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Maggie Whitley

joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith & simple living

You are here: Home / creativity / {a NEW mini-series: “How I live a creative life,” featuring Lisa Leonard}

{a NEW mini-series: “How I live a creative life,” featuring Lisa Leonard}

April 4, 2012 · 15 Comments
Filed Under: creativity, guest bloggers, inspiration

All this week we are focusing on the question, “How do I live a creative life?” Kyla + Heather have shared their unique perspectives and today we’re going to hear from Lisa. Each of these ladies has a defined style, career focus + family life, and creativity plays a key role in their everyday. I’m so appreciative of their time and contribution to this NEW mini series.

This week we’re focusing on outside perspectives with the goal that YOU leave here feeling inspired, and to encourage you to take a fresh new look at the creative life you already live ♥. Next week we’ll dig a little deeper, so I hope you’ll be back for week #2 ;)

Let’s get started, shall we?

This week the question is, “How do you live a creative life?”

* * *

Hi everyone! I’m Lisa Leonard, the blessed mom of two busy boys, ages 8 and 9, and wife to one seriously fabulous husband. Our best mornings start with chocolate chip pancakes and our favorite evenings end with all four of us snuggled on the couch watching a movie. My husband and I own Lisa Leonard Designs — I make the jewelry and he runs the business. It’s a pretty sweet arrangement! Visit my blog at LisaLeonardOnline.com and our shop at Lisaleonard.com.

Living a creative life means hauling my camera everywhere so I can capture unexpected beauty. It means looking around, noticing light and seeing the world in a new way. And it means taking time to appreciate it.

Living a creative life means a home full of markers, paints, clay, chalk and books. It means encouraging Matthias {my 8 year old} to paint with watercolors and sketch with my good pens. It means listening to David {my 9 year old} tap out lovely {and sometimes not so lovely} melodies on his keyboard.

Living a creative life means looking for that small spark of inspiration and fanning it into a flame. It means late nights creating and chores undone. Sometimes it means a patient husband and dinner ordered in.

Living a creative life means working and working until it’s just right. And then worrying that it’s all wrong. It means walking away and then coming back with a fresh perspective. It means being brave and putting my creations out there for the world to see. And it means being relieved when they love it as much as you do.

Living a creative life means there’s always more to discover and something new to create. It means life is more important than lists and what’s true and beautiful matters more than having everything line up in nice little rows.

Living a creative life is messy and real and always an adventure.

LET’S DISCUSS: Share a little glimpse with us what your messy, adventurous life looks like. If we peeked into your home or work/studio space, what would we see? Even when life is super busy what one thing do you always make time for? xo

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15 Comments
Filed Under: creativity, guest bloggers, inspiration

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Comments

  1. skye @ neathering our fest says

    April 4, 2012 at 6:42 am

    my creative life looks like a family heirloom dining room table covered with paints, brushes and halfway done signs… dishes left in the sink while i am painting away with my headphones in, sitting in front of the tv with the hubs with my computer in my lap – always dreaming up new things to do and try. however, one thing i always always always make time for is cooking dinner and eating with my hubby. we do that together every night no matter what. it isn’t anything fancy or exciting and we are usually watching an episode of something on netflix (lately it is scrubs!) but we always spend that hour together relaxing after our work days and before my evening work starts. :)

    Reply
    • Gussy Sews says

      April 4, 2012 at 10:29 am

      that is a huge priority for us, too! cooking a tasty dinner and spending time in the kitchen together re-energizes us so much! sometimes it gives us energy to work into the evening, other times the energy is to be more grateful to live this blessed life.

      Reply
  2. Nadir@StitchSense says

    April 4, 2012 at 7:29 am

    Well life certainly is messy, my studio is a disaster zone right now but its real. Sometimes its hard to slow down long enough to clean up the messes but I can’t say there hasn’t been a time that I regretted spending quality time with the hubby while my office was cluttered or when the laundry was multiplying, or at least felt like it! The one thing I do make time for other than being with hubby is my coffee time. I always take time to sip & enjoy my morning coffee & prepare for my day no matter what or how busy it may look like. :-)

    Reply
    • Gussy Sews says

      April 4, 2012 at 10:31 am

      i love the saying, “a clean house is the sign of a wasted life.” now OF COURSE that can be interpreted in so many different ways ~ i like to view it as “it’s OK to take a step back and let things pile up so you can make time for your family.” family time is so precious. i’m thankful to be learning this early on :)

      Reply
  3. Katrine says

    April 4, 2012 at 7:46 am

    I love this series! My favorite quotes from Lisa, “Living a creative life means looking for that small spark of inspiration and fanning it into a flame. It means late nights creating and chores undone. Sometimes it means a patient husband and dinner ordered in.” Love it!

    Reply
  4. Emma Bradley says

    April 4, 2012 at 7:59 am

    My messy creative life is a combination of beginning my handmade career while loving on my husband and 4-month old. Loving ready how it is not always perfect in a creative life because mine definitely is not perfect either :)

    Reply
  5. Karen says

    April 4, 2012 at 8:28 am

    I can certainly relate to the messy part and chores undone. It’s so exciting when an idea pops into my head in the middle of the night! I can’t wait to get started on it the next day! Love living a creative life. Thankful as well for a very supportive and patient husband! Love this post. :)

    Reply
    • Gussy Sews says

      April 4, 2012 at 10:31 am

      oh YES, that is the best!!!

      Reply
  6. Mariah says

    April 4, 2012 at 8:35 am

    I’ll always bake. Even when the dishes are dirty, the hour is late, and the laundry needs to be folded.

