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my inspiration catalogue

max and books

Most days I am sure this is what my brain looks like.

I don’t have a slick cataloguing system for my writing.

I don’t have journals that are neatly lined up with words and quotes to boot.

My brain is a sponge that is constantly picking up little bits and pieces like a wall of post it notes that are each competing for space.

What I do collect though is memories?

My brain is like a massive Pinterest board that is constantly soaking up moments, memories and opportunities to be inspired.

My eyes are ever seeking, ever open, an inspiration junkie looking for its next inspiration fix.

This is how I design.

This is how I write.

This is how I produce.

This is why my instagram feed will never be slick and predictable.

This is why my style, my brand and my voice is ever changing.

I am unique and today I am brave in my expression of it.

I am organised in a very disorganised way.

I am driven in a very random way.

I am colourful with my moments of grey

I am unpredictable and expressive.

I am becoming okay with my mis-matching clothes and messy hair.

I am not seeking to be cool or hip or wanted.

I am not seeking to be noticed or popular or followed.

I am seeking truth.

I am seeking God.

I am seeking that which is often difficult to find.

Honesty, brilliance, care, friendship, creativity, innovation, deep spirited souls, imperfect offerings of courage.

An inspiration addict right here.

With my own little creative catalogue in my brain.

My first book Capture; 30 days of inspiration takes you through a 30 day guided journey of inspiration if you are looking for a kind of inspiration system.

For today, I am happy to sit in the middle of the floor surrounded by my crazy ideas and revel in creativity.

Speak tomorrow

Amanda

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golden little hearts

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I have a little colour crush on gold at the moment.

Anything I buy (which honestly is not that much), start again anything I make, I want to add a little gold.

I went through an anti gold phase a few years ago, where I gave away all my gold jewellery. (I know! what was I thinking?)

Anyways, today I have been dreaming of stitching little gold hearts onto outfits for my little miss v, who is due in just a few short months.

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As I  sit here thinking about frosting all things golden, I have been reflecting about my main man Maximus.

His personality is so light and happy, so joyful and loving.

If you have followed me for a while you would have seen my baby spam and picked up a little bit of his personality.

This morning we went to dancing which is our usual Friday outing and he did not want to leave my side. He has been so clingy and over and over he has been saying ‘Mummy you okay? Mummy you okay?’.

The truth is I haven’t been okay.

I have been in extreme pain and even just the little things, like pouring him a bath and getting him dressed have been difficult.

If I lean one way or another, I have excruciating pain flooding through my back.

I don’t like talking or writing about it that much, because I know how many people are in so much more pain than me.

I have become so aware of people who are in pain over the last week or so, since I have struggled to walk and doing little everyday menial tasks.

Pain and discomfort, the human condition is so cloudy.

It can cloud over joy, it can cloud over perspective, it can cloud over our responses to people, it can make us a little short and unbecoming.

Back to my little Maximus.

my little golden heart

His nickname has been Maximus the Brave. Ever since he was born he has been a very social, very happy little lion.

Over the last week though, I have seen that my weakness has cause vulnerability in him and it has shown me no matter the personality of our little people they feel.

They are impacted by culture, they are impacted by ambience, they are impacted by pain.

Does that mean I should withhold what I am feeling to protect him?

Yes sometimes, other times no.

Does that mean I need to pretend everything is okay all the time when it is not?

Absolutely not, as much as I try to protect him, he still picks up what is happening in his everyday environment.

What I am learning though is how golden and precious his little heart is. He has always been strongly compassionate, he notices people, he feels with people and this is not a weakness that I need to man him up. I need to nurture and develop that heart for others and validate what is happening in this season for him.

His feelings are important and acknowledging how he is coping in the midst of these changes for our family is just as valid as mine.

Often as he is crying we say over and over ‘Use your words, use your words.’ I think it is imperative that I teach him now, as he is starting to communicate, what he is feeling and why? A little man child, who has the capacity to express the longings of his heart.

