CONNECTION + COMMUNICATION Page 8 of 21

Get out your rainbow colours and make today beautiful

Posted on 2015-09-07 at 11:00 am.

A magical reminder that the world is a kaleidoscope of colour. Image credit: Jamie McCaffrey

Colour is a powerful thing. It can open the door to the mind and the soul and heal us on all levels, it can improve our health and boost our sense of wellbeing and it can also help us to create a happy harmonious home. So forget black, white and grey (yes, all fifty shades of it!) it’s time to open our eyes to the bold, the bright and the beautiful.

Here are our top tips for inviting more colour into your life…

1. Wear clothes that light you up

We all love neutrals but by stocking our wardrobes with the same fail-safe shades we could be missing out on the health benefits implicit in colour. As our very own colour expert Louise Gale says: “Colours can have a big psychological effect on us. Warm, bright colours, such as pink, yellow and orange, instantly put us in a cheery mood and make others feel that way too. Green is calming and soothing, blue can help you feel relaxed, and purple is associated with creativity and luxury and like red, it can also boost your energy levels.” Look for beauty in what you have in your wardrobe and bring your outfit to life with a bright accessory, like a bag, a scarf or a piece of chunky jewellery.

Floral Gypsy Top £26, Jeans £20, Knitted Scarf £12, Tan Belt £5, M&Co

2. Rock bold lips

It’s a small thing but lipstick makes a massive difference to the way you look and feel. As Coco Chanel said: “If you’re sad, add more lipstick and attack”. Bright lips are back this season and the enduring classic red offers a shade for every complexion; orangey-reds work well on ‘warmer’ faces with yellow undertones, while reds with a hint of blue look great against cool-toned skin.

Lipsticks, £12, Iconic London

3. Love your walls

While it’s great to have a neutral scheme that goes with everything, all that white, cream and beige can start to get you down. Your home is your playground and your sanctuary, so it should feel that way! Vibrant splashes of colour here and there can brighten your mood, stimulate lively conversation, inspire work, hobbies and interests and help you wind down too. If you’re not sure which hue is for you, take this The Paint Personality Test before you get out your brushes and go bold.

Image credit: House To Home

4. Give your living space a lift

A colourful cushion or a well-placed throw can change the focus of a room in an instant, while a quirky accessory will ensure your home reflects your personality and makes a style statement to see you into autumn.

Linea Justapose living room, House of Fraser

5. Go potty for plants

As Oscar de la Renta said: “Gardening is how I relax. It’s another form of creating and playing with colors.” So with cooler weather on its way now’s the time to pop down to your local garden centre and find inspiration. Add a pop of dramatic colour to your garden with containers filled with beautiful autumnal blooms like Violas, large faced Pansies, Heuchera, Nemesia, Snapdragon, Dahlias, Chrysanthemum or Camellia.

Image credit: Homebase

6. Spread a little sunshine

Show someone a little love today by giving a colourful gift – like a candle, photo frame or journal – wrapped in beautifully designed paper or decorated with bright tape. Your act of kindness is guaranteed to brighten their day.

Floral fabric sticky tape, £3.95, Dotcomgiftshop

7. Polish up your act

Dark manicures, brilliant brights, jewel tones, matt finishes and a splattering of nail art, when it comes to painting our fingers and toes there are so many wonderful ways to create our own unique and colourful look this autumn. So now’s the time to step out of your comfort zone and try something new.

Matte nail polish, £2.99, New Look

8. Eat right, eat bright

Multi-coloured plant foods don’t just look good on your plate, they’re good for you as well. Each colour relates to different phytonutrients, which boast specific health benefits for the body and mind. Find out more here.

Image credit: Consciousbitesnutrition.com

9. Bring the outside in

Flowers have a wonderful healing energy, which can instantly lighten our mood or transform the atmosphere in a room. “The best way to appreciate the colour, scent and beauty of fresh flowers is to place them in your hallway and in your bedroom,” according to event-stylist-to-the-stars Matthew Robbins. “That way you enter your living space in the morning to something fresh, organic and inspiring and you end your day seeing something natural and beautiful.”