    Reply
    • Gussy Sews says

      April 4, 2012 at 1:46 pm

      will you be my neighbor? i like to eat baked goods :)

      Reply
  7. Lisa says

    April 4, 2012 at 10:59 am

    I’ve been contemplating my own creativity (or what I thought was lacking) recently and was blessed reading today’s post by Lisa outlining what creativity means in her life. If messy tables filled with scraps of fabric, headbands made from t-shirts and singed flower petals everywhere are any indication, I’m there!! The thing I always take time for is my girls…daughters and grand daughters. EVERYTHING else can wait!!

    Reply
    • Gussy Sews says

      April 4, 2012 at 1:47 pm

      oh goodness YES – i love the sign of a messy home or studio, it’s my first clue that we’re living a happy, fully life! thanks so much for your comment here!! xoxo

      Reply
  8. Corinne says

    April 4, 2012 at 12:36 pm

    You would see a big just moved in haven’t unpacked mess. We have big plans to turn the basement den in to a creative space/ man cave/ movie watching awesomeness. Right now, however, it is a big catch all for everything that I haven’t unpacked (we just moved in two weeks ago) which is a LOT. I do have most of the kitchen unpacked and have been able to get creative in there. I have already created a yummy gluten free vanilla muffin recipe and baked some gf chocolate chip cookies. After living for two years with less than a foot of counter space I have really enjoyed cooking and baking everything from muffins to box mac & cheese.

    This series is really great and I have been enjoying each post while at lunch. Thanks bunches!

    Reply
    • Gussy Sews says

      April 4, 2012 at 1:56 pm

      a large space for crafting and watching movies sounds glorious! i love being able to hide in my studio and work for hours at a time, but it’s not always easy to get there. there are lots of interruptions :)

      and i here ya on the kitchen space! we have about 1 foot of counter space so we have a 3′ x4′ table in the center of our kitchen, like an island, for extra workspace! i’ve been cooking more from Pioneer Woman’s website and it’s been a huge transformation for us in terms of how well we enjoy our evenings/dinner at home. huge in the best possible way, of course :)

      xoxo

      Reply
  9. Eubie McCrary says

    April 4, 2012 at 10:02 pm

    My home is really my haven! At one point everything had to be in it’s place and when I finally got over that I relaxed. Now I feel free to play and make my stuff whether there are chores to do or whatever. At my house you would see pics of my girls and the lovely art my 9 year old makes. Walls covered in hand drawings or inspiring words all dressed up. You would also see stacks of fabric and lots of vintage jars filled with buttons and the like.

    I always make time to feed my soul and spirit with God’s word. He is the reason I have this talent so I make sure to stay in tune.I also make time to ask and talk about how my girls day was. Staying involved at all times is important to me. And hopefully helps them!

    Reply

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ABOUT MAGGIE WHITLEY DESIGNS:
Maggie Whitley weaves her writings around joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith, and simple living. She homeschools her children, enjoys a quiet room while reading, and roars with laughter over the challenges & delights of motherhood. Maggie and her husband, along with their four young children, live in metro-Detroit. She has been writing online since 2008.
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I fought every internal comment I could think of a I fought every internal comment I could think of and took my kiddos for a looooong walk today before dinner. ❄️✨ There’s just so much work required to raise children! I’m feeling like a tired lady. But sunshine & fresh air are good companions to keep around. 

We came home and I made “the best dinner ever”. Max specifically announced, “it’s so great you’re launching new meals to the world”. LOL— kids! 🤣👏🏻💓
How about a little Wednesday night introduction? 😘Social media sure has changed over the years and we don’t always SEE who we’re following or remember WHY we’re following certain accounts. 

So, hello! As you can gather, my name is Maggie ;) 

I started writing online (almost 13 years ago) to share the handmade products I was sewing. My shop was called Gussy Sews. ✂️👛I love the community that has grown from sewing & sharing online.

Let’s FFW to today: Zack and I live in Michigan and have four young children (2 boys & 2 girls). I slowly left the handmade industry and walked right into homemaking, homeschooling, and encouraging women through writing. 💕📝

Motherhood has been very hard on me. (And not just because of how close in age our four children are.) It’s been hard for me because I fought for years to accept that *it’s supposed to be hard*. 

I mean, how do you effectively teach another person to know and love the Lord? Bc that’s how I think of motherhood: a calling to nurture others by studying the One who nurtures me. So I gotta make the first move: study the Bible and seek Him first. As my friend Autumn reminded me, vulnerability births transformation. 

(I’ve had to be really vulnerable!)

So, yes motherhood has fully transformed me. But even more so, Christ has fully transformed me. My list of “all that He’s done for me” is off to a beautifully long start.

Something else I want you to know about me: I stalled for years before acknowledging I have anxiety and depression. It’s hard to talk about this because of course this isn’t forever “my hardship”, but rather because acknowledging this means to heal I have to work through some really difficult things. ✨

But my friend Jesus walks alongside me. He’s already done a mighty work in my heart, including helping me process my anger in healthier ways. I’ve also adopted a heart for sisterhood, mothering, and Titus 2 mentorship.

Sometimes our greatest losses are our greatest gains? That’s what I’m clinging to!

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Just a few cheery memories from my week! How about you?
Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activiti Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activities. I finished my last book moments before 2020 ended, which brought my started list to a close. Small joys add up to big joys ;)

What are you reading this year? Currently?

How many books are you planning to read? What’s your goal?

I’ll share what’s on my list for 2021 soon as I received some nice titles at Christmas. 📖✨🤍
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