photo by Kirsten Michelle

About Me, Stephanie

~ I am an artist. I like to play with paint, paper, colours and textures.

~ I am a student of small business and entrepreneurship. I believe we can combine passions, interests and practicality to create income streams and meaningful work.

~ I am also a student of Voluntary Simplicity and seek financial independence. I strive to simplify finances, possessions, relationships, time commitments and figure out how much is enough for me

~ I love brainstorming and looking at the big picture. I geek out on bubble charts, lists, enterprise architecture and the Zachman Framework.

~ I am a communicator. I get lost in writing and thrive on the challenge of communicating something as clearly and simply as possible whether in writing or with a picture. In contrast, I allow myself to write freely in my Morning Pages and sometimes let authentic, natural expression trump the rules.

~ I am a procrastinator. But I get things done.

~ I love nature and hiking. I think my dusty hiking boots, cargo pants and favourite ball cap are really cool. I enjoy the challenge of climbing scraggly trails, the smell of pine needles and the high of a breathtaking view.

~ I am Acadian. I grew up in rural New Brunswick and treasure my French, Acadian roots.

~ I am a homemaker and secretly revel in producing loads of clean laundry. Creating a warm and inviting living space makes me happy. Hearty soups are my favourite thing to cook. I want to learn how to knit, sew and spin.

~ I am a wannabe homesteader. I devour books by Helen and Scott Nearing and dream of living in the country, preserving food from my organic gardens and living off the grid. I dream of building an art studio made of straw bales on my property.

~ I enjoy documentaries, classic movies and recently discovered that I like silent films. The plot lines, dialogue and images draw me in. Fred and Ginger make me swoon.

~ I am an urban chick and enjoy the edge that comes with living downtown. I enjoy hanging out in coffee shops and farmers' markets, people-watching and running all of my errands without needing a car.

~ I love to laugh. Earnestly and unabashedly.

~ I value connection, honesty, beauty, creativity, authenticity, community, contribution, nature, family, fun, self-care and learning.

~ I am a wife, a sister, a friend, a daughter and much, much more.

~ I am not perfect. I practice being the best me I can be, one day at a time.

About Creative Living Experiment

A sequel to my Urban Living Experiment and the few years that came before it, Creative Living Experiment began as a switch in focus from healing past hurts to creating new love and life. It's part of a continuous journey in creating the life I want, and moving it from its Blogger beginnings to this new site felt like a next right step.

Creating the life I want involves many facets. Though my writing may focus on creating meaningful work, the visual arts and community, you'll no doubt find the odd mention of my many other interests like simple living, nature, writing, creating a home, books, financial independence and productivity. They're all related, they're all part of who I am and who I want to be.

In addition to it being a platform for my own creative business I envision this space as a gathering space for inspiration, practical business knowledge and connection, a virtual creative resource centre if you will. No doubt the site will evolve as I discover the next right steps. In the meantime I will trust that it will unfold as it should - just like my journey in creating the life I want.

Thank you for being here. I hope you will stay and join me in your own creative living experiment to see where your journey leads you.

Sincerely,

Stephanie