So I’m working on my book (notso)BusiNESS for Luminaries and finding it very difficult to listen to my own advice. To KISS. Keep it Simple. Sparkle. Not to lose My Self in a Busy Tizzy of izzy. Because I’m so excited to share it. To bring together all of my ideas, and stumbles and fumbles into a beautiful INTERACTIVeBOOK. Just for you. And so I rush rush rush. And findMy Self spinning. Then rush some more. And when I’m about to spin off the face of Earth I remember to Breathe. And in the first few ragged overexcited breaths, with my heart hummingbirding, my brows comically furrowed, my shoulders up around my ears, I remember why I love what I do. Because in writing, designing, glittering, complicating, streamlining, ♥osophising, I’m slowly slowly slowly learning to in(habit) St(illness). For moments at a time I’m Still. And the Tizzies between Breaths are becoming shorter. I’m glimpsing Clarity. Grace. Compassion. For My Self (instead of every other beautiful creature but me). Luxurious Simplicity.

My work IS a glittery reminder to Be. Still. Yet I am so Head-Over-Heels in Love with the Possibility of what-it-could-be, that I sometimes lose my focus, and then I miss it ~ the deliciousness of these moments. In which I’m miraculously and accidentally ILLUMEinating. One of the most exciting parts of this huge project is hurtling headfirst into the world of Photography. And not one to take it slow, or do things in half measures. I built a DIY photography studio in my spare room. A cardboard box, some tissue paper, masking tape and five lamps from the dollar store and an hour with a cutting mat, and the LiveLIGHTLY was in (notso) BusiNESS. I’m SO excited by the quality of the shots I’m able to create with such a simple setup, and even more excited to share them with you.

Now. To Breathe. inhale. St(illness). exhale…

It is a funny thing to admit, particularly when I have written so openly about things that most would deem too personal and embarrassing, that I was carrying a guilty secret. You see I’m a self-taught graphic designer. And until yesterday, I didn’t know one end of my gorgeous Digital SLR from the other. MY LOVES. assumed I knew what I was doing. And I could not Gift My Self the time I needed to Point. Shoot. Fumble. Stumble. The space to Play. I’ve Dreamed of images I could not create. Alchemy. I stayed safely in the realm of Typography and Illustration. Vectors. Maths. Lines. Points. Clean. Simple. Pixels were too messy. Unpredictable.

But when I stepped into My inner Flâneuse. I was free! The afternoon melted in a dreamy haze of building a lightbox, pushing buttons, taking hundreds of photos. And from that I have a few precious shots. That have been out of reach for so long. And looking into the crystalline facets of my accidental bokeh, I feel like a Photographic Glamour! And in discovering my words, I am closer to discovering My Self.