Botanical vases, Dunelm Mill

10. Connect with creativity

Ask yourself which colours you are especially drawn to right now and use these as a basis for a new creative project. Draw, paint, knit, sew, scrapbook, take pictures, bake – do whatever you love to do – or try something you’ve never done before. To find out how your colour choices reflect what is going on in your life right now, click here.

Which colours make you feel happiest? What’s your favourite colour and what does it mean to you? Which colours would you like to surround yourself with and why? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Can Being Bored Make You More Successful?

Posted on 2015-08-11 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Today we bring you a guest post by Charles Scott, an endurance athlete and family adventurer who believes that embracing new experiences is the key to living a full and happy life.

The broad adoption of anywhere anytime computing into modern culture has transformed not just office productivity and modes of communication. It has also reset expectations. We expect immediate gratification from our devices, instant responses to our texts, and in perhaps the least analyzed transformation, the promise of release from boredom. But [Tweet “think twice before eliminating boredom from your life – it may turn out to be your key to success.”]

When I worked in the mobile products group at Intel Corporation a decade ago, we often discussed the nirvana represented by anytime anywhere computing. Intel had not yet launched its Centrino platform, which would integrate wireless technology into laptops. And most people used handheld devices primarily for checking their e-mail and calendar. We often discussed how great it would be to have the Internet at our fingertips at all times. A decade later this is old news, of course. And although many companies tried, Apple had the greatest success in bringing the anytime anywhere vision to the consumer market with the iPhone and iPad.

In making the Internet and an endless collection of apps available on demand, the iPhone represents the monetization of spare time. The term “micro-boredom” appeared in a Marketing magazine article in 2001 to describe an emerging usage model among Internet users looking to “kill a few minutes of spare time.” Since then, filling spare moments of boredom has emerged as a massive business opportunity for the technology industry.

Stuck in line at the grocery store? Sitting in a dark theater before the movie starts? Waiting for the subway? Don’t let your mind sit idle – play a game of Angry Birds, send a text, or check Facebook.

Driving? Out to dinner with your spouse? In a yoga class? In a meeting at work? Don’t get bogged down with a sustained focus on your responsibilities – check your e-mail or see how the stock market is doing. I won’t even pretend to admonish you to avoid these last examples.

We all know better, but for some reason, we just can’t help ourselves.

(more…)

An update from DWYL HQ – July 2015

Posted on 2015-07-28 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This month’s DWYL news round up is brought to you by our senior Editor, Rachel Kempton.

We have some very exciting news to share this month… there’s a new arrival at DWYL HQ!

Our coos and congratulations go to Beth and Paul who welcomed their second daughter, Maia Seren Bailey Kempton, into the world on Sunday July 19. It’s a magical time and we wish them all the very best as they start this wonderful new chapter as a family of four.

There is, of course, lots more news to report this July too..

1. The Do What You Love e-course is in its final week and it has been a pleasure and a privilege to see so many people embark on their own personal journey to doing what they love. It makes us very happy to see everyone embracing each stage of the course, and getting so much out of it. It’s also great to know that the hard work that goes into designing and creating our content pays off.

2. The Little Beach Hut of Dreams has opened its doors again! We’ve already welcomed a number of ‘Dreamers in Residence’ to our little sanctuary by the sea and they’ll be sharing their experiences via guest blog posts throughout August. 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!

3. Finally, we’re sad to say goodbye to our Marketing Officer/Community Manager Rose Radtke who is moving on to pastures new. We only worked with Rose for a few months but in that short time she proved to be a valuable member of the team. She is a very special lady with much to offer the world and we wish her every success in the future.

An update on our collaborations

Make Art That Sells (MATS):

1. The Global Talent Search is nearly here – and it’s an amazing opportunity to change your life! The Grand Prize winner wins two years’ international representation from Lilla Rogers Studio, plus a host of covetable product licenses, and a series of prizes to support the development of their professional career. You can register here today!

2. Our early bird offers for Make Art That Sells end on July 30 so don’t miss your chance to register. As an early bird you’ll get bootcamp for free when you take MATS Part A, MATS Part B or MATS Creating Collections for Home Décor in 2016. You’ll also save £99 on your next career development course.

Make It In Design (MIID)

1. Summer School is here! Back for a second year, hundreds of creatives are currently taking part in Summer School 2015 – a truly special event which is uniting people across the globe. The first galleries have now been published and you can view them here. As you’ll see, the quality of work is just outstanding.

