Last week, I took a photo each day from Monday to Friday. I shared them on Instagram, named the day and described something I experienced.

I didn’t set out to do a series. My intent on Monday was to document a heartfelt moment. And then I kept sharing one photo each day. I guess you could call it a gratitude project; capturing my response to everyday wonder.

I know, that sounds a bit mushy and sappy. But I feel like there’s a certain cynicism towards sharing good things. “Oh no not another photo of food/baby/puppy/beach on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram don’t people have something better to do and I’m so sick of looking at my friend’s newborn I’m going to barf.”

Of course, it’s important to share both the good and the bad with people you trust. And naturally my everyday life is not all rainbows, cakes and flowers. Being a wife, mother, daughter, sister, puppy owner, freelancer and blogger means that I have plenty of hats to wear and appropriate doses of chaos, noise, happiness, heartache, belly laughs, worry and (don’t forget the) laundry.

Maybe I’m naive, but I don’t think most people deliberately share how uh-may-zing their lives are in an attempt to impress (and yes, there are some who do just that.) I think we all have ups and downs. And the images we share are the moments we want to remember the most, rather than how we want to be remembered.

So, be happy for the person who just shared a photo of that incredible (or boring) meal. They probably had an absolutely crappy day and this meal is chicken soup for their soul.

*****

There’s a whole 24 hours of up-and-downs behind each photo below.  But these are some of the wonder-FULL moments of last week; my Heartfelt Five.

Monday. Chased a rainbow.

Tuesday. Baked a cake and ate it.

Wednesday. Found sunshine, lollipops and rainbows on my path.

Thursday. Walked in the rain. (So. Good.)

Friday. Adored garden pickings and vintage vases in many shapes and sizes.
*****

Who knows, I might do another #heartfeltfive series again this week. It was a good reminder to think creatively each day. Feel free to join in.

I didn’t set out to bake a cake today. I was hoping to enjoy a few hours of creative time at Life Drawing Group. However, after filling out a bunch of forms, making dinner for my husband and three sons, taking the dog for a walk and finally sitting down to work…I knew I’d have to miss out this week. Again.

In fact, I originally set out to find love earlier today after seeing this gorgeous video by Hailey Bartholemew about looking for Love. Hearts.

Finding Love from hailey bartholomew on Vimeo.
Hailey inspired me to take some videos earlier this year which I keep meaning to edit. This video inspired me to look for lovehearts in nature on my daily walk today. Maybe I was looking too hard. Maybe my puppy dog distracted me. But I didn’t find a heart to share. Not today.

So, disappointed but undeterred I came home and gave myself a quick goal to do *something* creative.

But what?
I asked. Twitter replied.

@wonderwebby cook!

— Lou Fogg (@SmartypantsMum) May 14, 2013

And so I baked. I’ve been looking over some old cake recipes from my mother and grandmother recently. They look delicious but usually include a WHOLE CUP of sugar! Too much.

So I improvised and made up a recipe for a Sugarless Fruit and Pomegranate Cake (thanks also for giving me an idea for pomegranate cake Gourmet Girlfriend! Just as well my mother-in-law gave me five pomegranates on Sunday!)

It was rather delicious, served up with a teaspoon of cream and fresh pomegranate seeds on my grandmother’s plate.

So no, I didn’t draw today. I didn’t find a loveheart. But I worked, I walked, I cooked, I baked (even if it stuck to the base of the pan because I didn’t line it) I cleaned, I took a photo and even managed to write this post!

Then, in the end, my boys gave me their stamp of approval after school as they devoured cake and pomegranate seeds with gusto.

Maybe I did find love after all.

Oh and here’s the un-recipe (those of you who have read my blog for a while will know I don’t stick to recipes!)

ALMOST SUGARLESS FRUIT AND POMEGRANATE CAKE

(because dried fruit and pomegranate is sugary, but hey, there’s no added sugar!)

