Tag Archives: creativity

Nudged: Make a pie or tart

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Backstory: The full Nudge I created for myself reads:

“Surprise Thor with a pie or tart”

I couldn’t have picked a better Nudge at this time. If you’ve been following this blog, you know that today marks my return to nudging after “The Appendix Adventure.” I am happy to report that I finally–finally, after two months–feel good again. Not quite 100%, but figuring out what that means for me and getting there.

It’s so appropriate that this week I will do something special to thank my darling husband for his support and devotion these past couple of months (and always, really) with one of his favorite treats.

If you have someone special you’d like to thank, consider surprising them with a treat — homemade or store-bought. Or maybe this is a Nudge to treat yourself to something yummy. Have fun with it!

What Happened: I love how baking is a combination of science and art. Flour, sugar, cherries, butter…voilà!

Almost ready for the oven.

I don’t know why I don’t do this more often. It took little time, the ingredients were cheap, and it was fun! What is it about rolling out dough that is sooooo satisfying?

The best part was seeing Thor’s smile when he walked into the kitchen at the end of a long day and discovered his surprise, which made me happy. Nudge accomplished.

The Ah-Hahs: No Big Life Lessons here, just a reminder of how good it feels to mix together a few humble ingredients and create something beautiful.

Nudged: Create a chalk message/drawing on the sidewalk

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Backstory: This is so funny: I was actually thinking about pulling out my basket of chalks a few days ago and making something fun, and now I “have” to do it!

If you’re a long-time Nudger, you know that this Nudge has appeared in every round. It checks all the boxes: cheap, fun, creative, outside my comfort zone (I am so not a visual artist), and it 100% lifts my spirits every time.

The message will go on our front sidewalk, so it will be addressed to our neighbors. However, I am fully aware that I am sending this message to myself. What do I need to hear/read? What do you need?

As always, make this Nudge your own. Maybe use paints, markers, or crayons to make an uplifting sign and hang it in your front window. Maybe create something on Canva and post it on your social media. Have fun with it!

What Happened: Oh, how I love this Nudge. I’ve been going out of the house a lot lately (puppy), about every hour on the hour (pee breaks), and every time my messages made me smile.

About an hour after I finished, I noticed one of the neighbor kids was out front, busy making her own chalk messages. She drew some flowers in front of our house with “You are awesome blossom!” #fullheart

The Ah-Hahs: My spirit needed this boost. I needed to do something fun. Sometimes it really is the simplest things that do the heavy lifting.

Nudging: Create a chalk message/drawing on the sidewalk

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Backstory: This is so funny: I was actually thinking about pulling out my basket of chalks a few days ago and making something fun, and now I “have” to do it!

If you’re a long-time Nudger, you know that this Nudge has appeared in every round. It checks all the boxes: cheap, fun, creative, outside my comfort zone (I am so not a visual artist), and it 100% lifts my spirits every time.

The message will go on our front sidewalk, so it will be addressed to our neighbors. However, I am fully aware that I am sending this message to myself. What do I need to hear/read? What do you need?

As always, make this Nudge your own. Maybe use paints, markers, or crayons to make an uplifting sign and hang it in your front window. Maybe create something on Canva and post it on your social media. Have fun with it!

Nudged: Paint sample squares on the office wall

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Backstory: My office is in our home, and it’s an incredible space. Big bay window that looks out over our backyard. Mementos of past projects on the walls. A huge pine desk. And now a puppy pen in the corner. For years I’ve wanted to give it a makeover. I want color, I want pizzazz, I want something that represents my best self. I want it to look not just like a spare room that serves as an office, but as a truly beautiful creative space.

To that end, a couple of years ago I picked up sample bottles of paint to try out. This is the week I find them (they’re somewhere in the basement) and paint those squares on the wall so I can live with them and figure out what color I want my walls to be.

Thor and I have done this before. We completely changed the look and feel of our dining and living rooms with color. I also know that this is the gateway to more TLC for our home. Painting the walls is the first step that will eventually lead to nice curtains, a rug without holes, and lighting fixtures that don’t date back to the 1970s.

I’m excited to finally get this project started.

Lots of options for making this Nudge your own. Maybe you pick up some of those paper color swatches and start with that. Or browse online and create a Pinterest gallery for a new couch/reading chair/bathtub. Or fix one small thing in your home that has been on the to-do list for a while. If you need inspiration, check out Apartment Therapy, a site I’ve been following recently for motivation on decluttering.