2. Meet Rachael Taylor at Printsource New York on August 11 & 12. On both days you’ll find Rachael in The Future Cafe at Printsource New York from 4.30pm, as this is where the colour and trend seminars will take place. Rachael will be joining the likes of Pantone and Trendstop on the stage to deliver two fascinating presentations (one each day) about the surface pattern design industry, her journey to success and the opportunities for other designers. Unlike other talks at Printsource, Rachael’s is free to attend so if you’re going to the show, you won’t want to miss it. Find out more here.

3. Registration opens for September’s design courses: Are you interested in becoming a successful surface pattern designer? Are you new to surface design and want to discover more about what the industry can offer you? Or are you an established designer who’s looking to polish your skills? Wherever you are on your creative journey we can help you. Check out the latest courses from Make it in Design: Module 1 – Designing Your way, Module 3 – Monetising Your Designs and The Ultimate Portfolio Builder.

Thought of the month… the importance of family

“To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there.” ~ Barbara Bush

As loving parents it’s only natural to question the amount of quality time we spend with our children – especially when we know how vital it is vital for their development and happiness.

The great news is that every little bit of time we spend actively engaging with our kids – whether it be reading together, having a cuddle, playing a game, doing a jigsaw, making music, flying a kite, cooking a meal, or learning a new skill – is quality time. A recent report on Britain’s children also found that youngsters who spend time talking to their parents regularly are much happier than those who don’t.

When life gets busy it can be easy to rush through the day, without pausing to really enjoy our children. Baby Maia’s arrival at DWYL HQ has reminded me about the importance of spending time together as a family. As the Polish proverb goes, ‘You have a lifetime to work, but children are only young once.’ Reading these blog posts got me thinking about how I can make more time for family fun in everyday life. If you need creative inspiration, check them out!

10 Creative Ways to Make Time for Your Kids which shares tips from the busiest mums in the blogosphere on making time for family fun.
9 Ways to Maximize Family Time: practical tips to help save time on everyday responsibilities so you can spend more time as a family.

Here’s to happy families,

Rachel

Make time for microadventure

Posted on 2015-07-24 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This is a guest post by adventurer, author and motivational speaker Alastair Humphreys. Find out more about Alastair here.

The single biggest obstacle that gets between people and the adventures they dream of is a lack of time. Microadventures have always been about making the best of what is available, squeezing in small bursts of adventure into a busy calendar, rather than just lamenting how busy you are.

This weekend was pretty busy for me. It involved 14 hours on a train, an evening speaking event, a Christening, and not a lot of time for the sort of mucking about I enjoy. But I was speaking in Scotland, and any visit to Scotland feels like an opportunity to do something fun in the outdoors…

Kings Cross might be a very cool station, but I’d still rather not be here on the weekend. Still, at least I could be very grown-up and diligent and knuckle down to seven concerted hours of book-writing. This went well for a while. Until I got so very bored that I resorted to taking photographs of my computer instead.

A good time-filler on a train is gazing out the window and looking for cool spots to sleep wild for a night. Then you pin the location in Google Maps on your phone and save it for when you happen to be back in this part of the world and in need of somewhere free to lay your head.

As a very professional motivational speaker, I was sure to arrive at the venue very early. This allows plenty of time for what is known, in the trade, as “faffing about with your slides”. Swapping one picture of a desert for a slightly different one is – you feel – the key to giving a cracking talk.

Time for a spot of Dutch Courage before the audience arrive. Makes my jokes funnier (at least to me).

Time, at last, to give my talk. I spoke at length about microadventures, about the joys of sleeping on hills and making the most of whatever opportunities come your way. Time then for me to practise what I preached. I headed off into the evening to find a hill. But first, serious expeditions require serious nutrition. This is the glamorous world of the itinerant speaker – long hours on trains and snatching crap food when the chance arises.

The long, light summer evenings are perfect for climbing hills. The air was warm though wet with drizzle. It felt like a fine night to be high above a city and enjoying the dusk.

And so to bed. I slept well until about 7am when I was woken by the bellowing of a too-close stag which slightly scared the crap out of me, but successfully ensured I did not oversleep. If it’s raining hard and you are in a bivvy bag it is always worth finding a wood to sleep in. The rain rattled on the tree canopy but I was dry and sheltered down beneath it.

