chambered nautilus, Your Own Personal
around our deepest Style, suggests we
self. start by taking a
Sometimes, close look at what
we discover that we see around us in
we have outgrown our home. “Homes
the shell in which that say nothing of
we currently live, who we are—what
and a change is in we believe in and
order, remarks Jill values that we aspire
Butler, an illustra- toward—are places
tor, creativity coach of tumultuous spiri-
and author of Create
“Just as a picture is drawn
tual discontent,” she
the Space You Deserve: An Artistic counsels. “By filling the space around
Journey to Expressing Yourself Through
by an artist, surroundings
us with benign objects—department-
Your Home. This could be the result store clones with matching accessories
of a shift, as the result of downsizing
are created by the activities
to fill every nook and cranny—we lock
to a smaller home or again becoming
of the mind.”
ourselves into a gilded cage of fashion
a single adult; a celebration of finally for which our creative spirit has no key.”
being able to build a home or move to ~ Guatama Buddha
the place of our dreams; or a milestone,
Taking Stock
which might come in the form of a first
apartment or new baby. actually living there,” she continues. Before we can create a home that
“Creating a soul space, or a nest, is “It’s time to consider their return on our truly expresses our deepest self, we
not a new idea for most women,” says emotional investment. need to rediscover who we are now,
Butler. “What might be new is creating A house becomes a home only as where we are in our life and what we
the nest that supports you and makes we put our own personal, emotional really want. This calls for an assessment
you feel loved and nurtured when your imprint on it. “A home is people-made,” or inventory, a “before” snapshot.
world might not. Taking the time to writes Alexandra Stoddard, author of Thomas Moore, in Care of the Soul:
understand the deeper need is the first Feeling at Home: Defining Who You Are How to Add Depth and Meaning to Your
step.” and How You Want to Live. “Our home Everyday Life, recalls a “reading” he did
is our essence, the ultimate Earthly of one woman’s dwelling. “My idea was
How a House place where we live and love and have to see the house’s poetry and alphabet,
Becomes a Home our being. to understand the gestures it was mak-
“All the more reason to ask our- ing in its architecture, colors, furnishing
“A house is more than a roof over selves: Are we living with harmony, ful- [and] decorations, and the condition it
your head,” says Butler, noting that it is fillment, and joy at home? Are we living was in at that particular time.” After the
far more than what it came to be seen as well as we would like, or are we too exercise, he notes, “We both felt unusu-
as in recent years as Americans’ pri- often anxious, emotionally exhausted ally connected to the place.” More, “I
mary savings account. “The whole idea and stressed?” was motivated to reflect on my own
of a house became skewed when we Interior designer Kelee Katillac, home and to think more deeply about
worried more about resale value than author of House of Belief: Creating the poetics of everyday life.”
September 2009 33
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