Pick one small step in the larger project and get it done. Let’s show our homes some TLC this week.

What Happened: OMG, I actually did this! I had every excuse ready to flake on this Nudge. I even spent part of my lunch break on Tuesday snooping around Sherwin-Williams‘s website and playing with their “visualizer,” telling myself this would count as completing the Nudge.

But dangit, I’ve put this off long enough. I did, in fact, find those two sample bottles in the basement and was embarrassed to discover I didn’t buy them “a couple of years ago” but in February…2015. How long has “spiff up my office” been on my Wish and To-Do lists? Too long.

So this afternoon I took advantage of the puppy’s nap time and got to work.

Pretty, right? That’s Butter Up on the left, Jonquil on the right. They’re on the wall that I face when I’m at my desk, and I plan to live with them for a while, to see how they look in different lighting during the day, to see which one feels right. Or maybe I’ll decide to branch out and try something totally different. I have to say, there is a light, almost gray, lavender that caught my eye when I was browsing the website.

The Ah-Hahs: Painting these squares + clean-up took less than 10 minutes. I’m kinda beating myself up for putting this off for seven years! But it’s done, and I’m excited to move forward to next steps: choosing my palette, finding a coordinating rug + curtains + lamps. I’m also reminding myself that this is my Process for achieving things, a skill set I haven’t used in a while: Break a big goal/dream into small steps and do one by one till it’s complete. It feels good to be moving forward.

The other ah-hah is I noticed how calming the physical painting was. My breathing naturally aligned with my brush strokes. The colors lifted my spirit. I’m smiling right now as I look at these two colors.

Isn’t it fun when a Nudge turns out to be packed with unexpected gifts?

P.S. What do you think: Butter Up or Jonquil or…?

Nudging: Paint sample squares on the office wall

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Backstory: My office is in our home, and it’s an incredible space. Big bay window that looks out over our backyard. Mementos of past projects on the walls. A huge pine desk. And now a puppy pen in the corner. For years I’ve wanted to give it a makeover. I want color, I want pizzazz, I want something that represents my best self. I want it to look not just like a spare room that serves as an office, but as a truly beautiful creative space.

To that end, a couple of years ago I picked up sample bottles of paint to try out. This is the week I find them (they’re somewhere in the basement) and paint those squares on the wall so I can live with them and figure out what color I want my walls to be.

Thor and I have done this before. We completely changed the look and feel of our dining and living rooms with color. I also know that this is the gateway to more TLC for our home. Painting the walls is the first step that will eventually lead to nice curtains, a rug without holes, and lighting fixtures that don’t date back to the 1970s.

I’m excited to finally get this project started.

Lots of options for making this Nudge your own. Maybe you pick up some of those paper color swatches and start with that. Or browse online and create a Pinterest gallery for a new couch/reading chair/bathtub. Or fix one small thing in your home that has been on the to-do list for a while. If you need inspiration, check out Apartment Therapy, a site I’ve been following recently for motivation on decluttering.

Pick one small step in the larger project and get it done. Let’s show our homes some TLC this week.

52+: Connections

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Hello! I’ve missed you! I hope this finds you safe, healthy, and doing mostly okay.

Since wrapping up 52Nudges 2.0 last year, I’ve been thinking a lot about what to do next. I’ll let you know when I’ve figured out how 3.0 will look (stay tuned). Meanwhile, I am feeling called to do a specific, short-term Nudging project.

Backstory: When we first started sheltering-in-place, I was really good at reaching out and keeping in touch with family and friends. Somewhere around January 3, however, I hit a wall. Hard. Every time I got ready to make a call or send a catching-up email, I felt like I had nothing to say.

“We’re fine. We’ve been fine. Nothing is different.”

So I stopped. And I started to feel super-depressed and even more isolated than before. And it’s going to be a while before we’re all vaccinated and free to go about our new “normal”. How can I mix things up and create new ways to keep my spirits up? Well, I’m going to nudge myself.

Introducing 52+: Connections

If you’ve followed 52Nudges in the past, you’ll know that I love making connections, and I always include nudges that inspire me to be creative in how I keep in touch with people. For this round, I’m going to be a little more focused and intentional in just this one area of nudging.

I hope you’ll join me.

