Living Creatively, Living the Dream…

Oftentimes people ask me what my blog is about and I’m left trying to explain it…finding some sort of “elevator pitch” to talk about my writing and business.

“Well, I write about my life. There’s a bit about hockey…raising kids, volleyball…life in Halifax, life with a bulldog, my work as a designer…going back to school, moving forward, facing change, divorce, my family, friends etc…etc…”

It always sounds stupid.

A few weeks ago, I was called a “Lifestyle Expert” which had me chuckling. Imagine. ME! Knowing enough about how to live an awesome life that I’m actually being referred to as an EXPERT…on Television. HA!

It wasn’t so long ago that if someone asked me how I was doing, my standard response would always be “Living the Dream!”

It was a sarcastic response.

The reality is that I could have spent the day in court as I waded my way though an icky divorce. I may have been exhausted from trying to fit seventeen kids’ activities into a single evening and be present for my kids. Chances are I had a massive assignment on my plate knowing I’d have to pull an all nighter to get it done. Or, I could have been trying to figure out how the monthly bills would get paid without having to ask my parents, YET AGAIN, for help.

Regardless of what was going on, my response remained the same…”living the dream”…followed with a grin or an eye roll!

I’m not sure what I thought “the dream” was…but it was anything from what I was doing and yet, part of me thought if I kept saying it…eventually, maybe, it would come true.

I took a little time over the holidays to pound out what this blog is about as I move forward into a new year. When I began writing, I wrote about my divorce and having pre-teens as a single mom, I wrote about my return to school and the stresses of beginning a new life and starting a company. On the very worst days…I didn’t write at all! I’ve done a ton of rebuilding to get to where I am today and the support and encouragement I’ve received along the way has been overwhelming.

But the things is…it’s all different now.

Life is good.

I am, in fact, Living the Dream!

So…what exactly was this elusive “dream” I’d been hunting for? What does “living the dream” really mean?

For me, it’s about living the very best life I can. It means that I’m in a place mentally, financially, physically and emotionally where I can be a great mom…where I can go out with my girlfriends for lunch and genuinely laugh over ridiculous things…where I can pack a bag and head away for the weekend…where I can help a friend in need and pay back a little, for all the support I’ve been given. Where I can feel ok about curling up on the couch and reading a book or binge watching a show WITHOUT GUILT…because I DESERVE a little “me” time. Where I make my own decisions…and have control of my own life.

I’m loving my work…for the first time in my life I actually LOVE my job. Like REALLY love it. I went back to school to search out a creative life as it’s truly the life I’m meant to be living. I remember the first time I connected with an English teacher in Grade 6 and absolutely knew that I wanted to write for a living. I can recall Grade 9 art class when I loved working with my hands. Through the years I’ve crafted and scrapbooked, worked on DIY projects, scoured design magazines and wrote in my diary but I was forty-two freakin’ years old before I began this blog and returned to school for Graphic Design…before I really and truly began to live a creative life that fulfils me. It took me a great while to get to where I’m supposed to be but I’m here…and it’s amazing.

Living the Dream is not just about Living Creatively…it encompasses being a good person…being kind, caring, loving…the way I see myself and want others to see me as well. It’s my daily life…surrounded by an amazing family and phenomenal friends. It’s about finally being content with where I am in my life, having an amazing relationship with my children and my parents. It’s about truly believing in sisterhood and the women who surround me. It’s about having room to breathe…and the comfort of knowing I’m going to be ok.

So…what’s this blog about? As I move into 2017 and take on new projects and new adventures…this blog is going to continue to focus on the things that make me feel good.

Under the category “Living the Dream”…I’ll continue to write about hockey and volleyball as it makes me happy to spend time with my children. I’ll continue to introduce you to inspiring people. I’ll write about the places I visit, the events I attend, the things that excite me and the things that make me roll my eyes. I’ll tell you about my childhood and my dreams for my future as my children continue to grow and I’m finding more and more “me” time. Living Creatively…I’ll show you a bit more of the creative side of me through DIY projects. I’ll show you more of the work I do as a designer and I’ll introduce you to a few other artists who capture my imagination. I plan on spending a bit of time each month stepping away from the computer and actually making things…getting dirty!

For 2017…I’m more focused to try new things with courage…to continue to live the life I was meant to be living. To accept everything that came before…and use it to make life so much richer.

This blog…it’s about me. My journey. My life as I see it.

Living Creatively.

Living the Dream.

xo
Queen