, accomplishing. But being present is nothing like that experience. Instead there is a lot of trust needed. In the moments when I trust my instincts and trust the process I know so clearly that I'm right where I need to be on my path and my inner compass knows exactly where I'm going. I simply need to quiet my mind to allow the clarity to shine through. And it does. And I feel peace.
It's funny you know, I've always found it easy to see and celebrate the beauty and wholeness of others, simply appreciating their warm hearts and beautiful uniqueness without questioning whether they should be MORE. The bigger challenge is to see this completeness in yourself, to know you are everything you need to be, and to be still long enough to simply be jn your own presence and feel it. That's truly what peace feels like. That's a life worth living.
All of these pieces add up to a life of peace.
And so, the journey unfolds. A deeper layer. With many moments of straight-up fear and insecurity, but also many blissful moments of clarity, wholeness and truth. I'm so completely aware that the road will continue to dip and rise, and I will feel lost and then whole again many times over. This is the journey. This is transformation – moving from that cocoon to the glorious butterfly in flight. So worth it.
