I’m in a bubbly ideation start-up phase, taking classes and writing plans and building contacts and hardly sleeping at all – who has time when you’re this EXCITED about what’s to come?

But if I’m being fully honest - I’m having trouble pushing myself from ideas into action. It seems so easy when the ideas are flowing like water to just keep letting them flow. But I know I can’t keep up the planning and dreaming and scope-creep forever – I will never feel truly “READY” and at some point, I have to pull the trigger. This has been a stumbling block, especially when the to-do list ahead is as long as my arm. How do I get out of my own way?

Generally I’m a pragmatic person, but when I randomly came across a tweet about some book called The Fire Starter Sessions last week, something told me to click. And something told me to put on my shoes and go to the bookstore RIGHT-THEN and buy the book. Even though I don’t *usually* believe in things like this – perhaps the universe was whispering to me exactly what I needed.

The Fire Starter Sessions is the latest book from the beautiful Danielle LaPorte – it’s a kind of no-nonsense, live-your-best-life, self-help guide for creatives and entrepreneurs. The premise is that by following your great passion, the one which comes easiest and is most essential to your soul, you’ll inherently find your way to success and happiness. Nearly every page contains a quote or insightful nugget to keep me nodding along and inspire me to action. My favorites so far:

• “As people with creative spirit, we’re obsessed with possibility. We live for the rush of turning a thought – an abstract idea- into smoething real, tangible, touchable, readable, effectual, profitable. We feel empowered, generous even, in the making of our art. We have a practical indignation for mediocrity. We love to get things done.”

• “Be careful what you’re (just) good at — you could end up doing it for years.” and “If it doesn’t light you up, you’re not the right person for the job.”

• “Curiosity is your growth point.”

• “There is nothing as easy as being inspired.”

• “Knowing how you actually want to feel is the most otent form of clarity that you can have. Generating those feelings is the most creative thing you can do with your life.”

• And a whole slew of insightful questions and worksheets that have me wondering what I’ve been waiting for all this time.

LaPorte also recently released a related series for the Huffington Post, “30 Days to Fire Up Your Creative Genius” billed as “part sermon, part pep talk and part DIY soul retreat” to “see yourself more clearly — the power of you, the beauty of you, the truth of what lights your fire.”  The series challenges you to answer 30 “Burning Questions” from Chapter 4 of The Fire Starter Sessions to help identify your true passions and fuel a more inspired and successful life.

I’m more inspired by the book than any design I’ve seen all week, so I couldn’t wait to finish The Fire Starter Sessions before writing this post. Lightbulb-on, life-changing, wake-up call to action. Does this make me a liberal tree-hugging hippie? Am I buying into the hype? If it leads to a much-longed-for breakthrough, does it matter?

Several days ago I was perusing Twitter and became interested in a conversation between a few bloggers whose work I admire. They were discussing this post where Jess Constable of MakeUnderMyLife.com became frustrated with the synthetic perfection in the design blog community and decided to openly discuss the things she feared sharing with her readers in the name of being more genuine and transparent. So many were inspired by her bravery, and a blog challenge was born.

I don’t write about design in the same way these bloggers do, but much of my journey over the past year has been discovering what I want and how to go after it – including when and how to get out of my own way. So okay, I’m up for a new challenge, I’ll bite. I talk a lot about great design and how to be creative, but here are the things about my daily life that I’m afraid to tell you:

So there you have it – the things I’m afraid to say – many of which have nothing to do with design. Please be kind.

Many thanks to Ez and Jess for inspiring this post. I’m trying to remember that opening yourself up to others is more often a reward than a risk, but my stomach is in knots hovering over the “publish” button.

What about you? What are you afraid to say to the world?

At last, the mail I’ve been waiting for has arrived!

In March, I posted about creating a piece of original art for the Art House Co-Op 4×6 Exchange.

The project’s premise was simple:

“Sign up for the project and mail us a flat, 4” x 6” original artwork and a USPS self-addressed, stamped envelope. We’ll exchange your work with another artist’s submission and surprise both of you with the results! Keep your eyes on your mailbox…”

I sent my art away in March, and today I received the loveliest gift from a talented Illustrator named Tiffany Patterson. Tiffany says of her work, “I’m an artist, lover of glitter, and pet chicken raiser. I dabble in painting, illustration, poster art, and murals…All of which can be found in the nooks and crannies around Spokane,WA. My work celebrates tiny moments, happiness and humor. Each piece offers a single snapshot into my fabricated land of whimsy.”

I love the detail and attitude in the drawing, striking an interesting and tense balance between tough and delicate. I love the idea of receiving something so personal from a stranger on the other side of the country, and I know just where I’ll display the drawing in my home.

From start to finish, I LOVED being a part of the 4×6 Exchange and will definitely participate in more Art House Co-Op projects in the future. If you want to try one of their many projects, check out the open opportunities here.

A few months ago, I got an email asking to create a logo (above) for RIC/RVA, a new event series designed rediscover the history of my home town of Richmond, Virginia.

Richmond is a vibrant small city with a young culture, diverse creative economy and a PR problem. The city has 400 years of history, but is known for being the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War. But many things began and flourished here. By exploring lesser-known pockets of Richmond history – the stuff NOT about the Civil War – the event series aims to discover and share a different legacy for the city.

The first session was titled “Signs of the Times,” where ”Participants will be led through an exploration of the varied and oft untouched parts of Richmond’s 400 year history; from the well known to the never heard of. Attendees will then divide into groups, and with the help of nine local creative advertising gurus will develop visual propaganda celebrating moments of transformation and change in RVA.”