I woke to this view:

I enjoy the odd feeling when I am removed from the rest of the world, but still close enough to be connected.

I also enjoy being in situations where small pleasures become all that I need in life. A shaded bench, sheltered from the rain, to eat my breakfast apple and enjoy the view…

And now, to church! I had a Christening to attend and didn’t want to be late. I set off walking east.

It was such a pleasant feeling to have nothing to do but walk. I wish more of my mornings began in this way. On the road I saw a very good lesson for life for me: to slow down.

The rain was quite heavy but the landscape was beautiful and I was in an uncommonly good mood. An elderly man walking his dog passed me. “Not so good this morning.” he said, briefly. Weather observations are the glue that holds together most British social interactions. The correct technique for my response would be to agree, briefly, and carry on. Something like “Indeed!” or “haha!” or even a smile and a nod.

But I was feeling wild and reckless and the rain smelled great and I loved the shining beads of water on the cow parsley and gorse. So I contradicted him, “Not at all! It’s a wonderful morning!” and carried striding on. The poor gentleman is probably penning a shocked letter to The Telegraph as we speak.

Shortly before I reached the church I ducked into a small wood. I extracted my suit from my rucksack, smoothed it down as best I could, and hung it in a tree to try to get rid of a few creases.

Then I stripped to my boxer shorts and attempted to turn myself into a respectable-looking gentleman on his way to church.

Suit plus rucksack. Always a strong look.

I made it to the church on time. In fact, I was the first to arrive. You don’t want to be late for the Christening of your first godchild. I’m supposed to be setting a good moral example here!

And then it was back on the train, back down south, but with even less book-writing than before. Trains are brilliant for looking at the world and wishing you were out in it, making the most of it and exploring.

[Tweet “What plans do you have to squeeze some microadventure into your busy life?”]

We go places we’ve never been because we want to be surprised

Posted on 2015-07-07 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This is a guest post by adventurer, author and motivational speaker Alastair Humphreys. Find out more about Alastair here.

There are many aspects to travel.

We go to places we’ve never been because we want to be surprised.

We want to see new sights and experience fresh things.

We seek out remote places to see what they might teach us – about the world and about ourselves.

Going somewhere you have never been means there are no familiar crutches to prop yourself up, no old memories to fall back on. Everything is new and different.

(more…)

We need your vote! The Little Beach Hut of Dreams shortlisted for Beach Hut of the Year!

Posted on 2015-07-06 at 12:15 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

Yesterday we opened up The Sunday Times newspaper to discover that The Little Beach Hut of Dreams has been shortlisted for Beach Hut of the Year (cue squeals of excitement!)

This is particularly exciting for us, because it 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.

Here are just a couple of examples of how The Little Beach Hut of Dreams is playing a part in other people’s dreams and plans:

SHABNAH: Shabnah used the time to think about a big adventure she was planning, and in doing so realised just how much power there is in pressing the pause button. Since her residency, Shabnah has travelled to Peru and Ecuador, before spending January in Colombia, which she tells us was 100% unplanned and 100% perfect. She wrote about her Dreamer-in-residence experience here.

In Shabnah’s words “Every time I catch sight of (a beach hut) I am taken to that silence within my previously overactive, second-guessing mind. When I applied (to be a Dreamer-in-Residence) I had been feeling lost and struggling with all decisions – I might make the wrong one, so best to make none. Being able to take a deep breath and return to how I felt that day makes it easier to listen to myself and make a decision that feels right in the moment, however small. Thank you Little Beach Hut built for dreaming for letting me clear enough of the chatter from my head for dreaming space.”

PETA: When Peta applied to be a Dreamer-in-Residence she was in need of a huge boost of inspiration. She had been working on an illustrated book for months, but needed space, and the view and calm to make real progress. She said that in her home office she was constantly distracted by emails and other work obligations. She also has a grand plan to live somewhere where she can plant fruit trees and keep bees, but is currently stuck somewhere with little nature nearby, so the day in the beach hut was a taste of being close to nature for her. She made great progress with her book during the day and we are waiting to hear when it comes out.

