The growing stages of life never stop. From the moment we are born, to the moment we die, we are learning. We are developing and growing, having new experiences and gaining new insights. Our biggest challenges are often our greatest teachers; it’s through these that we gain knowledge, wisdom and a deeper understanding of the world around us. The more we understand, the more meaningful life becomes.
BBC journalist Jane Vickers in The Little Beach Hut of Dreams
UPDATE: The Little Beach Hut of Dreams has been sold as we no longer live in Brighton and only residents are permitted to own beach huts there. This post has been archived for reference but we are no longer accepting applications for Dreamer-in-Residence. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our Dreamers-in-Residence for being part of our adventure, and to Towergate Insurance for awarding The Little Beach Hut of Dreams runner up position in Beach Hut of the Year 2015. She was very proud!
Things have gone a little crazy around here since our Little Beach Hut of Dreams was shortlisted for the Towergate Beach Hut of the Year competition. Today we hosted a live BBC radio interview from the hut, with a soundtrack of seagulls and breaking waves. You can listen to Beth’s interview here:
The Little Beach Hut of Dreams is a tiny creative project that we dreamed up in order to create space in a busy world, to honour the importance of carving out time to dream, and just be in the moment. But more importantly because it recognizes our idea to share this tiny space with the world through our Dreamers-in-Residence programme, which allows members of our community to borrow The Little Beach Hut of Dreams for free for the day in return for a blog post which will in turn inspire others.
Now the competition is on to find the winner – and there is a public vote so we would LOVE for you to support our project and vote for The Little Beach Hut of Dreams! It just takes a minute – CLICK HERE to vote.
By voting for The Little Beach Hut of Dreams you are showing your agreement that we all need time and space to dream, and encouraging others to use assets like this for wider community benefit, not just their own enjoyment.Thank you!
Do you feel stuck, bored or frustrated? Are you searching for deeper meaning in life? Then perhaps it’s time you tried something new.
The truth is that it’s always within your reach to make new connections, learn new things and have new adventures. You may not be able to quit your job, or change the fact you have a long commute, but every day presents countless opportunities for you to decide how you want to handle these things, and every other part of your day, in order to make the most out of life.
Of course it’s easier to carry on doing things the same way you’ve been doing them for days, weeks, months, years, but taking a chance and doing something different can bring enormous benefits. Sometimes even the smallest shift in thinking or doing can create the biggest opportunity, paving the way for positive life changes and major fulfilment.
[Tweet “How will you push yourself out of your comfort zone today? What new thing, or things, will you try? “]
Download a high res version to print here.
What’s is making you happy this month? What is making your heart sing? What are you most grateful for?
Write it all down on July’s happy list! Big things, small things – it really doesn’t matter! All that matters is that everything on your list makes you smile and feel thankful.
On my happy list this month… fun, freedom and new experiences! It was so much fun chartering a yacht from Brighton Marina and spending some quality time with the Do What You Love team ~ Rachel
Download July’s happy list here and start celebrating your happiness today!
UPDATE: The Little Beach Hut of Dreams has been sold as we no longer live in Brighton and only residents are permitted to own beach huts there. This post has been archived for reference but we are no longer accepting applications for Dreamer-in-Residence. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our Dreamers-in-Residence for being part of our adventure, and to Towergate Insurance for awarding The Little Beach Hut of Dreams runner up position in Beach Hut of the Year 2015. She was very proud!
This summer we’re enjoying welcoming a handful of dreamers into the Little Beach Hut of Dreams. Bonnie Craig spent a sunny day by the sea this June, and wrote this lovely blog post about her experience.
Last week I spent a day being a Dreamer in Residence in The Little Beach Hut of Dreams. Dreamers in Residence are encouraged to use the day ‘to ponder and plan, to watch the waves or stare at the huge open sky’. Which is exactly what I was hoping to do.
I was welcomed into the beach hut on Brighton seafront by Rose, who showed me round the two square metres of loveliness and then left me to my day of dreaming.
I know that I think better when I’m occupied so I brought a sketchbook and some marker pens, with the idea of doing some really simple, repetitive patterns that would occupy the bit of my brain that needs to make decisions, while the rest of it would be free to wander around some of the ideas and thoughts that I haven’t had time to focus on for a while.
