Stacie Bloomfield - Give Yourself Margin: A Guide to Rediscovering and Reconnecting with Your Creative Self

Give Yourself Margin

copyright 2020 by Stacie Bloomfield. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews.

Andrews McMeel Publishing

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1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106

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ISBN: 978-1-5248-5616-8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020934422

Editor: Allison Adler

Art Director: Holly Swayne

Production Editor: Margaret Daniels

Production Manager: Tamara Haus

Digital Production: Kristen Minter

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To my children: You are the reason I am an artist. To my Thursday morning coffee women: Thank you for reminding me that I am not too much, that I am loved, and that there is such a thing as life-giving friendships. To Nathan: You never grow weary of my relentless dreaming. Heres to the next Bloomfield Family Adventure.

INTRODUCTION

Give Yourself Margin is a sewing term that I have adpoted as my personal motto and philosophy and, because of that little phrase, I now lead a happier, more creative, and more colorful life.

When sewing, I will often quickly grab my scissors and begin cutting into a delectable piece of patterned fabric without measuring because I just want to get started. Then, inevitably, in my rush Ill have cut the fabric too tightly, not leaving a seam allowance. Youve got to leave that extra fabric when you sew, otherwise your seams will be too close to the edge and will unravel.

If I had given myself a little extra margin, it would have allowed room for a mistake or two!

I think a lot of us do a version of this every single day. We move too fast. We cram too much of the wrong stuff into our days. We prioritize speed over quality. We dont leave a lot of space in our lives to think, to try something new, or even to fail. We dont feel inspiration nearly often enough. We can view life as a series of problems to be solved instead of a beautiful mystery to be discovered. When we feel stuck, we just try to push through the discomfort instead of listening to the inner voice that is begging us to slow down.

We need more white space. We need room to stretch. To grow. To dream. To pivot. To change direction. We need more margin.

Not too long ago, I found myself in an overworked, uninspired, burned-out rut. Gingiber, my company, was successful, but I was running myself ragged trying to raise three kids and found myself completely overscheduled. In a moment of exhausted impulsiveness, I cleared my schedule for a month (well, as much as you can when you own a business and have three kids) and went on a self-imposed break from my routine. I rested. I met up with friends. I did the things that I had wanted to do for a while but never made time for, like yoga, therapy, and the local art museum. I painted the walls of my kitchen, just because I wanted to. I created art just for me. I booked a trip with my husband. I painted a mural.

I did all sorts of things that I had never made space for before in my life. And, slowly, I felt like I was getting my groove back. I had the most inspired year of growth and happiness ever. I did this really small thinggiving myself a little extra breathing roomthat transformed my life in a big way. I got unstuck. And I havent looked back.

This book is a guide to giving yourself more margin, told through the personal experiences that inspired me and the lessons I learned. I hope that it inspires you to breathe, smile, take a step back, and maybe find a much-needed change of perspective along the way.

MAKE ROOM FOR COMMUNITY

I was burned out. Literally. I was exhausted and I was sad. And aimless. And uninspired. And I just wanted to get away from everything. So, on a whim, I texted a friend who is a painter and I asked her if she wanted to get a few other creatives together and go away on an artists retreat. Whats an artists retreat? I had NO IDEA but it sounded like a thing so I suggested we do it. She said yes, and so did three other local artists. All of a sudden, we had booked a cabin about an hour away in the middle of the woods, and we were en route with suitcases full of art supplies to our weekend getaway.

We spent the weekend making artwork together and cooking meals together and talking together. And this really wonderful thing happened: we felt at ease. We forgot about everything else that was stressing us out back home. And, for a single weekend, we were just in the moment, together.

It was LIFE-GIVING.

SHOW UP FOR YOURSELF

Hold space for your personhood. You dont need permission from anyone else to flourish. You dont have to wait for other people to catch up to you.

It is OK to walk boldly ahead. Go to yoga. Run. Wake up early and have quiet time. Practice your art. Buy yourself flowers. Be dedicated to your dreams. Be accountable to yourself.

Dont give so much of yourself to others that you begin to disappear from your own story.