Here’s how to prepare:

  1. Gather supplies: postcards, stamps, lovely stationery, stickers, your favorite writing pen, etc.
  2. Make a list of people. My list includes names of specific friends and family members, as well as types of people (a teacher, a teenager, a friend from high school, an elderly person who lives in a retirement home, an essential worker, a friend who lost someone to COVID, a neighbor).

In this next week, I’ll type up my list and tear those names/people into strips, wad them up, and put them in my special bowl. Each Sunday, I’ll draw one and come up with a way to connect.

As always with the nudges, feel free to make your own list, follow whatever nudge I draw, or just read along for the entertainment value. Don’t worry about what you might write or say; I’ll include prompts with each to inspire us all.

I look forward to seeing you back here next Sunday, March 7.

Affectionately,

Kathleen

Nudged: Make and decorate a cake

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Backstory: I am a huge fan of baking shows, which is ironic because I don’t like eating most baked goods. What I love is the mix of art, creativity, science, beauty, and nerves of steel. I hold my breath as I watch home cooks–like me!–test their skills and push beyond their boundaries and create things that inspire my imagination.

One of the skills I am not naturally gifted with is piping. I would love to learn how to make those fancy borders and swirly tops and pretty edible flowers and…. This is my chance to try it all.

What Happened: I went to the market three times this week, each time with the ingredients to make a cake and icings on my list. And three times I couldn’t pull the trigger. What the heck?! I just…I just didn’t want to.

At one point I tried to talk myself into this because I was pretty sure the photos would show results similar to my latte art nudge. (My attempts to create a frothy “heart” were hilarious–see the nudge here.) Yes, that would have made for a funny post, but it wouldn’t have been true to the intention of 52Nudges.

Why didn’t I want to make and decorate a cake?…. How about…because I don’t like cake.

For real. Simple truth.

On my last trip to the market I picked up some whipping cream thinking maybe I’d just do some practice piping on a board and call it a day. But I didn’t even want to do that. So I put aside this nudge for another day and went into the kitchen to make something I truly enjoy making: All-American Apple Pie:

All-American Apple Pie

I should note that I don’t like eating pie any more than I like eating cake. But Thor loves this, and I love making it for him.

The Ah-Hahs: When I created my list almost a year ago, the nudges all appealed to me for one reason or another. I can also give you reasons for why I feel I should do some of them. But as I progress through this nudging process, what I’m really learning is what feels right for me right now. How do I want to spend my time and energy and creative gifts? What makes me happy? What fills my soul? I’m still going to nudge myself to try new things, especially things that push me out of my comfort zone, but as I do them, I’m paying closer attention to what I feel is “100% Kath”.

I refuse to have regrets, but I imagine my life would be quite different if I’d figured this out in my 20s. But–hey–imagine how authentically amazing my life is going to be moving forward. 🙂

Nudging: Make and decorate a cake

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Backstory: I am a huge fan of baking shows, which is ironic because I don’t like eating most baked goods. What I love is the mix of art, creativity, science, beauty, and nerves of steel. I hold my breath as I watch home cooks–like me!–test their skills and push beyond their boundaries and create things that inspire my imagination.

One of the skills I am not naturally gifted with is piping. I would love to learn how to make those fancy borders and swirly tops and pretty edible flowers and…. This is my chance to try it all.

Nudged: Claim my “bread”

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Backstory: The idea for this nudge came from the book The Sermon on the Mount by Emmet Fox. It basically comes down to embracing the fact that God (Mother Earth, the Universe–whatever term you choose) always provides. “Bread” in this instance may be actual bread, though it really means everything we require for a healthy, happy, free, and harmonious life.

Then it’s a little more. It’s a call to stop being so stubbornly self-sufficient. And that’s what intrigued me, so I thought I’d explore it. Do I need to work on stopping all the doing in my life? (Yes.) Do I need to allow some good to come to me for a change? (Yes.)

Last year, a close friend was rushed to the emergency room and received a very scary diagnosis. I was terrified, and I desperately wanted to do something to help her and her family. She, naturally, resisted at first. We’re grownups, we’re proud people, we can take care of ourselves–right? I told her I understood, for I saw myself in her. I asked her to allow me to step up, and she finally accepted. It felt really really good to be there for her, even in small ways. She has since recovered, and I am reminded that my friends would like the opportunity to give to me on occasion too. Sometimes we can give each other the gift of giving to each other. I know that last sentence is a bit of a tangle, but when I break it down, it makes sense to me.

I’m not sure where this nudge will take me, and I’m eager to try it out.

What Happened: Careful what you wish for!