I also brought my camera, which I pointed straight out to sea and set up to take photos every 30 seconds. I wanted to document my day but didn’t want it to detract from my time there, so leaving my camera to do the work all by itself seemed perfect. And this is what it saw:
After spending some time people watching and sea watching, I realised that actually I was a bit of a spectacle myself and lots of people wanted to talk about what I was doing. So, after a few lovely but distracting chats, I got the pens out.
I went for repetitive, brightly coloured dots – about 15,500 of them in fact. One of the reasons I like to work with pattern is that I think the order created by repetition can be calming and reassuring. In my work I like to disrupt this order, which for me is where a pattern becomes really exciting, but on this day I just wanted the calming element. So I sat, and drew little dots, letting my intuition choose which colours went where, and as I did it I thought about lots of things – big things and little things – that hadn’t had the attention they deserved in a while. And while that sort of thinking can often be stressful, I actually found myself feeling completely calm and content.
Drawing the dots was more about the activity than the final result, but it’s given me some ideas for making really simple pattern tiles that can be combined in loads of different ways to create a final pattern that looks as if it is repeated, but is actually different every time it’s put together. I (really!) hadn’t meant to ‘work’ in the beach hut but it was an unexpected bonus to come away with new ideas.
Without wanting to do too much public soul-baring, a big part of the day for me was making some peace with my hometown of Brighton, somewhere that’s seen some of my most and least happy times and is always a bit emotional to visit. The opportunity to indulge myself in processing some of my thoughts and memories there was pretty cathartic.
And before I knew it, there was only an hour left. At which point I decided to treat myself to an hour of reading the book I’d just started, and I sat out in the deck chair and lost myself in the world of Theo Decker.
Rose came to lock up at the end of the day, and I went on my way, with a dreamy grin, to meet an old friend for dinner. I can’t recommend a day in The Little Beach Hut of Dreams enough.
Visit Bonnie’s website: www.bonnie-craig.com
Like her Facebook page: www.facebook.com/bonniecraigartist
Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bonniepattern
Last week we had our annual ‘away day’ at Do What You Love. It was actually two days – a strategy meeting on Wednesday, and a day on a yacht on Thursday! We chartered the boat to give us a way to get a complete change of scenery, open our minds and think differently. And it worked!
We were brainstorming ideas for my book (more on that in the coming weeks), and it was amazing how the gentle lapping waves helped us forget about to-do lists and tune into some big deep questions.
It was also good to spend some fun time with our lovely team, on a gloriously sunny day, to hear more about their individual dreams and plans, and get to know them better.
We are only a small team, but moments like this are important.
Even if you work on your own (or for someone else), can you give yourself the gift of an away day? If so, here are some tips to make it special:
This week we challenge you to find time for your own awayday. We’d love to know what you thought about, and what came out of it – please share with us on Facebook or Twitter!
Have a lovely week
Beth and team
[Tweet “What would you do with a day away? “]
Do you have a routine? How does it go?
Chances are you don’t acknowledge your routine day to day, but we bet you have one. You probably go through most of it on autopilot, without stopping to consider whether what you’re doing is healthy, productive or enjoyable. Isn’t it time to change that?
We’ve been really enjoying doing the activities from the Do What You Love e-course recently. Week three of the course is all about being brave and coming alive. One of the activities asks you to spend a day mixing things up a bit, so we asked Rose to ditch her routine today. Here’s what happened.
When I started thinking about what I was going to do differently today, I was at a bit of a loss. Shaking up your routine is inevitably going to move you out of your comfort zone – that was clear at the very moment I started thinking about it. But when I really got to thinking about what I could do differently, I felt a strange sense of excitement.
It started with breakfast. Today I swapped my usual Marmite for Nutella and bananas on toast. Having chocolate for breakfast always feels indulgent, but it’s the chocolate-banana combo that makes this an unbeatable start to the day.
Rather than sitting straight down in front of my computer after breakfast, I decided to go for a morning stroll on the seafront. It was a beautiful day – sunny and breezy – and I was surprised to find so many people by the sea before 9am. I was even more surprised at how friendly everyone was. I tend to assume everyone is grumpy in the morning, not being a morning person myself. But receiving so many friendly hellos so early in the day put me in a great mood.
After my stroll it was time to get to work. But I was feeling remarkably chirpy, and I didn’t fancy working on my own. I decided to give my friend (a freelance designer who works from home) a call. She invited me to work at her house, so I grabbed some juice and biscuits and headed over.
I loved working somewhere new in the company of my friend and her cat, Mila. We enjoyed frothy coffee, countless snacks and great music. And I had a really productive working day.