• soak 1 cup of pitted and chopped dates, a sprinkling of currants and a handful of apricots and 1 tspn baking powder in a cup of boiling water
• stir on a low heat for a few minutes with 2 tbspn butter and 4 tbspns rice malt until disolved
• leave to soak for half an hour
• I also added 1/2 tspn vanilla essence and some orange zest
• in a large mixing bowl add the mixture, 2 eggs, 2 tbspns fresh pomegranate juice and gently mix together briefly
• fold in 2 cups (maybe less?) of self raising flour. I fold it in until it is ‘cake’ consistency.
• put into a round cake tin and bake in pre-heated oven at about 170 degrees C for about 35 minutes
• serve warm or cool with a dollop of cream and a spoon full of fresh pomegranate seeds and juice

(oh, and this was originally going to be a nut and date cake …so I guess you could omit some of the flour and put in some crushed walnuts instead!)

(oh, oh and Hailey is going to be one of the speakers at the ProBlogger event I am organising in September. I can NOT WAIT to meet her and see how she makes videos! I love learning about how creativity works, don’t you?)

This is a bit of an awkward post. You see, recently a couple of people have mentioned the ‘Wonderwebby’ brand to me during conversation.

Brand? What brand?

To be honest, I keep forgetting that I have a brand at all.

I see it as:

a blog which I have been neglecting,

photos which I don’t take often enough,

fundraising which I should do more of,

a fortnightly Tiny Letter ‘Creative Notes’ which is all about bringing creativity to life,

freelancing and working on a job which I love; producing ebooks and events for bloggers, photographers, entrepreneurs and creative people,

It’s abut the things I love (and wish I could spend more time learning and writing about)

art and design,

social media,

family and motherhood,

looking after yourself,

pursuing your passions,

found objects,

inspiration,

non profits,

play,

writing,

food and healthy eating,

technology,

learning and curiosity,

living authentically,

…and sharing the things which inspire me, things I admire, and not being afraid to share ideas on the interwebs.

I can try to work out what this brand is, and what I should focus on.
But what I really want to know is what Wonderwebby means to you.  I’m really curious to find out, so I can make this blog better for you. Also, I tend to be pretty hard on myself, so it helps when I get some feedback!

Your opinion matters to me. Without you, this wouldn’t be a blog :)

It’s awkward, because it feels a bit like I’m passing a piece of paper and pen around the room and asking you to write a word about me. That’s not my intention. And I’m certainly not asking for back-patting. Any feedback is good feedback. If I don’t ask you, then I’ll never know!

So here goes….how would you describe my brand? What would you like to see more of?

*passes the pen and paper*…

Today I launched an idea.

Basically, instead of joining in a creative challenge, you can create your own artistic adventure.

Your own ideas. Your own rules. Not forced or something you strive for each day, but something that comes naturally as you live a creative life.

(you can read more about it on the archives which I am publishing for a short time )

I know it’s not a creative challenge in the traditional sense. In fact, I hope it’s not a challenge at all.

To tell the truth, I wasn’t sure whether I should ask people to do anything,  how it would be received, or that this will be, like, really, like, popular. It also holds me a little accountable; to create some cartoon images I’ve been dreaming up for a while and regularly review the #wonderwebby hashtag (assuming some people join in!!) But it really felt like the right thing to do. Personally, I really want another avenue for creativity this year…but I took one look at an Instagram challenge and realised it was going to set me on a path I didn’t want to focus on. Ideas work their way into your daily thoughts, into your heart, into the background when you’re busy doing other things. So, I decided a personal focus was the way to go.

A couple of people unsubscribed. A couple of wonderful people encouraged me with their grateful replies. I’m going to focus on the replies :) (you really are wonderful!)

Will you join in an artistic adventure with me? It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be yours #wonderwebby

PS meet the latest addition to the wonderwebby family…a mini schnauzer. She’s a playful little puppy..but she’s the best!

In this space.

I share.

A moment. Feeling. Colour. Roses.

Is it a pose?

Is beauty a ploy?

Or do we share these things as life remembered?

*****

Hands are for holding, arms for embracing.

Words and pictures decorate our minds and dance into lives.

Let your status updates flow freely my friend.

Let your life be filled with love.

And if every update is pretty, poised and perfect,

I’ll enjoy every pixel.

As long as words are honest when we meet.

Keep it real.

Really beautiful.

Some days I feel like starting this blog over again. Stopping the blog. Creating a new brand.

Nearly 8 years have passed since I started Wonderwebby. It was my first blog, apart from a small blog on our intranet back when I was working at IBM. I started off blogging about web2.0 and all the things I was discovering about what seemed like the complete reinvention of the web. I blogged later about fundraising for social good, innovation, digital marketing, collaboration, learning through play, creativity, life-drawing and photography.

