(etsy)

When’s the last time you went on a great adventure?

Adventuring is mind-expanding, it’s soul-fueling, it’s happiness-making and it’s not necessarily even expensive.  In fact, the simplest adventures I’ve taken have been the most breathtakingly memorable.  

Adventure opens new doors, creates new vocabulary…it’s everything exciting. 

And… art is fueled by adventure.

I had the great pleasure of chatting with the inimitably genius Nate Berkus this weekend (more to come soon!) when he debuted his Shade Store collaboration filled with patterns gleaned from travels at Dwell on Design.  Everywhere he goes round the globe, he brings home local textiles;  that vocabulary of texture and patterns extends into his work seamlessly.

Do you prioritize adventures? 

I live with lots of local adventure very close by, daily, and I have to say, I don’t see a lot of it.

I have friends in NYC that never make it to museums, the parks, the theater… and, really, I understand.  When something seems like it can be done any time, it tends to get pushed off into the distant “anytime” that doesn’t happen often, or at all.

I could probably do 5x more each week, and while I do it in fits and spurts, now it’s the July priority! Hanging out in Huntington Gardens, hiking to local waterfalls, the desert art exhibitions, Ojai farms… there are soooo many things to do within a stone’s throw of my house, and I want to do them all!

Do you have local adventures you can take?

Prioritize the local adventures you can take right away.  These are what connects you to a city and it’s energy and community.  It’s the way to tap into the pulse of more greatness.

That said, I do have some adventuring idols.

I have friends in LA that packed up a camper and hit the road for a year.  Many of them.

I’m not sure that’s my speed (I do love home, too!), but I did make a list for the month ahead of things to see, to experience and to explore.  Suddenly, my usually deep desire to flee LA has turned to an art project of sorts.

Can you grab a local paper, look online or call some friend and plan some local adventuring?!

All the local greatness taken into account, faraway adventures still bring me my art inspiration.

I just reviewed my Dream Destinations on Pinterest to see which ones I can turn into a reality soon.  This is beyond a fun exercise, it’s creative planning:  every time I pin things, I look back and see how many trips I’ve taken…and there are many!

Of course, every time I talk about adventure I hear the reflexive voices of reasonable people around me, speaking to me emphatically:

Can you afford to take off that much time like that?

Isn’t is so expensive to go away?

I can’t just play around all day…

But, you can.  You can play around all day, you can find the time, you can save the money…

In fact, for all the money we spend on things we don’t need, lots of us could take an extra trip every year!  And…it’s been scientifically proven that people tend to be happier when they invest in experiences rather than things.

Start right now.

Plan an adventure. Take one this wek, even for a few hours.  Pin them on Pinterest.  Research some awesome places to go.  Start a piggy bank for your trip.  (THIS magnetic piggy bank can help!) And… have so so so much fun!

xoxo Dana

A big P.S. today: The Love Camp is coming (!!!) to transform life with so much more love! Attracting more love and living with more love in every day!

It’s over two years in the making, so I’m beyond-thrilled to share this with you!!!  The FREE 3-Video series kicks things off right HERE!!!  This hour of feng shui videos for love starts soon and it’s only up for 21 days a year…so if you’re ready for a lighter, brighter, more love-filled life, yo

 

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And, if you want to dive in to your own personalized feng shui in a modern, practical way, Say hello to Feng Shui 101.  Its the guide I made for you to create your own personalized feng shui at home, in the office, wherever you may be… in 8 weeks.  It’s not filled with strict rules or what you “must” do.  Its filled with information, questions, exercises and even videos and classes to help you confidently create amazing spaces with killer feng shui and live with more flow.   Learn more about the 8-week feng shui adventure & grab your copy to get started right HERE…   And, as always, please let me know what happens!