The Design Dog Blog
I spend a lot of my workdays thinking about color, ideas, communication, and how things make people feel. But creativity doesn’t just happen while I’m sitting at my desk.
A lot of what keeps me creative, energized, and connected comes from how I live the rest of my life.
Here are some ways I make my life more joyful and less stressful:
I walk my dogs every morning. Getting outside (in any temperature) is a great way to start my day. (Ask me in January if I still think taking a walk at 7am is a good idea!) And I’m not on the phone or listening to music when I’m outside. I do listen to music ALL the rest of the day, though. My pet peeve: dog walkers who are scrolling their phones.
BE with your dog!
I eat healthy. I try not to overeat. I don’t eat after dinner (it gives me nightmares). I cook simply. My motto used to be, “If it takes longer to make than to eat, it’s a waste of time.” That was when I was a carb queen and lived on bagels and pasta. Now I eat healthier, but I still make things simple and don’t spend a lot of time cooking.
And speaking of eating, I eat lunch outside every day (well, when it’s between about 40˚ and 95˚ and snow doesn’t cover the table!). Getting outside really changes my mood, perspective, energy.
Try it. It’ll change your life.
I’m grateful. For everything. Before I go to bed, I write down things I’m grateful for on the back of my page-a-day calendar pages. I save the whole year, and then read them day-by-day the following year. It’s a snapshot of the prior year and makes me even more grateful. Today I passed by a homeless couple at the park as I walked my dogs. It hit me (again) how grateful I am for my life, home, business, family, friends…everything. I’ve made good choices and have been fortunate. But anything can happen to anyone at any time.
I never take that for granted.
I have great friends, and I try hard to keep in touch with them. I’m good at contacting people to get out and do things together. Sometimes you gotta put a little effort into it.
It’s worth it.
I do one new thing every month. Changed my life. More fun, more connections, makes me brave. And I’ve inspired people. That warms my heart. I even created a training about the top 10 benefits of trying new things that I’ve given to the women in my awesome networking group, SHELeads. They seem to like it.
I don’t watch much TV news, except the weather and sports. Right now I have to be blissfully ignorant for my mental health.
I don’t act my age. Age is a number, and maturity is optional. When was the last time you went swinging on a swing set in the park? Highly recommended. Good for your core, too.
Makes me feel like a kid again.
One thing about aging, though…women get better with age. We care less about what other people think.
How freeing is that?
I say “no” when something doesn’t feel right. I do try to get out of my comfort zone, but sometimes…I just say no.
I wear bright colors. I used to wear a lot of black. Boring. I do not have one brown item in my wardrobe. Lots of orange.
And if you know me…lime green.
I send birthday cards. Always good to celebrate! And I send cards for no reason. People like good mail.
I don’t judge. We don’t need more negativity out there.
I volunteer.
I’m optimistic.
I try to be a good person.
I think it’s working.
And maybe all of this has something to do with design after all.
Good design comes from paying attention — to people, color, details, ideas, and the world around you. Staying curious, trying new things, getting outside, connecting with people, and finding joy in everyday life keeps me inspired.
And inspiration has a funny way of showing up in the work.
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