Our 2015 Dreamers-in-Residence are using The Little Beach Hut of Dreams this summer and we will share their stories soon.

If you like our idea and love our Little Beach Hut, please do take a moment to vote..

Huge thank you – this means a lot!

From all at Do What You Love

[All images: Holly Booth]

Do What You Love – Update from HQ – June 2015

Posted on 2015-06-30 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

In our line of work, as a company where everyone works remotely, we don’t often get a chance to spend that much time – in person – with our team or our collaborators. However June provided us with an opportunity to get together and enjoy a fun couple of days in the sunshine. It was a great reminder of the energy people bring to a community when their passions and values align.

Our ‘Annual Idea Generation Away Days’ saw us bring our small (and perfectly formed!) HQ team together, from Brighton, Sheffield and Spain. We planned the two days very carefully to make sure they were as special and relaxed as possible, while also being useful and productive.

We began day one by celebrating everyone’s hard work over the past 12 months, and sharing our vision and business plan for the next few years. Then we went on to discuss ideas for some exciting new resources that we are currently developing (which are all hush-hush for the time being!) and in true DWYL team fashion everyone’s positivity and ideas lifted our thoughts off the paper (and computer screen!) and transformed them into real, workable concepts.

The afternoon was packed with brainstorming new ideas for even more ways we can help people to do what they love. One of the highlights was sharing news about ‘Reading Week’, where later in the summer, everyone in the team will switch off their email and do in-depth research and thinking on a particular topic, without distraction. We gave each team member has a specific brief to work on during this time – something we know they relate to and feel passionately about. Vickie was especially pleased as hers, as it included a trip to Berlin at the end of July! Stay tuned for an update on that one!

And on the second day we took the team to a place where Beth and I always do our best thinking… the open seas! A few hours on a yacht, soaking up the glorious sunshine, saw us generate tons more great ideas, and share how we all plan to do more of what we love over the coming months. All in all it was a fantastic couple of days.

Our team: (From left to right) Rachel, Rose, Me, Beth, Louise and Vickie

There is, of course, lots more exciting news to report this month too…

1. The DWYL e-course, started on June 15 and once again we’re delighted to be joined by participants from all over the world. The honesty and courage being shown in class to date has been remarkable and we are watching on with interest as everyone’s unique journey unfolds. 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. The Business Soul Sessions is coming to an end, and we have loved witnessing all the lightbulb moments in the classroom. We can’t wait to see the participating entrepreneurs use their new-found knowledge and skills to make positive changes within their businesses to create greater impact, explosive growth and serious profits they can be proud of.

3. The Little Beach Hut of Dreams has opened its doors again to the ‘Dreamers in Residence’. We look forward to sharing some of their blog posts shortly. 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 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. One of my favourites this month was Alastair’s post on how his book ‘Microadventures’ became a bestseller on Amazon – you can read it here. Of course what he doesn’t say in his post is that his book is also a brilliant read!

An update on our collaborations

Make Art That Sells (MATS):

1. There is only one place to start… MATS: The Global Art Gathering was just the most amazing event! At the gorgeous Brighton Dome on June 12 we played host to creative people from all across the world in what was an extraordinary day of career development, inspiration and motivation. It promised to be fun-filled and action-packed, with all the energy, passion and magic you’d expect from Make Art That Sells, and in the end it was all that and more! It surpassed all of our expectations and left all of Brighton buzzing. All the months of hard work were worth it when we saw the radiant smiles, and felt the incredible energy, of everyone in the room. The artists had gathered from across the globe with one thing in common – a love and passion for art and a commitment to making it their career.

Besides our partner Lilla Rogers, the team was joined by some very special guests including Kelly Rae Roberts, Rachael Taylor and Lilla’s agents, Susan McCabe and Joanne Hus who were outrageously generous with their knowledge, experience and advice.

For me it was great to witness 60-70 people meet for the first time in person after discussing art for the best part of two years online within our classrooms. One of them described the day as feeling like a first date: exciting and nervewracking at the same time and potentially, the start of something amazing!

From left to right: Beth, Lilla and Kelly Rae

For us the most important thing of all was that everyone left feeling inspired, invigorated and motivated to forge ahead in their career in art. We look forward to supporting them in doing that.