Early Monday morning, while making breakfast for me and my guys, I dropped a pan full of hot grease on my bare foot. Thor was home, and we were able to treat it immediately. No trip to the ER, no blisters. It could have been so much worse, and I feel really lucky.

However… I spent all of Monday and Tuesday with my foot stuck in a pot of cold water to keep it from blistering and keep the swelling down. Any time I moved (office to couch, couch to office), that pot went with me. And since I am still unable to put on a shoe,  I’m home-bound.

foot in cold water

That’s one way to kick prideful self-sufficiency to the curb!

Rest and healing became the only goals of my week, so that’s what I focused on. I did get some client work done, and then I took the time gifted to me to do some internal work. I thought about how I have recently blocked my creativity by filling my time with doings–admin work, housework, busy work. There are other things I want to really devote my time and energy to.

So I pulled a book about breaking through creative blocks out of my stack and got to work, my work. I’m starting with a self-commitment to choose projects that feel “100% Kath.” I wrote that on my big white board: 100% Kath.

It’s a start. I’m ready to claim all my good.

The Ah-Hahs: So…the other thing that happened…. I took myself outside for lunch today (inspired by the nudge from a few weeks ago) and noticed the blueberry bush. The full-of-ripe-berries blueberry bush!

blueberries

I have done nothing to deserve or earn this other than occasionally remembering to give it some water, and yet here it is, bursting with gifts to give me. Another reminder that God always provides–and often gives us more than we asked for. We just have to claim it–or, in this case, harvest it! 🙂

 

Nudged: Do something crafty

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Backstory: Back in my single days, I was very crafty. I made wreaths with my glue gun, I created elaborate table centers, I sewed. Not just mending; I made curtains and duvet covers without patterns and created all my prom and formal dresses. Legit! In my early 30s I discovered a friend and I shared a love for needlework and…wouldn’t it be more fun to do it together? We made a date and worked on our own projects while we chatted. The following month, we invited a few other friends to join us, and our group became the Crafts Babes.

Then life got busy. Work, responsibilities, and household projects took over. Then I got married, and my “free” time was not entirely my own. That’s a good thing, of course. But as I was putting together The List for this year’s nudges, I recalled things I used to love to do and vowed to do them again.

This week, that means I’m going to get crafty.

As always, you can do this nudge along with me or come up with another task that fits the intention. What was something you once loved to do that you haven’t done in a long time?

What Happened: There’s a small cabinet and a plastic storage bin in one corner of my office where all my crafty supplies are stored, including some unfinished projects. I knew exactly what was in there, I knew all week I “had” to do this nudge, but I kept putting it off. Why? I’m not sure. Maybe because it felt big, like it was going to suck up my time, take away from other things I need to do. Maybe because I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy it again, and I’d feel sick for having kept all that stuff around for so many years.

And that’s why this nudging adventure is so good for me. This is my nudge to pull those items out, try them again, and make a decision about how I want to move forward.

So that’s what I did two nights ago. I unearthed a cross-stitch project I started about 20 years ago (maybe longer–gack!). The original plan was to complete the four seed packet designs and frame them to decorate the kitchen of whichever apartment I was living in at the time. I finished the tomato (cute, right?). I started the eggplant, then the whole thing got tucked away and neglected until now.

The first thing I discovered is that my eyesight is not what it was back in the day. Those little stitches are hard! I dove in though, while complaining to Thor about the poor (ahem) lighting, and completed a few rows. It was…frustrating. Shoot! I had high expectations for this, was hoping I’d get hooked again, but I’m not sure.

I pulled it out again last night, and it was still rough going. Maybe I need to invest in a big magnifying lens or those cheapo magnifying old lady reading glasses you get at the pharmacy? I think I might do that before I give up on this. Because even though it wasn’t as satisfying as I initially hoped it would be, I did derive some satisfaction from seeing the work progress. Maybe those seed packets will look cute in our kitchen here?

The Ah-Hahs: I’ll admit I was disappointed with the outcome of this nudge. I really was hoping I’d pick up right where I left off, would rediscover an old passion and find it still inspires me today, maybe even launch a Bay Area chapter of the Crafts Babes. Sorry to say, I’m not feeling it.

Is it time, then, to Kondo all my needles and threads? Hmm…not quite yet. I don’t yet feel “finished” with this. And that, I think, is the gift of this nudge. By trying things old and new, I can figure out what feels good and authentic to me today.