It’s Valentine’s Day, Happy Birthday to the Shed with the Chandelier! From heartbreak to heArt-work
It’s the Shed with the Chandelier birthday week – I have only just realised: Valentine’s day could be the Shed’s birthday! In fact it’s decided… the official Shed with the Chandelier birthday is 14 February – Valentine’s Day!
A very appropriate date (ok, maybe a bit cheesy I’ll admit but I don’t care 🙂 ) for a shed, whose existence was born from a definite heart stopping moment a few years back which definitely hastened its building, my artist’s studio, now virtual studio too – the Shed with the Chandelier was born!
I thought I would repost a blog I wrote on my original website way before I ever imagined this one or before the Facebook group of wonderful international artists, writers, composers, filmmakers, designers, makers, educators and enthusiasts joined together because they know in their hearts this is what they want to do: live a creatively fulfilled life.
I believe that happens when you follow your heart … So Valentines Day it is – the Shed with the Chandelier birthday!
I hope you will raise a glass of something bubbly or may be a cup of mint tea and celebrate all our creative practices and dreams to come …and I want to offer you a gift too.
I reread the blog below and smiled because I mention my love for giving things away and not asking for money, hmm… I wonder how much that has changed 🙂 – I do now realise that whatever I may request payment for is so value packed, I put my heart and soul into it, I am no longer embarrassed to talk money… but today I wanted to offer a FREE mentoring session to anyone who would like a little creative boost to get them going on a new creative project or even a tiny little dream…
I mentor/coach/encourage because I know the journey I have been on and am pretty expert now at making dreams a reality and want to share, encourage and listen most of all, to you – you too can continue on the creative journey of your dreams.
I re-read the blog below and also realised that I was interviewed by life coach Suzy Greaves, 3 years ago now, 1 year before the shed was built…Dreamed of ? Yes…but I couldn’t really imagine then how it could become a reality… the Shed with the Chandelier is 2 today! I hope you can listen to this recording too. It surprised me how relevant it is to today still.
How things have moved on from that interview: artwork sailing around the world, my studio standing in the garden, inspirational conversations: ( I hope! 🙂 ) recordings with those who are living their life creatively shared via this website, the Facebook group created. None of these things had happened when I had this conversation with Suzy Greaves in 2010 but my life before perhaps had laid a strong foundation? I wonder what foundations have been laid for you that you may not realise? I had dreamed of my studio but honestly would I, day by day, have imagined this all happening the way it has? No way! It has been more fantastic than even I could have imagined and I am pretty good at imagining that sort of stuff! The blog below has really made me reflect on this…
I hope you will continue to be part of this journey with me and sign up for the newsletter, email me, message me on Facebook, or send a message on the contact form (only I have access to this ) and we can have a conversation about where you want to take your dreams, in totally privacy and see what little action you can take right now to move them forward into reality – a FREE one to one, half an hour call, over the telephone or on Skype (we don’t have to turn on the video) Lets celebrate heart stopping moments, heart leap moments as Suzy would put it, that lead to new beginnings.
Is this where it all started for the Shed with the Chandelier? :
15 February 2011
“I did a very scary thing on Friday, I handed over a big deposit of hard-earned cash, and yes my husband and I will nod madly together on that one, for my shed/studio.
Scary, because it will be built very quickly thanks to my wonderful shed man and my friend Christine. Why is that scary: because then I have the beginnings for my next big leap* and I will have to take action and do it! Exciting, however, because it is what I have wanted to do for looooooong time, I’m glad its taken a loooooong time because now it feels like the right time.
During the last week or two I have been discussing with family and friends about needing to get rid of the trampoline that is standing where the shed now needs to go. My daughter has loved the trampoline but is willing to give it up because she is on to other adventures now and we have made a deal…
The thought of trying to sell the trampoline did not fill me with delight. I hate selling things and would rather give it away for free before having to go through the embarrassment of working out a fair price for all and then having to ask for it!!! (Note to self re-selling artwork: my artwork is wonderful, people love it and worth every penny!)
So while I was still thinking about how to give it away, my husband and I decided to watch a film, through pay per view, mid-week. “Lost in translation” was one option “Syriana” was another.
I have been meaning to watch “Lost in Translation” for years now but never got round to it. “Syriana” won out because George Clooney was in it, say no more, other main reason – we live near the middle east and we have been avidly watching the developments in Egypt this week … We watched ‘Syriana’.
I paid the deposit on Friday for the shed with every detail explained and thought out. Saturday, the shed man and his lovely wife (mother of 5 children) came to look at the area to confirm all the details previously explained. The shed would be laid on grit on top of garden (which sits on rock not far below) the same as one we had all seen and discussed before, concrete slabs laid, shed on top – and specific colour of slabs, very important, I’m an artist!
As things worked out, but was not planned, all who had been involved in the discussions through the week: Shed man who speak hardly any English, his wife who speaks some English, Christine who knows the construction and planning, my husband who basically was told by me – we are using this much money to buy a shed – OK? 🙂 and me who understand a very little Greek – were very happily standing in the sun with the dream about to become reality.
Then boom…. it became very apparent very, very quickly that something major had been “lost in translation”. Only a metre of slabs had been quoted for and specifically ‘lost in translation’ was the fact that many more slabs of concrete were needed to go all the way under the shed to be built! The shed man didn’t want his beautifully, soon to be built, building to collapse on uneven ground – so many more concrete slabs would have to be found and paid for.
Total heart sink moment for me – I knew the budget would not go any further, full stop.
We stood in silence, well that is how it felt in my head…
Then, with the shed man talking in Greek, me understanding some of it, his wife trying to translate, my husband sweating thinking of the consequences of dealing with me if this all falls through 🙂 and Christine…. well she knows what she was thinking…suddenly I looked at where my dream was going to be built and there stood the trampoline….
I looked at the wife and mother of 5 children and said “do you want a trampoline?”, she discussed in Greek with the husband. (Don’t know what Christine and my husband were doing coz I was praying frantically 🙂 The wife said “Yes”, I said “can I have the slabs and you have the trampoline?” – we all looked at the shed man and he said…
”Yes”……… (in Greek 😉 ).
I kissed his wife , thought about kissing her husband and didn’t 🙂 we all shook hands and he starts building Wednesday!!!!!!!!
Hallelujah for the trampoline, a leap of faith surrounded by lovely supportive people who all, including I’m sure the shed man now, are going to make my dream to come true….
My daughters dream is in process of being worked out and she is happy.
As a thank you and for the safety of the shed mans grandchildren, I want to put a new mat round the trampoline …
And tonight I might even get time to watch another film… wait a minute its “Bafta awards red carpet night on “E” channel – “frocks and celebs” or “Lost in Translation”???
Have a listen me being interviewed by Suzy too:
Suzy Greaves who one is of the UK’s leading life coaches, named as ‘the top ten guru” to change your life around’ by the Daily Mail. Media columnist and managing director of The Big Leap Coaching Company, Suzy regularly writes for the national media from The Sunday Times to Red magazine. Suzy invited me to take part in her 21 day challenge – I thought – “artist’s don’t do stuff like this, I set my own challenges thank you very much and I am doing just fine finding and completing big commissions blah blah blah…” but as I am always up for a challenge I thought I would give it a go…. and guess what the studio/shed became the challenge
If would like to talk to me confidentially about any of your creative dreams, however small, contact me here:
and we can arrange you FREE session with me at time convenient to both of us…spaces are limited – your message is very welcome.
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