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  • Vignettes as self expression for all ages

    Vignettes such as the one in this image uses Minion characters displayed in a book shelf.

    Sexuality is not the only thing hidden in closets. Having just celebrated Gay Pride, it is fitting we acknowledge that hiding who we really are just isn’t right for anyone. You may not be hiding something as fundamental as your sexuality but then you really don’t know until you begin to show who you are and what you love. Vignettes are a great way to discover yourself and openly share with others.

    Vignettes as self expression.

    At the design workshop I held the end of April, we started with vignettes as a way to begin to see our homes as a place where we can express ourselves. Vignettes are small and easily arranged using objects hidden away in the closet. But you must use objects you love, maybe because of the memories they hold or the way they look or maybe they are objects that bring a smile to your face because of their whimsy or silliness or inappropriateness.

    Involve the kids in creating vignettes.

    One of the attendees of the workshop just wasn’t really getting into the spirit. But then she enlightened us, “I’ve got small kids. It wouldn’t last two seconds in my house.” So here are some thoughts for including children in creating vignettes.

    Think interactive.

    I love the Minion movies and picked up a few toy Minions at my local Goodwill. My whimsical self alongside books on spirituality. Guests always notice. Little guests don’t come frequently to my home but last week I had such a visitor and he immediately spied the Minions, picked one up and put it down in a different place. So fantastic! Children have such confidence in their own creativity.

    Think stories.

    We are always asking kids to put their objects, what we call toys, away where they can’t be seen. Sometimes that means taking apart a scene important for a story they have imagined. A tableaux. Which according to Mirriam-Webster is a shortening of tableau vivant which translates to “living picture.” Instead encourage a child to save or build a vignette with a few toys so that they can share it with others or later pick up where they left off.

    Think love.

    Why have we come to think of the love of objects as bad? Children see objects and relate directly to them. So consider after a vacation having a space on the bookshelf or mantle for a vignette where each of you can contribute a favorite memento from the trip. Then take turns arranging the objects, taking photos, and talking about what makes each arrangement work. Help children retain that love of the beauty and the aliveness of objects. Like most interactions with children, we give much and receive much. So tap into their confidence and love of objects.

    Create beautiful vignettes.

    What have you got in your closets that you can boldly share? Whether you live alone, with friends, a partner, or kids, encourage individuality and self expression. And never forget beauty. Here are a few tips for creating vignettes that will draw the eye and nourish the soul.

    • Use odd numbers of objects.
    • Group objects like they are in conversation, never too far away from each other.
    • Vary height, including using vertical and horizontal surfaces in a single vignette.
    • Stand back and squint so you can see the essentials of the design.
    • Don’t overthink. Play instead.

  • Color me dancing

    Colors dance but never solo.

    You’re standing in front of hundreds of paint chips at the hardware store. You’re thinking, “Grab one and run.” Wrong! Never pick out one color. Colors dance. But never solo.

    Colors dance before our eyes because they are not substance, but refracted light. Color is not a solid, but light waves in the air that we perceive as color. Research tells us this but like many things known but invisible, we forget. And when we forget and treat the color in our spaces as a solid, we deaden the air and stifle the dancing. But now, throw the cape of the magician, sorceress and conjuror over your lab coat and let’s explore the magic of color.

    Why have colors in your space dance? Think about those things that you can stare at for hours and hours, water and fire. It’s the subtle changes of color reflecting changes in energy and elements that content us. Of course, we can include water and fire elements within our space. But we can also capture those qualities of light on a static wall by choosing colors that work together to stir the air, and that are able to reflect the changes in the space from season to season, day to night. We can break down the perceived solidity of the wall. (Remember you have a cape on!)

    So how to make it happen. Like all good things, directions are simple but imagination and time are required. First, buy paint that has lots of pigment. The more pigment in the paint, the more possibilities for interactions and reactions, creating movement. But how do you know which paint brands have more pigment? Easy. They are more expensive. Sorry, but essential for the dance.

    Now you know which brands to use, collect your paint chips. They are free. Take more than you need. Ideally, choose the whole palette for your home at the same time but if you can only do one room now, make sure you have paint chips for the rooms that are adjacent to it. Take each paint chip you are considering and put it side by side with the chips for the other colors in the room or adjacent rooms. Squint. Do you see a slight quivering where the two colors come together? If so, you know those colors will team up and enliven the space. If you don’t, keep at it. This takes time and playful effort but magic often does.

    Color is compared to music. I also think color is like humanity. Infinite possibilities of hue, a personality that requires close harmony with our kind (humanity in our case.) Importantly, real power is in the unseen rather than the seen. And best of all, like color, we have those moments when we find among our kind those who make our eyes sparkle and our step lighter in dance. Magic. 

     

  • Remembrances

    Strength from memories

    In his masterful thoughts on home in his book, The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran tells his listeners their houses need to contain peace, remembrances and beauty. Peace and beauty we will leave for another time. Because right now, there is an urgency to explore the minefield of memory as the Senate prepares to hear the testimony of Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh at the hearings on the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.

    Remembrance

    Gibran describes remembrances as “the glimmering arches that span the summits of the mind.” But what does that mean? And how do we bring it into our homes? First, I think of photos. Because photos of family, vacations and friends connect us beyond our own minds to places and people that can expand our own thinking. But I think he must have meant even more than that.

    Images of remembrance

    Seattle_-_Plymouth_Congregational_-_sanctuary_2_(26360112363)

    Sunday I attended a worship service at Plymouth Congregational Church in Seattle. It is a space that embodies Gibran’s vision of remembrance. First because the walls serve only as scaffolding for the repeating, glimmering images of upward flight. Our thoughts are transported. Secondly, because there are no images of prophets or saints defining our memories. Instead wavering images of light allow our minds to engage with memory.

    But I also think the picture of that worn out old glove, squashed on rough common concrete, but still reflecting light, holds part of the truth too.

    Finding strength

    This is what I think a space having remembrances would feel like. There would be warmth and complexity. Embracing of irregularities. Room for shadow as well as light. There would be a sense of the renewal of life. Because it is when we see those connections, those arches between us that we will find strength.

    Below are some ways to further experience remembrances.

    Sound

    Christmas Song by Dave Matthews Band. Because this is a song of remembrance, making the old story that everyone knows new again.

    Appalachia Waltz with Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyers and Mark O’Connor. Because it is a tribute to remembrance of all things essential. Country, dancing, silliness, and mama to name a few.

    Sight

    An old, old tree. Because when you crane your neck, you will see it touch the sky. Next follow its roots, using your mind’s eye to imagine it spreading beneath you. And finally, go and sit under it and rest in the wonder of how much it has seen.

    The Detectorists written and directed by Mackenzie Crook. Because it is about the power and pull of memory. It is about a couple of friends who spend their spare time looking for archeological treasure. And the title song is amazing too. I cry every time for the men who can never sing again.

    Thought

    The Beginnings of Desire by Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg. Because Zornberg will give you new hope in the power of story and remembrance.

    Immersion

    Finally, visit a holy place. Because holiness and remembrance cannot live without the other. Plymouth Congregational Church in downtown Seattle and St Ignatius Chapel on the Seattle University Campus are both holy places that speak to me.