It was very early on in my life when I became curious about why as humans, we do what we do. Of course, as a child I didn’t know what I was asking but I was definitely paying attention.
What drives us? Why do we make the choices we make? Why do we like some things but not others? Some people but not others? Why are we happier on vacation or during holidays? Why do we crave certain items or luxuries? Why do we thrive in some job places but not others? Why do we feel safe at home but not out in the world?
I also used to like to decorate and rearrange my room over and over. My poor Dad must have painted once a year. I would start by drawing my furniture on pieces of paper and then cutting them out to make a floor plan. I would share my designs with Dad and then he would get working on my creations. We would move my bed to the other side of the room, change the position of my desk and it was like a new beginning. I could erase who I was yesterday and begin fresh in my new space. Even as a child I could see how closely my emotions were connected to my space and how when I changed my space, I changed how I felt.
There were places I would love to go like my Grandparents or the neighbours. Those places felt bright, calm, safe even. Then there were others like an after-school home we attended a couple of times that was dark and dirty and my brother and I absolutely hated it. I didn’t know then why this was such a big deal but looking back, the connection was always there.
I would then go on to study interior design and event management. I loved the idea that we could create an emotional response for people through space and event design. I was fascinated that something like a birthday party or a baby shower could create such beautiful connections, emotions and memories. I loved watching people as they would walk wide-eyed into a ballroom decorated for a wedding or gasp at an impeccable tablescape. Again, it confirmed for me the strong connection between design, space and human emotion.
This lead to my studies in human behaviour, sociology, organizational behaviour and then psychology. I wanted to understand the other side. I knew how to throw an event or design a space, now I wanted the human perspective. I wanted to understand why these spaces when designed with intention, created the most raw and vulnerable experiences for people.
Fast forward to today, I have the privilege of doing this work every day. Whether its designing for an event, coaching someone in their home or staging a space, I am doing it with absolute intention of creating an impactful experience and the emotional response of the human being is at the forefront of my design plan.
Because as humans our emotions are not inconveniences. They are not wrong, unhealthy or unnecessary. They are actually the information that we need to be paying attention to. They are the road map to alignment and joy. They are the juice to life. By listening and honouring our emotional experiences, we get ourselves closer and closer to contentment and we can use our spaces to do this. I wrote about my New Year’s goals for 2019 and how I used my space to support me, you can read that here. And as you start to get busy working on your new goals, take a moment to see the connection between how you feel, your behaviours and the spaces you occupy. Consider the perspective that by examining our external environments, we can gain clarity on our internal ones.
Trying to improve your diet this year? What is the state of your kitchen? Looking for more connection with your partner? How does the bedroom look and feel? Starting a business this year? Does your workspace support your professional goals?
Set your spaces up to support you and use them as tools to create self-awareness. More on how to do this and my goals for 2020 to come. In the meantime, if you are looking for more info or some support to start this process, feel free to reach out, I would love to connect. The Living Well newsletter series begins again this month as well, so if you haven’t signed up yet, you can do that under MY NEWS and receive that and more, directly to your inbox.
Happy New Year!
Live well,
Cher