Our family is wonderful but I grew up hearing over and over from my Uncles, children should be seen and not heard. I completely disagree.

Are you listening to the heart beat and the changes in your families lives?

How can we bring validation and life to little people as well?

Maybe this is why I have been drawn to meditation and calm practise in this season. A simple and soft response instead of a harsh, hurried reply.

Being slow to speak and staying quiet until I am able to speak with life.

Letting go of the crazy expectations we place on one another and believing the best.

Holding precious moments today in our hands as a gift.

He has a golden little heart and in a few short months, he will not be my only focus anymore with a sister on her way.

He has a precious luminous soul, that is impacted by my attitudes, my words and the atmosphere I create in our home.

He has a tenderness that is not weak, it is ethereal and I need to stop sometimes and listen to hear what he is saying without words.

Just recently only on mornings when my husband is not home, he slips into our bed and whispers. Jesus, Jesus and points to the side of our room. One morning he exclaimed ‘Hello, Jesus. How are you?’.

He knows.

Golden little people.

Maybe society wouldn’t be as broken as it is today, if we held each others hearts with as much care and tenderness as the possessions that obsess us.

Golden little souls.

Full of compassion, grace and love, that are wanting to be noticed.

Golden little hearts.

Lets handle them with care.

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zebra’s behind

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Somedays you look out, you have all the plans in the world, but all you see is a Zebra’s behind.

Somedays are just difficult, you miscommunicate, you say the wrong thing, you cry.

Somedays are just 3 hour glucose tests with a sore back and angry little Nanna’s waiting in the doctors lounge who don’t make for very good company.

Those are the days I snuggle up in my house, turn on some inspiring music, put my ugg boots on and try my best not to remember the Zebra and look forward to tomorrow.

I think every girl needs to love herself, regardless of anything. Like if you’re having a bad day, if you don’t like your hair, if you don’t have the best family situation, whatever, you have to love yourself and you can’t do anything until you love yourself first.

Julianne Hough

Third trimester blues today.

Somedays are just like that and it is okay.

Amanda

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the art of meditation

hooked one

The chapter from The gifts of imperfection that I am studying at the moment is ‘Cultivating Calm and Stillness, letting go of anxiety as a lifestyle’. A couple of days ago I explored the whole idea of living brave, but yesterday I spent a lot of my day thinking about the art of meditation.

A powerful and well trained mind, impacts our creative output exponentially.

When I think about meditation, I am not emptying my mind as eastern religion would tell me too, scripture shows me to fill my mind with that which is good;

‘fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honourable.’ Philippians 4: 8

What is the content of your thoughts?

If you could document the tone and tenure of your daily thoughts, are they mostly negative or positive?

Life building or life depreciating?

Stressful, anxious, or calming and peaceful?

As a creative mum of a toddler, it is so important that I regularly refresh my thought patterns and practise calm parenting.

The ability to breathe deeply before responding in haste.

Finding ways to practise the art of meditation so it is a lifestyle, a habit.

Last night before I went to sleep I listened to a meditation from The Liturgists, that a friend forwarded onto me recently. To take time listening, meditating and refreshing my mind before falling asleep on these interesting and lovely thoughts, rather than mindlessly scrolling through facebook.

I spoke on radio this morning about this very thing and in the midst of my research for my interview I found a global campaign called Mindful in May.

I am going to join this movement and take time each day, even if it is just 5 minutes to consciously meditate. Ideally I would like to start and finish my day this way.

Here are some great tools I have found to listen to;

http://youtu.be/27NUXE9_DE4

Albums;

(I listen to all of these through Spotify)

The Liturgists

Bethel released a great album last year called without words

Riverview’s album Whisper last year has whole sections of meditation tracks

Parachute Band’s last album matins and vespers

A life that is meditating on helpful and life giving things, can only reproduce of its own kind.

Here’s to a month of mindfulness from this desk.

How about you?

What helps you meditate?

Speak tomorrow

Amanda