Unstuck: Doing Something New

Stuck : immovable, stuck fast, jammed

What does stuck mean for you? Stuck in a routine? Stuck in writer’s block? Stuck in your décor? How do you become UNSTUCK?

Interior design creates a space to live in. Interior décor is more changeable and often small changes in interior décor can make you feel unstuck. Change the furniture around; buy a new lamp or throw pillows. Try a different color with these small details and it won’t be as intimidating as a large purchase such as a new couch or an area rug.

Getting Unstuck as an Artist

Even an artist can feel stuck with shelves full of hundreds of colors and stuck with the same designs. Starting out creating a business making hand painted canvas rugs to a population who had never heard of canvas rugs put me in a design mode of creating “rug” designs: often recreating natural fiber looks on canvas and while these are beautiful and useful, they weren’t a focus on art.

Enter my daughter Kerry to whom I had offered to paint a rug for her house. She gave me a

photo of a design she liked on Pinterest and said, “Just do whatever you want, make something with bright colors, here is a picture of a design I like.”

So this artist became totally unstuck, using all the colors on the shelves, trying every combination, and experimenting with techniques and designs. The beauty of the circle rug was that each design was in a small enclosure so I could have instant gratification after each circle was completed.

Having completed the rug and posting pictures the orders started pouring in. The circle design works on rugs, wall hangings, and placemats, each one unique because no circle is replicated. This design stretched my design repertoire. It was a wake-up call.

Stop, right now and do something different.

If you are in your house go outside and sit for a moment. Just sit.

When you are driving turn left instead of right, just once, to see what you always wondered what was down that road.

Try that new jar of olives you always wondered what they taste like.

You know, I can’t tell you, but there is something you wanted to try, and no matter how small a change it may be the feeling of doing something new is empowering.

And if you ever get an itch to put something new and exciting on your floor give me a call and we’ll create something no one has ever seen. Meanwhile try those new throw pillows, in any color you like.

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