I was so surprised at what an effect shaking up my routine had on my mood, and my productivity. I felt more alive today than I have in weeks. I’m looking forward to changing my routine in different ways in the future – perhaps I’ll end up replacing my old routine with a great new one that’s just right for me!
The Do What You Love e-course will help you ditch bad habits and boring routines, and lead you to see what you really want (or need) more clearly.
“I am now far more open to ideas and willing to say yes to opportunities. I think, well, whats the worst that can happen?!” Shona W., Do What You Love participant, Jan 2015
Join us this June for the experience of a lifetime.
“I have really tried to be the change many of us want to see.” ~ Andres Roberts
Today’s world is more complex and challenging than ever before. Many of us find ourselves meandering aimlessly through life paying little attention to how we feel or where we’re heading. It’s no wonder that we find ourselves feeling lost and disconnected. When we don’t really know or understand our true authentic selves, how can we truly connect with others, and the world around us?
Andres Roberts, co-founder of Way of Nature UK, is a leading expert in positive revolution. As a guide, a facilitator and a leadership and change advisor he is dedicated to helping people find wholeness, purpose and balance in life. The concept of “wholeness” is at the centre of all his projects – understanding that we are a part of something bigger can allow us to let go of the smaller things that hold us back in life (“our everyday bonds”) and focus on the bigger picture.
A group retreat in nature, led by Andres
“For some reason we’ve come to a place in life where it’s normal to wear masks, and play roles,” Andres explains. “It’s intriguing for me that for so many people life begins at five o’clock or at the weekend, when they start doing things they really love. That’s a form of separation for me. What we’re doing is separating ourselves from our beliefs, from each other, and from our true selves. I believe that all this is happening because we act to feed unhealthy aspects of our ego, that small self that can be so misguiding. It’s how many of us end up working in jobs we don’t like, feeding consumer culture, but not really meeting our deepest needs and passions.
“When we think and act from a small ego we lose sight of the fact that we are part of a much bigger ecology and to me this is really interesting. I believe that we feel that ecology all of the time. We need to spend time outdoors. We need to spend time in nature. As soon as the sun is out we all want to be out there, we all feel heavy and tired and we sense our energy draining if we sit behind the computer all the time. We evolved in the wild with trees, birds and grasses, so when we go for a walk in nature, it’s about going back home. Being outside in nature can lead to deep relaxation and opening of the heart and that it is an antidote to what contemporary work and life, fuelled by a consumer culture, is all about.”
Andres leading a group in Crestone, Colorado
A few years ago Andres’ work investigating playfulness, or the lack of it, in our working lives opened the door to nature. He started taking groups of people to Spain to experience solos in the wilderness – on their own for a day or two – to help them to reconnect with themselves and nature. He also organizes retreats and workshops to get more connected with nature and recently spent 28 days alone in the Colorado mountains.
He explains: “When people spend significant immersive amounts of time in nature their sense of self shifts. The boundaries within the walls of their body and mind begin to move. They feel present and connected, and they begin to flow more easily as part of a world, a bigger world. It’s like growing a family; your sense of self expands. You see outside yourself and realize that life is not just about you anymore. You are connected. You are all one. We are all one. It’s very natural to want to spend more time in nature because we miss that connection to something bigger, the wider whole.”
Do you feel lost or disconnected? Do you want to live a more whole and balanced life? [Tweet “Are there things about the way you work, live and play that you want to change but don’t know how?”] Do you dream of spending more time in nature? Andres can help you figure out the answers here. And for more information about Andres, visit his website.
“I know Andres well both professionally and personally. He is an absolute pleasure to work with and to be with. His motivation for systemic change is tangible and his energy is abundant and infectious. I think this comes from his alignment with the natural world and the purity of his motivation. He is a genuine inspiration.” ~ Steve Waygood, Chief Responsible Investment Officer, Aviva Investors
Our environment has a huge effect on not only how we feel, but how we live our lives. When was the last time you thought about where you want to be as opposed to what you want to be?
When have you last been aware of what kind of environment makes you feel alive and gives you a sense of possibility? Is it in a bustling town centre or is it in a cottage overlooking a dramatic sea landscape? Week 1 of the Do What You Love e-course encourages you to explore what changes you want to see happen by visualizing your ideal life, and that includes where you feel the happiest.
As we go through some of the Do What You Love exercises this month, we have asked Vickie to go through the “Ideal Environment” exercise. This is her mood board below.
