by lisa@lisacanning.ca | Jan 18, 2016 | Interior Design
Last week I shared about my struggles to be authentic both online and off, and shared a concrete tool you can use if you'd like to meet your authetnic self. It's been quite the week, as I sat with the cotnent and actually did the Post-it note exercise myself. I even Periscoped it- which was crazy scary. From all my Post-its, I came up with a few sentences that in a sense summarize all the sentiments expressed in my exercise:
Family life at home is beautiful.
Motherhood is beautiful.
Speaking truth is beautiful.
Your home life can be well designed.
Your work life can be well designed.
Your life can be well designed.
Those six statements really sum up the core of who I am, what I find easy to talk about and what excites me. So much of what fuels my interior design business is the concept of families thriving at home. Through my 2-hour consutlations, I use my strategy skills to ensure that this home is going to serve a family so well, set them up for functional success and set the stage for making memories and finding joy. I'm kinda obsessed with this notion!
Sitting with all this content (and reading all these books on the content of vulnerability- Brené Brown you are amazing!) I've realized how much authenticity translates into home decor as well. When I look at my favourite rooms on the internet or in my portfolio, they all speak LOUD AND CLEAR about the people who inhabit it. Your home should really tell the story of who you are as a family- if you looked around right now what story are you telling?
If you'd like your home to reveal more of you, here are 5 ways to make your home decorating more authentic.
1. USE MEANINGFUL PHOTOGRAPHY
Photographs are an amazing way to tell an authentic story in a space- and they are probably the fastest and simplest way to infuse originality and share something meaningful. This is a shot from our home office. Above the desk is a photo of the interior of the church we got married in, but from the 1950's. My husband stumbled upon this photo in archives and we both just love the reverence and simplicity of the image. This image depicts a part of the liturgy that is very sacred, and it's meaningful for us to look at when hard at work at the desk. Photographs are a great way to tell a family's story as you can print them as large scale or small scale as you like, and at a relatively low cost- this project cost about $75 for the oversize print and store bought frame. Also consider a grouping of shots that can illustrate family history or meaningful memories.
2. COMMISSION ORIGINAL ART
My husband does a yearly trip with university students to areas in south and central America, working with local communities to do volunteer initiatives. It's amazing work, and changes lives, and when our first child was 14 months we had the experience to go alongside Josh and a group of students to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was an intense time- I was very challenged by the poverty I saw, and completely transformed by the faith I witnessed in people who had so little. I knew I wanted to have something in my home to remind me of the experience, so I had my friend Becky Simpson create this encaustic painting of the Rio skyline. Original art is, as the name suggests, original! And if budget allows is a beautiful way to tell your story.
3. USE HEIRLOOM FAMILY FURNITURE
This dressing table belonged to my grand mother, my mom, to me and now to my daughter. There is something so beautiful and meaningful about a furniture piece that has passed through the hands of several family members. Consider changing hardware or giving the piece a new coat of paint to make it work with your current decor.
4. Books
Books are another relatively inexpensive way to tell the story of who you are. Coffee table books not only look beautiful, but the titles and textures tell a compelling story of your interests and values as well. In my own living room it's always a mix of decorating, religious, and kids' books : )
5. Meaningful handwritten quotes
I love typography as art- but let's keep it real there is A LOT of cheesy stuff out there. But, when done beautifully, elegantly, and by hand- like this gorgeous print by Dear Lillie, I think it can speak quite literally of your family's values and what you stand for. It can act as a family motto of sorts displayed in a public space, or a motivational quote in an office or bedroom.
I'd love to know what you do in your home to express your authentic story- please tag me on instagram @lisacanning with an image of your own space!
by lisa@lisacanning.ca | Jan 11, 2016 | Lifestyle Design
A friend of mine shared this article to Facebook and it really rocked me- 17 Successful People Show How to Become Unmistakable. Particularly, this quote by Jon Acuff really challenged me:
“I think to be unmistakable is to live out who you are in all your uniqueness and use the gifts you were given. It’s the bravery to march into the deep forest of who you are and be that person.”
How many of us can say we are truly using the gifts we have been given? How many of us march deeply into the forest of who we are? And moreover, can we do it online?
Both online and off, but more so online, I struggle with being authentic. I struggle with comparison. I struggle with looking at the beautifully curated lives of other people on Instagram and forgetting that behind every beautiful photo is another side of the room that likely has a screaming toddler and messy clutter in it. As Jen Flores put it so clearly in a recent blog post, it can be easy to get disengaged when looking at beautiful, glossy images when our own lives look nothing like that colour coordinated group of 9 squares.
There was a time when I REALLY struggled with comparison and it basically debilitated me. I compared myself so much to every interior designer I came across and always thought- if I just gain a bit more experience I can have a portfolio like them. If I just work a little harder I can afford a lifestyle like them. If I just save a little more money I can buy a handbag like them- and I'll have made it.
It pains me to think how much I let other people control decisions about my own life- all in the pursuit of "making it". I did it far too often, and it took several years of prayer, coaching and hard interior work on myself to get out of that practice, develop a backbone and change.
Fast forward to 2016- and while I don't compare myself as much to others- I limit myself in a whole new way. I am my own worst limiting factor.
To use the analogy of the forest- I am on the periphery. I am waving hi to the beautiful interior but I cannot go in. The forest looks amazing but I am afraid of what will happen when I go inside and really be that person. It's like I can see the most beautiful waterfall and I am parched with thirst- but even though I need the water so badly- I won't move my feet.
And what does this all boil down to?!? Why will I not move my feet? FEAR.
Anyone else suffer like I do? Anyone else afraid of what might happen if they speak from their truly authentic self? Anyone else afraid of the rejection of what might happen, or the success that might occur if they are really honest online?
And I'm not talking necessarily about sharing every aspect of one's life on the internet- cause there is lots of room for appropriate privacy too. But what I'm talking about is- can we share the joy and vibrancy of a beautiful life, but also reveal an authentic life with depth and meaning? Can we share the beauty and the struggle?
Here's my promise to you my dear readers: I want to authentically tell the story of my life.
Here's the quick version: I am married to an amazing man who is my best friend and who gets paid to bring Jesus to other people. I have 5 kids, and we have had them in 7 years, they are all 6 and under, and yes, we'll probably have more. I drive a minivan and am proud of it. I love my interior design business and earning a living but I love balance more. If I could stand on a soapbox I would fight for motherhood to be valued, and try to encourage other mothers to not look at having children as an impediment to success. If I live to age 90, you will probably find me, God willing, running an Alpha course at our local church next to my husband, children, and grandchildren, living in a house I continue to redecorate and fill with fresh flowers daily. My house, while beautiful, is often a mess. Finally, I feel most alive when I am with all my kids on a new adventure, using my strategy strength, or leading a worship song of praise.
If you are looking for one concrete way to find your authentic self, Lisa Ferguson of 1000wattlife.com suggests the following exercise. Shut off distractions and without any filter dump everything you currently are on post-it notes. Then put them on a blank wall and start grouping them into three groups:
1) I uniquely am
2) I am when I compare myself to others
3) I am because this is who someone else wanted me to be
Then sit back and reflect on your true self group and identify one strategy to embrace those attributes more. Where you let others direct your path, get clarity on why and create a strategy to stop this behaviour in the future. For more of Lisa's thought provoking thoughts check out her Instagram feed here.
Thanks for coming alongside my journey into the forest- I too am happy to walk with you in yours! xo Lisa
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