I was among the designers asked to lead group discussions and create propaganda posters to change perception of Richmond’s history. My team was wonderful team and I left with a lot of notes and a visual analogy to base our poster on. I had a week on my own to develop a piece celebrating transformation and change in Richmond.

My team asked me to use a visual garden metaphor to represent Richmond as a garden for growing our collective, creative future, and a place that tests the status quo. With the help of a copywriter friend, I designed the poster below, which will be displayed along with those created by the other teams and designers. I’m looking forward to seeing the results of all the creative projects in the series, including a crowdsourced tourism video to be presented at the finale!

If you’re local, check out the series and register for the FREE events here!

To my fellow Richmonders, this weekend marks the return of Antiques in Manchester for the 2012 season!

Antiques in Manchester (or AIM) is an upscale, open-air antiques market every Saturday from 9 am – 4 pm in the covered walkway adjacent to 205 Hull Street just across the 14th Street bridge from downtown. There is free parking, and the event occurs weekly through December, rain or shine.

This is not just any old flea market. Co-sponsored by Micheal Sparks Design, Ghostprint Gallery and Maurice Beane Studios.The items offered are carefully curated with an emphasis on design and a heavy dose of quality mid-century items. Guaranteed to be a nice day of fun shopping for anyone who loves interior design.

Learn more and see photos and a vendor list at the AIM website or Facebook page. Hope to see you there!

I’m always looking for fun, quick ways to inspire my creative process, so I was excited a few years ago to discover the Art House Co-Op, an Brooklyn organization whose mission is to create and support global collaborative art projects.

Since founding in 2006 with the now-famous Sketchbook Project, the Art House community has grown to include over 60,000 contributors from all corners of the world, and multiple projects running at all times. Last month I was one of 2,000 folks to sign up for their 4×6 Exchange, which was designed to share the thrill the co-op experiences by receiving deliveries of handmade creative goodness in the mail.

The premise is simple:

“Sign up for the project and mail us a flat, 4” x 6” original artwork and a USPS self-addressed, stamped envelope. We’ll exchange your work with another artist’s submission and surprise both of you with the results! Keep your eyes on your mailbox…”

I love sending and receiving old-fashioned mail, so this project was inspiring to me from the first moment. As I sat down to think about what to send, and I determined immediately that since the purpose for me was to shake up my creative rut, my submission couldn’t be in any of my familiar media (no graphic design or photography!) I was inspired by the idea of sharing something intimately hand made with an anonymous stranger I’d never meet, and that’s what inspired the little painting I made (above).

I’m sending it off tomorrow and will let you know what I receive in return!

In the meantime, I challenge you all to sign up for one of the Art House Co-Op’s upcoming projects and share the results. DOUBLE-DOG dare you!

This space is rustic industrial at its best. Hard edges of metal and wood are tamed with a warm neutral palette, inviting lighting and varied complimentary textures. It is clearly sophisticated, but nothing feels too precious to touch. Every choice feels well-considered. My favorite details are the encased row of Edison bulbs dividing the two dining rooms and the succulent wall. A giant red lighted arrow adds a little cheek to the sophisticated atmosphere.

Do kindly pay them a visit next time you’re in San Diego.

Photos shared generously by Paul Basile of Basile Studio. Bankers Hill is the tip of the iceberg – check out their impressive design portfolio.

When Pekoe launched in 2009, Nicole asked me to help with a logo and brand design. Together, we developed an “urban apothecary” concept which demystifies the services her practice offers by likening them to the herbal apothecaries common in Western culture not so very long ago.Since the launch, Pekoe has been growing steadily inside another clinic and this spring, they’ll move into their very own space in DC!

I’m helping Nicole with the office design as well as updating her brand materials and a shiny new website. For the clinic, we’re planning a truly unique, quirky vintage look with a calming mostly-neutral pallette. Check out the Pinterest inspiration board to see what kinds of finishes have inspired the shopping.

Pictures above : The Pekoe logo and cards, office “before” shot – a blank canvas, and our haul from the fabric store last weekend including a gorgeous cowhide rug. I’ll share more as the project moves along.

Coming up next: A fun DIY upholstered headboard project. Can’t wait to share it with you!

The thing about working in design is that it makes you really picky about things like artwork and furniture. I spend so much time looking through portfolios of photographers and illustrators that I really love when I discover unusual art pieces of high quality and it’s a double bonus if they’re in a price range I could ever afford.

I’m happy to say I discovered a great site for art today. Stampa.us.com is a new project from Stephanie Pesakoff of creative rep agency Art Department. The site has limited-time sales from a highly curated list of established artists. Each sale is only available for eight weeks, and each artist offers a handful of prints in multiple sizes, each available framed or unframed.

This site is special because you can tell a great deal of thought went into the selection of artists and work for sale. The prints are gorgeous, and prices run $100-$800.

Images above via Stampa: “Catwalk” by Sara Singh and “Birch Trees” by Bill Brown.

I made a quick visit Friday evening to an open house at Studio Two Three, an artist-run, non-profit community print space founded in Richmond in 2008.

The studio space is divided into a printing workshop and an art gallery event space. The studio facility is available to the public (for a fee) to practice  screenprinting, relief printing, etching, plate lithography and other forms of print making. Friday’s event included a lithographic printing demo, gallery show, dj and a bar.

Studio Two Three has monthly art openings on First Fridays, and various printing workshops on Second Saturdays. (I hope to take some of the workshops this year to begin printing my own design work to sell – stay tuned for more details on that!)

It’s exciting to see my local creative community growing to include an organization like Studio Two Three and I can’t wait to see what they have planned for 2012 – and to get my hands dirty and make some art.

Learn more:
http://studiotwothree.com   |   804.254.7302   |   1617 West Main Street, Richmond VA 23220