Truth, beauty and goodness

The key to having a creative home is to have a productive home.
Make something every day.

Easy for her to say, I hear you mutter, but no doubt you are already doing it maybe you just need to look at the things you do through different eyes so that you can enjoy the creative process as well as the results.


Let's look at very utilitarian activities.






Making the bed well and leaving the bedroom tidy and inviting takes very little time especially if it is done daily and each time you go into the room through the day it will feel peaceful and feed your spirit rather than jangling your nerves as just another mess to avoid.
Because the room is pleasant you might decide to pick a few flowers when you go out to hang the washing and pop them in a little vase beside your bed.
You might find that the room becomes a pleasant and needed retreat when the family get too loud, a nice place to take a few moments to read or write a letter or just sit.












Make the kitchen tidy.
There is no easier way to feel that you have begun something than to get the washing up done and the dishes put away.
Sloshing your hands around in the warm soapy water to magically turn mess and muck into clean shiny dishes.
Even when you are in a hurry the miracle still occurs and some how spurs you on to wipe down the benches, sweep the floor and restore calm and order to your busy kitchen.
The scene is set for making something delicious, for organising what you will create for dinner or to walk on to the next job knowing that when you need to use it the kitchen is ready.







The bathroom clean up.
All those shiny surfaces and mirrors make the bathroom sparkle.
All that dampness can make it a bit smelly so air the room, wipe down the damp surfaces, tidy the towels, a quick or slow shine of the mirror.
Wash your hands with that sweet smelling soap and give your hair a long delicious brush before you leave the room.







Walk through your home and do a straighten and tidy, plump up the cushions, open a window or two, stack up the books of the moment ready to be enjoyed later, take a look around and enjoy the look of your home.
This is the place that you and your family have created.
It's a working home, things are made here, ideas and friendships are formed and nurtured.
Make sure that form follows function, that chairs are placed so that people can be together and apart, that lighting is adequate for what your family does with their time.
Surround yourself with good books,interesting and appealing pictures, things that are nice to touch or smell, furnishings that offer the warmth and comfort of natural fibres.
Think how you want it to be and what you can make or repurpose to achieve the peaceful and creative space your family deserves.







Each meal you prepare is an opportunity to feed your creativity, not by being outlandish but by appreciating the inherent beauty of the food you are turning into a meal.
By taking the time to make sure the table is fresh and clean, setting the table to suit your family and creating a calm atmosphere so that people can concentrate on enjoying their family and their meal you can feed your creativity.












By taking the time to hang the washing out if possible when you can an catching a glimpse of it through the day you can appreciate not only the childlike entertainment of watching the washing flap around in the breeze but also enjoy the colours and contrasts of the clothing and linen hanging there.
You can have the satisfaction of an easy job well done, a job that in previous generations was an onerous task has become so simple.
Looking at the washing can also lead to thoughts of how to make your line prettier by making yourself clothes whose colours please the eye, notice the way different fabrics hang on the line - some like woven fabrics, fine cottons and linens hang so diifferently from knit fabrics that hang so sadly and heavily,denim which hangs and dries stiffly and looks so strong and unyielding.
Noticing the texture of ordinary life enriches your creativity.












The garden of course has endless possibilities to make your heart sing and even if it is a dreary time of year such as midwinter there is always some little corner , one little plant that is doing its best to be appealing.
A visit to the vegie garden or herb garden to find something to add to your meal can result in time lost in the rhythm and meditation of weeding or pruning, productive and creative.







Every area of the home life gives opportunity to feed our creative souls and produce or enhance the beauty we crave in our living space.
It's not so much walking around in a dream imagining how beautiful our lives can be but walking around with our eyes wide open and soaking up all that is there for us to see and be a part of.
Every bit of work you do with your hands is an amazing thing, movements and adjustments so complex that no other living creature can accomplish them.
The more you tap into the wonder of the ordinary the more your creative soul flourishes.
It's there for all of us, like any skill or talent, the more you use it and nurture it and treasure it the more it gives and grows and enriches your life.







Be aware of the possibilities of every moment, take a second every now and then to appreciate what a great job you have done, see how things can be, enjoy the beauty of the domestic and seek ways to bring more beauty to your day.
Seek truth, beauty and goodness in your world and the rewards will astound you.


all todays pictures are taken from my flickr archives