All images courtesy of @vickieinwonderland
“The way a certain environment can make you feel is very powerful and finding a place where I can be happy and feel alive is as important to me as finding my “crowd”. When I travel, I often get somewhere, look around, sink in the atmosphere and think “I could live here”. It’s always a combination of things that makes me feel that way, but if I break it down, my ideal environment would have to include these three elements: water, gardens & markets.
Water is calming and invigorating at the same time and it’s ever changing. You never look at water twice and see the exact same thing. Whether it’s the sea or a small stream at the bottom of a garden, water is in constant movement and it reassures me to know that something in constant movement can still be calming and permanent.
For me, gardens are havens of peace. It is important for me to have even a tiny patch of garden somewhere. When I lived in a small London flat, I converted a little corner of my kitchen into a garden, with fake grass and pots with different plants and flowers. I had less space for cooking but I could have breakfast in my “garden” and nothing would make me happier than seeing the sun come through the window onto my plants after a tiring day at the office.
As much as I love the peacefulness of water and gardens, I also love a bustling marketplace. They make me feel like I am a part of a community of great people, even if I don’t know anyone there. Markets are friendly and happy places and although they can get a bit hectic, to me they are always rather comforting. They are like huge street parties where strangers come, share things and go away with a sense of belonging and a smile on their face.”
The Do What You Love e-course will help you understand that you can choose the kind of life you want and gives you the tools to explore what your ideal life would look like so that you can start building it for yourself.
“This course has been very important for me to understand myself in a deeper way, and make the right choices.” Cinzia R., Do What You Love participant
Join us this June for the experience of a lifetime.
The long summer evenings have brought with them a renewed sense of relaxation and calm after an incredibly busy few months at DWYL HQ. After almost a year of new content creation and recruitment our team has clicked with everyone fitting into the right roles, finding autonomy and feeling assured. The sheer volume of work that the team has got through since January is astounding. I take my hat off to each and every one of them, from Beth downwards. It is a pleasure and a privilege to work with so many people who are motivated by purpose, and who work with humour and a smile to such incredibly high standards.
Fast on the back of her appearance at The Barclays Debate #barclaysdebate Beth was proud to talk at the recent Mumsnet conference in London. She was there as part of a panel providing business and lifestyle advice about how to start up on your own. I know she thoroughly enjoyed herself as she came back with a spring in her step after mingling with so many other aspiring and driven mothers.
The Business Soul Sessions opened its classroom doors (digitally speaking) on May 11 to a new group of individuals. This revolutionary course offers a thought-provoking, perspective-shifting, mind-opening approach to business growth for entrepreneurs who want greater impact, explosive growth and serious profits they can be proud of. Without blowing our own trumpet, I wish we could have taken The Business Soul Sessions at the start of our journey!
It has been nearly three years since the previous class ran and I can’t wait for all the wonderful eureka moments that I know our students will have. So many great things come out of this course for so many people, and it’s wonderful to watch our students grow and transform their approach and their businesses before our eyes. This is what some of our past students have said…
“This course was pivotal for me. It helped me gain a professional confidence and business identity that I didn’t know I was even missing.” ~ Noelle Rollins
“My business has grown at least 300% and my network and knowledge have expanded exponentially because of this course.” ~ Sandra Dumais
“The Business Soul Sessions changed my entire approach to everything I did. It changed how I thought about business and living the life of a business person. I taught myself to value my talents, my time and my efforts. I would tell anyone who is in a business that relies on creativity, imagination and ingenuity that they really need to do this course. It will pay for itself and you’ll look back in time and be so grateful that you invested in your soul work”. ~ Kass Hall
And there’s lots more exciting news to report…
1. Registration is open for the next DWYL e-course, starting June 15. We’re proud to say that the powerful yet practical content contained in this transformative course continues to surprise people. It’s all about helping you find the answers to your questions and then taking the right actions for you. If you are wondering about the true power of the course, well it doesn’t come much bigger than a Marriage Proposal… and just wait until you find out how he popped the question!
2. We launched our brave stranger campaign to celebrate bravery in all shapes and sizes, by every day people. Get involved on Facebook or Twitter next week for a chance to WIN a place for you and a friend on the DWYL e-course.