2. MATS: Creating Collections for Home Decor started last Monday. It has been hugely in demand since we announced its launch a few months ago. Lilla and Beth have teamed up with Top Art Director Margo Tantau (VP of Creative for MidwestCBK) to create it. Margo says: “This course is teaching something desperately needed in the industry. It’s a gamechanger.”

3. Registration for the 2015 Global Talent Search is now open! Don’t miss out on what could be one of the biggest and best opportunities for your career… you can register here. We are proud to be producing this global online event again this year, and are blown away by the calibre of the judges and prizes on offer. Find out more here.

4. MATS: Assignment Bootcamp finished with the publishing of the June gallery. I can honestly say that I’ll miss the buzz in the Bootcamp Community but I know there will only be a short interlude before attention turns to this year’s Global Talent Search.

5. The 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.

Make It In Design (MIID)

Rachael Taylor – speaking at three industry events: already this summer Rachael Taylor and the Make it in Design team have hit the road – and the sky – to attend a number of industry events. Recently Rachael spoke at The Make Art That Sells Global Gathering and the New Designers trade show in London, and she’ll also be speaking at Printsource New York in August 2015. Read more on the MIID blog.

Registration opens for Summer School: back by popular demand Summer School returns to bring fun, creativity and inspiration to homes around the world this July. There are three tracks Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced and you can sign up for one or more options to use this opportunity to stretch yourself, connect with other designers, experience working to a brief, grow your portfolio and even get your work published! Summer School starts on July 6 and finishes on July 31. Visit the Summer School page to discover what’s in store, prizes on offer and free resources at your fingertips.

The Ultimate Portfolio Builder course is well underway. We have welcomed students from around the world including the USA, Dubai, Italy, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Slovenia, China, Bulgaria, Austria, Netherlands, UK and more. The course’s private Facebook group is alive with creativity, buzzing with excitement and brimming with artwork inspired by different cultures. We’ll soon be opening up registration for our next round of courses starting September 21, so be sure to sign up and prepare to launch your career and design work to dizzy heights.

Thought of the month…

I am currently reading ‘An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth‘ by Chris Hadfield and I thought I’d share a few passages, which I’m sure we can all relate to.

“Square astronaut, round hole. It’s the story of my life, really: trying to figure out how to get where I want to go when just getting out the door seems impossible. On paper, my career trajectory looks preordained: engineer, fighter pilot, test pilot, astronaut. But that’s not how it really was. There were hairpin curves and dead ends all the way along. I wasn’t destined to be an astronaut. I had to turn myself in to one…”

As a 9-year-old after watching Neil Armstrong land on the moon…

“…I was old enough to understand that getting ready wasn’t simply a matter of playing ‘space mission’ with my brothers in our bunk beds, underneath a big National Geographic poster of the moon. But there was no program I could enroll in, no manual I could read, no one even to ask. There was only one option, I decided. I had to imagine what an astronaut might do if he were 9 years old, then do exactly the same thing. I could get started immediately. Would an astronaut eat his vegetables or have potato chips instead? Sleep in late or get up early to read a book?”

I think Chris’s book is beautifully honest and reminds me that are very few things in this world that we cannot achieve if we want to.

Have you let the seemingly impossible stand in your way?

Until next time,

Mr. K

Bonnie’s day at the Little Beach Hut of Dreams

Posted on 2015-06-26 at 3:35 pm.

Written by vbnz

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

Why creativity is so important (and how to unleash yours) + last chance to join the DWYL e-course – starts today!

Posted on 2015-06-15 at 8:13 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

A very pregnant me hosting a discussion on passion, connection and community with Lilla Rogers and Kelly Rae Roberts

Wow, what a week. Here at DWYL HQ we are recovering from an incredible few days of being ‘lovebombed’ by creative women from across the world. We hosted our first live event since the original Do What You Love retreat, and it was such an uplifting, energising experience.

‘Make Art That Sells: The Global Art Gathering’ brought together creative women (and one creative man!) from around the world – as far away as Australia, New Zealand, the US and right across Europe – to our city of Brighton to learn how to make art that is more commercially viable whilst staying true to themselves. It was a live version of the wildly popular ‘Make Art That Sells’ online courses we produce for top art agent Lilla Rogers, and was special in many ways.

