Every time my in-laws come over, they are always astounded at the changes that have occurred since they last visited. And each time they’d ask why, I would say, “I’ve always been this way!” In the three years that I have lived in this apartment, I have changed the space at least 20 times. When I’m not painting or refinishing, I am redesigning, refining or reconfiguring and many times it can be a combination of all occurring concurrently.
So this last weekend when they visited, I was once again reminded of my ever evolving space, except that this time they just inquired about what was new to the space. They did not ask why but rather seemed excited at the prospect of seeing what new design component we were able to integrate.
My excitement by their interest quickly evolved into deep introspection, thinking of this continual need for change. I was sitting with a friend talking about this very issue as he perceived his changing space as an inability to commit. While the latter could be true, I posed this question to him,
“If you’re constantly changing with the experiences of living, why do you assume that your space would not do the same?”
Are you ever the same person as you were a second or a moment ago? And subsequently, do you limit your creative prowess by closing yourself off to fluid change?
I always cringe when I hear people say “I know myself” and I usually follow the statement with “You know yourself to this point”; And even then, most of who we perceive ourselves to be in premised on who we were.
Within our discomfort of the unknown, are we willing to sacrifice the exponential possibilities, of which we are, in pursuit of limiting ourselves in confinement to whom we were or who we should be?
Many clients come into the process detached from this idea of fluid design. It’s usually a yearn to address everything in one swoop, not being cognizant of the fact that by the time we’re done, they would have changed. The essence of design is to create, and creating is a conversation with your external self getting to know the essence of your soul.
Allowing the design of your space to evolve is to partake in a deeper conversation with yourself, about yourself.
I am always intrigued at art exhibits with people’s fascination with the composition of a piece rather than an interest in what the piece says about the state of being for the artist, when it was created. I look at it this way; we live our lives continually absorbing and assimilating the information of our experiences not always fully conscious of what we’re taking in and how it affects our way of being. When we create, we are accessing that life data and using it to inform our expression.
This expression of unconscious and conscious truth lets us understand ourselves unmasked. The work of art, or in this case, your space, is telling you more about yourself and your experience than you may be fully aware of.
“It is that openness to experience and change that provides insight on our capacity to grow and evolve.”
Because you are continually changing and evolving, your space has to grow in a manner that is consistent with who you are right now. Design cannot be static, because creating is not. It is a manifestation of fluid creativity! It draws on multiple influences, infusing into its DNA and speaks to a life, experienced. And it does so, on a perpetual loop, throughout time. If we are to have spaces that mirror our changing selves, we must be flexible and willing to evolve with that ongoing change.
And that change doesn’t have to be about bringing new furnishings or accessories into a space. It may be about resetting the energy of a space by seeing the room in a new configuration. Intuition plays a big part in affording you the possibilities of precognition; the ability to translate feeling into being.
Fluid design is driven by intuitive response and the capacity to be aware of it, the capacity to listen to it and the capacity to translate it.
So next time you feel the impulse to change things up, add a new furnishing or accessory or reconfigure your space, don’t judge yourself on who you’re supposed to be. Allow yourself to feel your way through what feels right and your space will be honest in reflecting back to you, who you really are.
Find your voice, within a life designed, One room at a time!
michaelraunhome 