Since starting this blog I have had a third child, celebrated 13 years of marriage, seen all of my children starting school, quit my job at IBM and started working for a blogger. But in all of this time, my blog has been a personal series of posts with a common theme, I think, of the wonderful webby possibilities and more recently, bringing creativity to life.

Then, this year I started my fortnightly personal Tiny Letter ‘Creative Notes.’ I love writing it, I enjoy the replies and conversations. I’m about to write my fourth Tiny Letter to send out tomorrow. It’s exciting. I could almost stop blogging here and put all of my focus on the Creative Notes brand.

Almost.

Except that Wonderwebby has become my brand. I feel like there is a history here in my blog, a journey, a viewpoint, a thumbprint.

So I won’t stop blogging. Not yet. And here’s my personal blogging plan…

Anything can happen.

Last year before I headed off on my big trip to New York, I wanted to load up some books onto my Kindle app for the flight, so I asked for some book suggestions on Twitter. Thomas Baekdal tweeted about Susan Cain’s book Quiet, the Power of Introverts in a world that can’t stop talking and I’m grateful for his recommendation …I really enjoyed it.  Now, this isn’t a sponsored post. It’s one of those coincidental things where I liked a book, and Penguin happened to offer me five copies to give away!

Susan’s book is wonderful because it gives introverts permission to be creative without having to put on big, bold personalities. You can watch her TED talk here (Bill Gates recently named it as one of his top 13 TED talks!)

Creativity doesn’t have to be big, bold and assertive either. It doesn’t have to make an announcement when you see it “I’m HERE!” to make an entrance. And as Susan Cain points out in her TED talk, some of the most creative people are not the loudest.

So, if you would like to get your hands on her book Quiet all you need to do is this:

1. You’ll need to live in Australia – sorry, but postage costs would make it too expensive for me to post overseas.

2. Leave a comment below before midnight Sunday 10th March 2013 linking to one of your own photos (I’ll make it easier for you…just leave a comment!)

3. I will draw 5 random people from the comments below and email them to arrange delivery of the book.

That’s it!

Happy commenting!

Creativity happens when you’re living life as only you can. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. Maybe because we’re starting to look at high schools for our eldest, which has made us reflect on the definition of success. Maybe because I’m trying to pace my life a little better this year and looking after myself. But I can’t help but reflect on my own experiences and the kind of creative serendipity that happens when you live life.

Like this kid. Regardless of the high school or education choice you want to make for your own child…I love how his parents have decided to teach him to embrace life and learning. To be happy.

Last week I read an entertaining, refreshingly honest and fun book about choosing life and adventure, by Melbourne author and blogger Torre deRoche. I reached out to her on Twitter and next thing we exchanged emails, and I asked her about creativity and what happens when you follow your dreams.

Photo by the Fearful Adventurer

“When you’re being true to yourself by pursuing a dream or doing what you love, all the normal doubts, disappointments, and preoccupations that clutter your brain go away. Just like house clutter, this leaves you with a bunch of extra space to play within. A sharp mental clarity emerges, and it’s much easier to find creative ‘flow.’ It’s the difference between trying to create within a noisy construction zone, or trying to create within a peaceful sanctuary.” Torre deRoche, author of Love with a Chance of Drowning.

At the end of her book, in her acknowledgements, she thanks her partner, Ivan… “he taught me that great feats are accomplished mile by mile and word by word, and I’m forever changed by the wisdom and experiences he has given me.”

Mile by mile, word by word, step by step.

I like it.

Yet some of those small steps can seem to be the biggest because they are a step into the unknown, outside of our comfort zones. I’ve found those particular strides happen when I connect with the kind of people who support big dreams, when I’m being true to myself and when I don’t compare myself with others.

What’s your experience?

(PS I’ll be sharing another quote from Torre in my next TinyLetter ‘Creative Notes’. I can’t wait to send it out next week…make sure you subscribe though!)

I’m excited.
You’ll notice a few small changes around here on Wonderwebby. I have a feeling you’re going to enjoy reading my blog this year. As always, I’m happy to hear what you enjoy or would like to read more of, on this blog

So here’s the first change…I’m starting a newsletter. Well, not exactly a newsletter…it’s a TinyLetter from me, sent to your inbox, fortnightly. It’s all about being more creative, but not exactly in the way you might expect. The first note will be sent out tonight. I’m excited, and nervous, but I’m sure you will like it.

