I really wanted to rip his throat out......

The other night my husband had the coconuts to say, "landing pad."  Just hearing those words made me unglue.  

Are you serious?  Another temporary situation?  Can we find somewhere to make memories?  Can't we have enough time to change the paint color?  A landing pad just isn't in my vocabulary.  What the heck was he thinking?  I send him to a landing pad - on his rear end.  

But there is truth in finding a "landing pad".  We need a place to land.  A place to find refuge.  Somewhere to experience safety.  Somewhere to rest.  Some time to find out what and who we really are.  

But parking on a landing pad is near impossible.  You can't stay - not for long - you have to keep moving in threat of getting run over.  A landing pad is the place to gather strength for the next take off - and you always need to be ready to go! 

Your landing pad might be in your significant other's arms.  It might be in a phone call with your dad.  Landing pads can be large and small.  There can be crashing waves and white sand in your landing pad.  Children will find laughter at your landing pad.  Life will continue to grow while resting on the landing pad.  Real friends will be found and lost when you find your landing pad.  Faith will be tested. 

In the last three years, Michael and I have had a ton of take offs and landings.  We found a landing pad in a small group of loyal faithful friends.  Landing in a new church has given us the chance to find a place of rest and refuge as we find out how much faith we really have.  Our community has stepped up to act as a family in a time when ours turned their backs.  Simple times have lead to a landing pad for our marriage to discover something new about our commitment.  

So as our family begins to take off again I'm praying that we recognize the landing pad that God has stepped ahead and prepared for us.

Business as Usual

Now that the kids are back in school and chaos of everyday life ensues, I find that my creative muscles flex in a more productive way.  I know, I know - that sounds nuts.  But I was the college student who could knock out 40 page papers the night before they were due and sneak away with an A.  There is always a plan behind the madness, but the execution might be last minute.  

It looks extrememely romantic from the sidelines but running a handmade business is hustle.  Behind the scenes of whimsy and wonder are many components you never do see (for real).  

- There are the countless sleepless nights finishing orders, producing product, writing, publishing, and just thinking

- A army of journals follow me wherever I go.  There is one in the car (you never know what strikes you at a red light).  I carry a 2 journals in my bag.  One for business ideas, the other is a gratitude journal where I often write sermon notes or other things to think about.  A legal size notepad hangs on a clipboard in my sewing area.  And at the kitchen family desk area, yet another journal.

  

- Research.  Seriously I am still doing research - just not writing the papers to go with it.  I spend a bit of everyday seeing what other artists are doing.  Reading helpful articles on Etsy.  Sometimes I can be found digging into the trenches of social media to get a pulse on trends.  



- Then there is my love hate relationship with marketing.  I love to brainstorm about it, scared as hell to implement it.  See when you make something and ask people to buy it, you are being judged.  Really, you are asking people to judge you.  Scary.  Extremely vunerable.  But at the same time so fun.  I mean who doesn't like business card design, connecting with people, blogging.  The list goes on and on. 



There are so many exciting converstaions I have with dreamers that want to jump into a handmade business.  I love these convos -- they keep me going.  But in all honesty, you have to love what you do to do this on your own.  It is a ton of hardwork.  A bit of a marriage if you will.  You must love it.  I do.  

FInding Inspiration

How do you find inspiration?  Do you seek it?  Pray for it?  Yearn for it? 

Or does inspiration find you?  When you are driving, does it pop in front of the car?  Does inspiration come from someone's words?  

Inspiration seems to find me as much as I venture to find it.  It is a fortunate, and sometimes, overwhelming gift to accept.

Saturday mornings are my "meeting with myself" days.  I quietly stow away in the early hours, leaving my hipster hubby to manage the minions.

I am fortunate enough to live near a beautiful town square. You know the kind with a three tier fountain, flower lined central park, and tons of local stores.

Right off one of the brick paved side streets is the littlest blue door to the best hippie coffee shop around.  It has the worn wooden floors.  The staff looks like they just jumped off the plane from Portland.  The clientele is a mix of 50 something yuppie want a Be's to classic southern women.  It is an interesting meld that automatically opens your senses.

Thru the backyard of the coffee shop is the most broken up brick courtyard you will ever see.  It a mess of old tree roots and historic bricks.  It is always cool (even in the Atlanta sun).  The metal chairs and tables cast a shadow that seems to dance in the morning sun.  I love it there and wish that "progress" wasn't planning on ripping up it's imperfection soon.

 It is there that I pen on old fashion legal pads.  I dream.  It is an amazing gift.  Words flow, pictures develop, plans get tagged.  These are road maps for life.  Good stuff.

This is just one of the ways I debrief from the busyness of life.  There are a few others that I will share soon.  In the meantime, I encourage you to find an inspiration place.  The place where you feel so alone, yet so not alone.  The place to dream.  The place to plan.