Firstly, it brought together some of my favourite women, a number of whom are business partners and all of whom are dear friends, including Lilla, Kelly Rae Roberts, Rachael Taylor, Margo Tantau and more. It was life-affirming to spend so much time, and have so many rich conversations with them all.

Secondly, it made me so proud of our awesome team, who worked so well together to make it a really magical experience.

And last but not least, it became the catalyst for many creative journeys that are only just unfolding, as it brought together a new community of creatives who bonded over shared dreams and values, laughter and generosity of spirit.

Although the majority of our work is delivered online, and that very valuable communities are built there, it is impossible to deny the power of bringing together like-minded people to discuss, share and learn. Friendships blossom, business ideas burst into life and people really start to glow. It’s as if they suddenly got permission to be creative, to want to make a career from that, and to be proud of what they do. And why not? Creativity is what makes the world interesting, ever-changing, beautiful and unexpected.

How about you? Are you being as creative as you could in your life? We are all on a creative journey. For each of us, that journey probably began earlier than we realise, and runs deeper than we know. Along the way, we discover new mediums of expression, and new parts of ourselves.

Creativity isn’t just about painting, or writing, or taking lovely photographs. It’s about the way that you interpret the world, how you think, and what you do with that information. Discovering and pursuing what you want to do and be and feel in your life is one of the greatest creative adventures you could ever undertake.

If you are under the impression that there are two types of people, ‘creative’ and ‘not creative’, I can assure you that is a myth. We all have creative capacities, but some people use them more than others. At different times, different sides of our brain are dominant; but they’re interconnected, and we use both sides at any one time. It is possible to develop our creative capacities over time – sometimes this happens through need, and sometimes through desire – and with practice, we may become more in tune with our creativity. Don’t be fooled into thinking creativity is something that has to be learned. It doesn’t. It is in you already. All you need to do is to feed your creative soul.

To me, creativity is all about ideation and the creation of something that did not exist in a particular form before you made it that way. Creativity is proactive – it is about making things, and making things happen.

Creativity is exciting – it is about making decisions which are not necessarily the same decisions others would make, and which may invite the unknown. Creativity is imagination – it is about beauty, possibility, and wonder.

How do you unleash that creativity? Here are a few ideas which you can get started on straight away:

Give yourself permission to spend time bring creative, and silence the voice that tells you it’s a waste of time
Surround yourself with people who also value creativity – sign up for a workshop, join an online forum, get involved in a local group
Tackle the normal, routine parts of your day from a creative perspective. Make your to-do list beautiful, do a photo walk on your way to work and post it on Instagram, cook a delicious meal and consider the colours on the plate, write a letter to an old friend… anything goes.

Discovering a need for more creativity, and choosing to pursue that, is one of the most frequent outcomes of our flagship e-course ‘Do What You Love’ (which starts TODAY). If you feel that the time is right to explore your own creativity and general life direction further, why not join us? This is the LAST TIME this course will run this year, as I am heading off on maternity leave soon, and have several creative projects of my own in the pipeline for that treasured time off (not to mention welcoming a new baby into the world in a few weeks’ time!).

This week we challenge you to be more creative in your everyday routine. Share your ideas on Facebook or Twitter, and don’t be shy about it!

Have a great week

Beth

Learn a new language: 10 steps to success

Posted on 2015-06-12 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

There’s no doubt about it, it takes courage to step out of your comfort zone and learn a new language. Emotional ups and downs come with the territory and feelings of exhilaration are often followed by moments of frustration. But one thing is for sure, if you can stick with it you’ll be so proud of yourself — and who knows what doors your new-found skill might open.

Here are our top 10 tips for successful language learning…

1. Get comfortable with being a beginner. As adults we are often afraid of being beginners. We don’t like not having all the answers, looking silly, or messing up. When it comes to learning a language, admitting that you don’t know everything (and being okay with that) is the key to freedom, growth, and success. Let go of your grown-up inhibitions and remember, everyone is a beginner at some point: everyone starting a new job; every new parent; every brave person starting up a business; and everyone voted in as Prime Minister. So [Tweet “embrace new beginnings and enjoy the process of diving into a fresh new learning experience”] knowing that tomorrow you will know more than you do today.