Update…you can read the first one here…but remember to subscribe if you would like to get the next one!

Meanwhile…enjoy this postcard from the beach. Moments like this (taken on the weekend) make me feel so grateful.

It’s amazing how creative moments happen when you take time out to relax, isn’t it?

Lately I have felt like the web has turned into this:

{ Hallmark style picture }

{ witty quote }

{ repeat }

It’s not just on Facebook. It’s on Twitter. And Instagram. Our blogs. And so on.

Enough.

Don’t you think it’s time to shake up the status (quo) update?

I’m tired of interesting. I’d like to see more beautiful and thoughtful spaces again.

This might be an odd  example, but recently I turned a workspace into creative retreat.

Which workspace?

My laundry.

Yes. I know. You can laugh. But this is why. I really don’t like doing laundry. Can you relate? Last year it felt like the laundry was piling up on top of me. I dreaded going into that room. Washing? No problem. But hanging, folding, and sorting for five people…it’s just not my zen. It probably wasn’t that bad, but in my mind…the very thought of walking into that room made me roll my eyes.

One evening last week, I was reading a Megan Morton book from the library and found her tips on beautiful spaces.  For the laundry, she says, replace buckets with vases and also turn it into a place where you arrange flowers -  or something along those lines.  So I put down that book and stood in front of my laundry with my hands on my hips. Right! That day, I got rid of many things from my room of terror. I moved things around and  lined my cupboards and bench with vases. I placed a big pinboard up on the wall for inspirational pictures. And then….it happened.

A task as simple as turning a workspace into a creative space made all the difference.  My laundry is now my zen room. I’m taking care in how I fold clothes. I’m even (cough) ironing the odd shirt. More importantly – for me – it has become a place to think and create. That day, I cut some flowers from the garden for my laundry and asked the boys to put some coloured chalk drawings on the fence near the clothesline. I hung up a large corkboard so that I can have a place for my favourite words and pictures. My ten year old found it and left a surprise for me :)

I’m still no Martha Stewart, but I was really surprised by the big difference a few flowers could make.

What does this have to do with shaking up the status update?

Physical spaces and virtual spaces can be so similar. I think it’s fascinating. We inhabit spaces. We socialise in spaces. We navigate, we think and we do. We put up walls. We knock them down. We personalise. We collaborate. And so on…

Do you feel like some of your virtual spaces have become a big pile of laundry? Would you like to join with me in creating original, creative and thoughtful spaces again? It’s time to shake up the status update.

Would you like to join me? Here are a couple of ideas.

*****

1) CREATE A GRATITUDE PROJECT

This month I plan to join in Hailey Bartholomew’s gratitude ’30 day filming’ project

Steps…

• take camera with you everywhere.
• film any moments that inspire or make you smile
• film something everyday
• play, experiment, get comfortable and try, try again till you get a shot you love!

Edit… (at the end of the month)

• go through your footage and take out only the best moments
• edit them to music
• export and upload to your vimeo or youtube account
• tweet @suebryce and @ycbsisfun with hashtag #30daysoffilm by March 20 and they  will put the top 5 on their blogs & share them.

I have started taking my video snippets and I’m loving the moving image again. I’m hoping to play with video a lot this year!

*****

2) CREATE A WORLD OF HOPE

Stacey Monk is one of those amazing people that you meet on the interwebs.
Today I saw her share a project all about the seeds of hope, inspired by  Mama Lucy.

• Create a piece of art or simply write on a piece of paper your greatest hope for the world by filling in the phrase “I will create a world where...”
• Take your art and find for it a small sacred space in your home. (hehe….maybe my laundry!)
• On another tiny piece of paper write down all the things that make you feel the possibility you’ve just written down is hopeless…all of your fears and doubts.
• Put a candle next to your art and burn your hopelessness at the altar of your hope.  Literally burn your fears and doubts with that candle.
• Post photos of your artwork and your process by tagging them #loveapocalypse and #hope on flickr, instagram and/or pinterest.  Most importantly, share them on the Facebook page at facebook.com/theloveapocalypse.
• Invite your friends and family to join in.

*****

If you would like to join in or if you can think of other ways to shake up the status update I’d really like to hear your ideas.

Cheers and have a wonderful week!