A Little Change With a Dash of Inspiration

As Val mentioned briefly yesterday in her post, a few changes are on their way with regards to this blog. Over the course of the last 3 weeks or so, I have been doing a lot of research for the purpose of finding suitable blogs to advertise on. During the course looking at hundreds of blogs I couldn't help but think about where our little D&L blog fits in with regards to the creative world. Initially I started thinking about this from a place of insecurity as I passed through a bazillion successful mommy blogs & blogs by graphic designers. I love these blogs but I couldn't help but to question what we were doing with this blog. What do we have to offer the creative world (and world at large)??

And then a wave of pride swept over my whole self as I realized that what we bring to the table is honesty! Whether we are writing about a benefit we are organizing (go Kate!) or how music heals us (yay Val!), we are all honest and true to ourselves and our journeys both creative and otherwise. This blog has organically developed into something fantastic. How many other people out there need to be validated and encouraged in their own creative journeys? How many other people come up with creative solutions for home, life and work and never view these abilities as creative strengths? The beauty of this blog is that it hovers around the intersection of creativity and daily life and going forward this intersection will be the more obvious focus of this blog.

Following my own creative path has long been my passion. Closely linked to this passion has been my desire to see other women and fellow creatives follow their unique paths in life. It has been my experience that the individual desires of people in these two groups have been largely marginalized in the name of utility. For example: A few months back I was talking to a friend of mine who is a dancer and mother of two. She explained to me a conversation she had in a young mom's bible study. The leader of the study asked the group of women to write out what they are passionate about...not what they should be passionate about but are passionate about. Upon sharing, they were surprised to discover that nearly everyone had something creative on their list and yet few, if any, were acting on behalf of their creative passions. Somewhere along the way these women had sacrificed their creative selves on the alter of utility...I think we can all relate to this, after all the bills need to be paid, the dog walked, the dishes washed.

What if this blog could be a source for exploring and realizing the creative strengths in all of us? What if the creative solutions we come up with on a daily basis are merely realized expressions of a larger creative need? How can we unfurl our own creativity and make space and time to explore and enjoy? How can we get over the notion that our creativity is worth less because it may not be linked with utility?

It is my hope that by walking out our journeys openly, we will somehow inspire openness among others. It is my hope that communities of like minded individuals will rise up to encourage each other as they realize their own creative strengths. It is my hope that this blog will act as a catalyst for these groups. We would love for you to join us in exploring the intersection of creativity and life. If you have any thoughts on this subject or would like to submit an article, please please e-mail us at DotandLineHome@gmail.com.