2. Understand your motivation and make your mission public: It might seem obvious, but without a strong desire or good reason to learn a new language, you might struggle to stay motivated long-term. Ask yourself why you want to learn this new language. Write down your reasons and stick them somewhere you can see them everyday. Also, if you tell friends and family about your mission, or make it public on your website, blog, social media, or anywhere else, it confirms your commitment and you’ll be more determined to keep going.

3. Just start! It really is that easy! First, learn to say ‘hello’. And then, when you’ve done that, learn to say ‘my name is… And then learn to say ‘nice to meet you’. And go on like that. By learning ready-made answers, and also how to ask questions, such as ‘where are you from?’ and ‘what do you do?’ you’ll build your vocabulary quickly and before long you’ll feel comfortable holding a simple conversation. Another good tip is to learn the filler words. These are the words and phrases people say then all the time between sentences but have no real meaning (like alors, which means then/so/in that case in French) which can buy you extra thinking time while you’re chatting!

4. Welcome your new language into your every day life. The more you immerse yourself in the new language the more your brain will consider it something worth caring about so invite it in!

label every object in your house in your chosen language
read kids’ books written in it
watch subtitled TED and TEDx talks in it
watch subtitled movies in it
listen to an online radio station in your language as you perform other tasks to familiarize yourself with different intonations, pacing and pronunciations
live-narrate parts of your day to a pet or imaginary foreign friend!
go to ethnic restaurants and test your language skills with the staff

5. Keep it relevant: In addition to the fact that it’s fun and a challenge, most of us will be learning a new language for travel or work so we can communicate easily and effectively. So when you’re learning think about the kind of things you’re most likely to want to say, or write, in everyday life. Learning words and phrases which help explain your background, situation, interests, as well as current events is a great way to expand your vocabulary.

Learning a new language means learning hundreds of thousands of new words. And that’s no mean feat. The thing is, most languages don’t use the vast majority of their words. Most sit in dictionaries waiting for the day they are plucked out for use in a conference speech or technical paper. In English for example, 65% of written material is composed of just 300 words! To help you concentrate on learning the most frequently used words in a language invest in flashcards or download an app like Anki or Flashcards.

6. Take a free online class or download an audio book. There are free online classes for just about every subject these days, and foreign languages are no different. For example Open Culture boasts a huge collection of free language learning resources, including audiobooks, websites, textbooks. Another great site is LiveMocha, a language learning community which provides instructional materials in 38 languages as well as a platform for speakers to interact with and help each other learn new languages.

7. Turn web browsing time into language learning time. The Language Immersion extension for Chrome helps you build your vocabulary and language knowledge by translating parts of the web page you’re on into your target language. Similar is Readlang which also creates flashcards for you and offers other study tools. You can also read newspaper sites written in your target language for extra more practice.

8. Get appy! Who needs expensive lessons when there are so many great smartphone apps for free! Some of the best include: Duolingo, Memrise, busuu, HiNative, MindSnacks, and Babbel.

9. Make new friends. Interacting in the new language is key — it will teach you to intuitively express your thoughts, instead of mentally translating each sentence before you say it. You can find local conversation groups and language cafés in libraries and community centres. If you live near a university, the international student community is another hot spot for language exchanges and events. Many foreigners in your city will be happy to meet you and hold a language exchange, where you offer mutual support to each other by helping your partner learn your language. Alternatively you could find a foreign pen pal or try The Mixxer, a free educational site designed to connect language learners around the world so that everyone is both student and teacher. The How to learn any language forum is another great source of support. It’s filled with tips and tricks for learning a language from people in the same boat, or who have already done it so it’s a great place to find a mentor.

10. Practice makes perfect: Once you’ve made your pledge, commit and practice, practice, practice! Make it part of your daily routine. Devoting just twenty minutes a day to developing your skill will keep you motivated and you’ll be more successful than if you cram for an hour or two only sporadically.

Of course completely immersing yourself in a country’s culture, by taking a holiday, an extended trip or a sabbatical, is a fantastic way to improve your language skills. It allows you to experience a place on a more intimate level, mingle with the locals and forge lasting friendships and memories, especially if you’ve learnt the basics before you go. Remember that native speakers are like doting parents: any attempt from you to communicate in their language is objective proof that you are a gifted genius.