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“We live in a culture that nurtures competitive skills. But it’s probably a good idea to try to supplement them with the skills of the creative monopolist: alertness, independence and the ability to reclaim forgotten traditions.”

Things that rung out like a bell in my head: reclaiming forgotten traditions, and taking the necessary pause to explore, disconnect, and just be.

This article from the NY Times. Read it, think it over.

One of my favourite periods during my architectural education were the moments of necessary pause during the design of a project. Often we’d head to the library at the very start of a project and just flip through books, or walk around, or look at art, craft, nature, pattern, or whatever might strike us to see if we might trip across a flash of inspiration. Same too, were the momments when we were frustrated and at a loss of what to do next. Again, we would head out to the library, or the world, and just to see. I loved that point. Those moments. That necessary pause.

I remember the moment I realized that architectural education was entirely subjective, had no prescriptive boundaries in getting an “A”, and how infuriating it was to someone who was very adept at following the rules. Suddenly, there you were—feeling you way around, geting lost, failing often, and eventually finding your own process. That above article talks about the nature of competition in the US landscape these days, a subject I’ve been dwelling upon a lot lately.

I take comfort in this little post-it note, as it were, to remind me to follow my own path, do my own work, and search for those hidden nooks, holes,  and ultimately, openings.

I need more of those pauses—not just in life [although that's far too true, as well]—but creatively. To take stock of what I’m doing, and right this boat of mine, realign it to a better path.

Above: Photo by The Nouveau Romantics, and a snippet of my previous life in architecture, curiosity, exploration. 

Maria came to me originally with some glam ideas, and we pared things down to get to the heart of their wedding—they wanted to have an elegant ballroom wedding that erred on the side of classic, but infuse it with enough details to ensure that their guests have a blast celebrating! The grouping of mixed metallics really helped set the tone, and their paper goods, florals, and little details really fell into place pretty effortlessly. Maria turned around and used this to send to her baker, the lighting crew, and even picked out noise makers and other details with this in mind. Which is exactly what they’re meant to do! These boards really provide that grounding item that you can refer to throughout the planning process to ensure that things stay cohesive.

Next up – the details! And some seriously glamorous bridal party shots.

All photos by The Nouveau Romantics.

We’re heading north! Or at least this lady is – for the month of August. My dearest ML suggested that I go visit family and friends for August to escape the Texas heat and I suddenly found myself daydreaming of all the cabins of my childhood, and beyond.

To help offset travel costs, and because I love the challenge of travelling floristry, I put out a call for weddings in the Seattle / Vancouver / B.C area, waiving travel fees, and suddenly I have one, and possibly two booked! Anyone need a florist or event designer in a rather short time frame? I’m your gal! It looks like it might be from July 29th through end of August.

Know anyone? Pass this along! It’ll be fun to actually whip up some flowers outside and not worry about them instantly wilting in the Texas heat …. not to mention DAHLIAS!

I’m jazzed to re-visit all of my favourite places: Granville Island, the mountain hikes, seawall runs, sushisushisushi, Hornby Island, and all those family and friends I haven’t seen in, oh, five years? ‘Tis overdue, y’all. Very overdue!

Painting: Emily Carr, Big Raven, 1931. 

To all those I met–it was a delight. Thank you for your conversation and company. I probably need more of these in my life. [Which is probably the entire point? Right.]

All photos by Kristopher Orr.