Driving back yesterday, vehicle loaded down with yet another run to various antique shops, flea markets and the like…I had a sweet realization.
One which involves you.
But first, you should know…

My DreamLovePaint cottage/studio is dedicated to creativity.
Each room, alive with spirit, holds space for incredible gifts.

Things like…
dreaming
being
breathing
ease

This sweet cottage has been undergoing a total makeover.

From repainting cabinets to hanging curtains. She’s a quiet, old friend, 100 years wise. One who lets me do what I want to do with her and be who I need to be with her at any given moment.

I’ve dug deep into her yard and planted roses. Her back porch, made of worn and weathered boards, has allowed my feet to cross her threshold into peace.
Her giant maple tree, canopied out like a dense green umbrella, has tarried with me. Providing leafy hugs—grand enough to hang a crystal from.
She has welcomed my hammock swing.

The do over project started because of an impending photo shoot. One with the lovely Priscilla Baierlein, Dream Team member. The last time she had photographed the cottage was in 2015!

Back to the sweet realization that involves you.
I smiled when, with my car bursting at the seams (a 5 x 7 rug stuffed in the back seat/front seat), the real truth occurred to me.

This had never been about the photo shoot.
It was in fact about what my heart needed.

The things I had in place in 2015 were perfect then and reflected where I was at the time.
Stepping into the cottage of 2015 felt no longer true to the me that is here now. Feeling the stirrings of new beginnings, I needed the cottage to reflect this truth.

Have you ever felt that for yourself? That your studio/creative space no longer matches the person you are now? And certainly not the one you are becoming?
Sometimes we need to change what we are surrounding ourselves with.
Give a signal to the Universe that we get that we are growing and changing.
We need expansiveness that arrives on the winds of change.

Our creative spaces are our nests.

They are one way we testify to ourselves that we believe in our potential, in our worth at this very moment.

They give legs to new ideas and possibility thinking.

They hold the door open for inspiration. Inspiration which begins as a trickle but promises to turn into a swift running stream. A stream leading us to a creative ocean!

Nest building for us artists is life-giving to our creative processes. (It may be even more true for women artists as we are natural nesters.)

It is not an extravagance.

It is not being wasteful.

Surrounding yourself in as many ways possible with whatever sparks joy—well, it is our JOB.

Taking care of yourself in this way is part of taking care of your gift.

Birds build nests to help keep their eggs safe and warm. … they create nests to lay their eggs in and to provide a safe environment for their babies.

It should also probably be noted that birds build their nests near food sources.

How does this translate for the artist’s nest?

Well, we need a safe place to birth our ideas.

Free from predators (critics)
One that is ‘warm’ (as in sustaining the new life of an idea)
And filled with things that feed our creative appetite

Next post, I’ll be sharing some ideas for feathering your nest!

Note: Speaking of nests and creative appetites, I’ve left Provence open for a little longer… Just in case you missed the fact that I opened it again for a new group. Why am I doing so? Because I myself waited until the last minute to sign up for a writing course just this week. It was on my radar but I missed the close date. Then had to write them and beg for late entrance 😉
No need for begging here—just click here to begin painting in Provence, all from the comfort and safety of your nest 😉

P.S. After I finished writing this week, I returned to my nest building at the cottage. Pulling out an old journal of mine to place in the vintage cabinet I discovered this entry:

How shall we yet build again?
New on old?
Nests, woven from that which is spent, fallen to earth and finding rebirth
Collected
into one strong place
Ready to house new dreams
new hopes
gifts from the One that inhabits
All

Let us build on wings of love
with hearts afire
that we may

Know

the One truth

All is love.

I love when life feels in alignment!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on creative nesting—share away in the comments below!