[Tweet “Change your life! WIN a place for you and a friend on the next DWYL e-course”]
3. We’ve had some brilliant applications for Little Beach Hut of Dreams and we can’t wait to share how our beach hut residents spend their days by the sea. UPDATE: The Little Beach Hut of Dreams has been sold as we no longer live in Brighton and only residents are permitted to own beach huts there. This post has been archived for reference but we are no longer accepting applications for Dreamer-in-Residence. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our Dreamers-in-Residence for being part of our adventure, and to Towergate Insurance for awarding The Little Beach Hut of Dreams runner up position in Beach Hut of the Year 2015. She was very proud!
4. Our Webinar Series – Alchemy – has certainly got people inspired and thinking. The feedback and comments have been great. Alchemy is constantly available and now takes pride of place in amongst our other FREE Resources – Sign up today and listen to some of the most interesting and potentially important conversations you will hear all year.
5. Our blog continues to be galvanised by our guest bloggers who are all leading all experts in their field. They include: Alastair Humphreys, Ben Keene, Frances Booth, Louise Armstrong and Lara Tabatznik.
6. What do you think about our new look? Last month our new website launched. We want it to be a place you can trust to find all the inspiration, tools, resources and support you need. At the end of the day all of this is for you. So we’d love to hear you thoughts. Please get in touch and let us what works, what doesn’t and most importantly, tell us if something is missing, or if there are any features you’d find helpful. We really do value your feedback.
1. The LIVE event is SOLD OUT! Make Art That Sells: The Global Art Gathering will take place in Brighton, UK, on Friday, June 12, 2015. It promises to be a fun-filled, action-packed day with all the energy, passion and magic you’d expect from Make Art That Sells. We’ll be welcoming a host of acclaimed speakers and panelists from the international art industry to advise and inspire you.
2. MATS: Creating Collections for Home Decor has been hugely in demand since we announced its launch last month. Lilla and Beth have teamed up with Top Art Director Margo Tantau – to run the fantastic course that Margo has described as a GAME CHANGER! To ensure you don’t miss out before it sells out Register here.
3. MATS: Assignment Bootcamp has entered in its final month. I can honestly say that I will miss the buzz in the Bootcamp Community when it draws to a close but I know there will only be a short interlude before attention turns to this year’s Global Talent Search. Don’t miss out on what could be one of the biggest and best opportunities for your career… join the waiting list here.
4. Our gorgeous new Make Art That Sells website continues to turn heads! It’s bursting with free resources, industry insight and motivational videos to help the artists among you make leaps forward with your career. Be sure to check it out.
Since our sister site, Make It In Design, announced Printsource New York as their Official Trade Show Partner energy levels have been sky high. As one of the world’s most prestigious shows for the surface pattern design and textile industry, this partnership will provide exclusive content, behind the scenes access, and top tips to help designers build their brand through trade shows.
1. Trade show video series – over 1,000 people tuned in from around the world last week to watch our latest Trade Show video series hosted by Rachael Taylor and Massimo Iacoboni, the owner of Printsource New York. The feedback has been amazing with many people letting the team know how many great ideas they’ve picked up and how grateful they were for all the free inside know-how to trade show success. Rachael shared years of trade show trial and error to help others avoid the steep learning curve. The videos are still available to watch until May 31, 2015. Sign up here.
2. Make it in Design are on the countdown to one of the most exciting and powerful courses in the world of surface pattern design – ‘The Ultimate Portfolio Builder in association with Printsource‘. This advanced 7-week course will give you all the tools and advice you need to grow your body of commercially viable work, refine and strengthen your professional design portfolio, make your designs more sellable and give you the fast-track to trade show success. Class starts on May 25, 2015, there’s still time to join us.
3. Uppercase launched an exciting competition to win a place on the upcoming ‘The Ultimate Portfolio Builder’ course. To date there have been over 70 entries which you can read on the blog here.
4. Summer School dates are out! Last July hundreds of people joined Make it in Design for some creative fun for all the family. Check out the Summer School Lookbook featuring some of their favourite designs and join the waiting list to get more details soon.
5. We are also thrilled to tell you that a number of Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design students exhibited at Surtex in New York last week. You can see their latest work right here on the Make it in Design blog.
Just last week Beth (Mrs. K) and I sat down to work through the ‘Core Values’ section of The Business Soul Session course for our business (yes, we use our own resources!) and it couldn’t have been better timed. In the midst of all the ideas, an ever-growing team, increasing commitments and working at 100 mph to get everything done, we needed to ensure that we were still being true to the soul of our business. The outcome was really insightful; it reminded us that we must never lose sight of the ‘WHY’ behind our business. It is the beating heart of Do What You Love.
Make time for the important things and stay true to yourself.
Until next time,
Mr. K