Getting Ready

I’m going to move this blog elsewhere… My life has made a 180 again in a good way and I feel it’s time to let go of this domain as it is a constant reminder of a past that should be just that, a past. I have moved on a long time ago and though the years I lived in the UK will always be a major part of my life, I don’t wish to make it bigger than it actually is. I’m focused on my future and have been for a while so those old posts have been archived and will remain there like old books on a shelve collecting dust until one day someone decides to clean and read them again.

I’ve been looking to buy an apartment, in a different part of the Netherlands where tourists are still sparse, where it is quiet in the streets at night, where I can make a home and unpack my boxes and all the surprises I’ve kept in them for years now. The other day I realised that I have been living out of boxes since 2006. Yes I’ve sorted them all out and I’ve given half of it to charity shops but still, I haven’t used my own things since 2006. Thirteen years altogether so it’s about time that I’ll move to an unknown place to start anew and be closer to where my current assignment is.

I’ve saved enough money to get a perfect home, replace all the things that I had to give up on when I moved to the UK. I’ll need a bed, mattress, fridge/freezer combination, wardrobe, TV, and a lot more. And looking at things online is half the fun already. I’ve checked websites and found cool furniture, even cheaper and nicer than what I had in mind when I started this journey. No prefabricated stuff but furniture made by a designer/artist with an industrial touch and a practical design as I will use two of these to set up a studio so I can neatly store my jewellery supplies.

I’ll need a small sofabed so I can have visitors stay over, friends from Amsterdam or family from Belgium or … I’ll need lots and lots of plants and a few Persian rugs on the floor, warm colours like taupe, red, grey, brown, to reflect my oriental/colonial style interior design. A moss green styled bedroom that induces a relaxing atmosphere and lots of zen energy. I could dream about it all day long if I have to and I’ve designed each and every room six times already ;) But first things first and that’s finding the perfect ‘home’ where I can have an inspiring studio to work on my jewellery.

But you see, thinking about this and going to apartment viewings makes me happy, it is something I have wished for for a long time and I’m finally at that point where I can take time to decide. Tho I am impatient too, but I should try to find that one space I can really call ‘home’, so far after all the viewings in January, there was one apartment that actually felt good, but it wasn’t ‘the one’… I have my eye on another and I’m waiting a few more weeks to see if the price will get down. If not I’ll make an offer and see if they’re interested in selling. It has the perfect space and layout.

So this is why I’ll move this blog elsewhere, I’d really like to focus on the future and getting another move done within the next six months hopefully. I’ll trust my gut feeling and I’ll trust the Universe to have it all planned for me. And when the time is right, everything will come together, like a puzzle it will fit and the missing pieces will be found and added. I can’t wait… :D

Last Minute Chaos

I’m racing against time lately and it’s not because I don’t have enough time, it’s because I’m managing it in a bad way due to the fact that I have so much to do and I have no list on paper -just in my head- causing it to short-circuit every now and then. I have exactly four weeks from today before I’ll be moving countries so once again I’m packing. I’m so tired of crap, I’m throwing out even more; most went to charity already and half of my books went to a friend here in London, I kept the ones in English (which is still too many *hehe).

I already started a while ago but every time I move I realise I should cut down dramatically. I’ve moved about 12 times since I was eighteen but the problem is that whenever one moves to a bigger place the more crap one collects and my last apartment in Amsterdam was twice the size of a regular one there. So these days I only buy things that I’ll actually use and give away what I don’t need. No useless nick-nacks collecting dust and no more books either unless they’re related to design. If it’s not functional and if I don’t use it it will be binned…

I don’t want clutter to rule my life, it’s causing chaos, is utterly distracting and will only take up space in my home, my studio and my mind. So while I’m packing I’m making a conscious decision to let go and throw out things especially the things that I feel I ‘might need’ one day. Because to be honest, that day never really came so far. In the meantime I’ve been meeting up with friends in the city to say goodbye for now. One friend -a programmer- has some projects coming up and he needs my help design-wise.

Like I mentioned in my previous post, I’m showered with requests lately: all of a sudden people want me to do their design projects. This Wednesday I’ll have to meet up with the accountancy firm, they want a brochure with the same design as the website I did a while ago where people can book online courses. There’s more last-minute things that clients need all of a sudden but I was able to put them off until after the move and when I’ll be back online again. I’m lucky that my line of work could be done from anywhere!

I’m sweeping the rooms of my life and it feels good to get rid of all the dirt, cobwebs and the skeletons that I wasn’t allowed to take out of their cupboard before. It’s May and I’m doing a total spring-clean. Aah, what bliss to embrace the changes and watch them evolve gradually in such a positive way. What a great season to start again…