Radvent 2012 8: Expression

“See your surroundings as a channel for self-expression.
What can you do to love where you are?”
~ Princess Lasertron

I decided to weed out my book cases this week, and it has me on a mad organizing bender. Basically I’ll be pulling everything down on the floor and then re-arranging the books. Prior to this though, I need to declutter the dining table, and that is much more work.

So enter Princess Lasertron’s Radvent post on expression, in which she writes: “Think about the spaces where you spend the most time, and how you can make them more meaningful.”

I’ve decided that my dining room will now be dubbed the library, because I never dine in there. The table functions as a desk during freelance projects, and a paper-catcher for most of the year. When I moved in I had visions of entertaining, but I’ve only hosted one party in 7 years, while out-of-town visitors want to see the city instead of staying in.

It’s an interesting shift to realize that I don’t have to host parties, nor insist on using the dining table to dine on. After spending time in the studio my creative juices are too sapped to cook a meal, so I tend to whip up something easy or grab a pre-cooked meal out of the freezer. These are consumed in the living room, which is relaxing after sitting at the studio table most of the afternoon. For a nice meal I tend to make an occasion of it and have a restaurant cook for me.

So I look forward to thinking about the flow of the room in terms of a true library, where I keep my favorite books and also have a good system in place to keep the paper accumulation at bay. With pillows the radiator cover could serve as a cozy reading nook.

Un-used books will be donated to a local resale shop, where they can inspire others. A few titles I feel I should read will go on a designated 2013 shelf. If after all these years I still haven’t touched them in 2013, they’ll become part of the 2014 donation pile.

While I enjoy being a bibliophile and there are some books I’m genuinely attached to, the public library is a fabulous place to check things out from and not bring more things into one’s space. Fascinating passages get recorded in my quote book, and if I find myself jotting down a lot I put the book on my wishlist for later. Borrowing books can also be a lovely bonding experience. One friendship is bound by the love of Anne of Green Gables, whom we quote to each other to this day.

My place will never be truly streamlined (I know myself well enough by now) but I do enjoy taking cues from “Move your stuff, change your life” on occasion.

“Try using a different space in your house for a few days
and see what feelings come to you.
Even just a photo or a candle can help make you feel more grounded,
connected, and grateful for what you have.”
~ Princess Lasertron