Here are some motivational notes:

• Automated directives and rule systems build structure to organize chaotic work and build work flow
• “Rules keep me moving and keep me making”
• With these rules, flexibility and surprise happen
• Automated directives are catalyst for so many other ways of working — they jump start other work
• Constraints yield creation: 1) limitation on format; 2) framework for content; 3) restriction on tools
• Enables you to discover things about yourself and new ways of working
• Find what you love. Be obsessed. Make. Think. Surprise yourself. Repeat.

Inspired, I arranged a project for every.day.of.the.work.day:

:: Mondays ::

Record 3 things Iearned about myself and my surroundings that week.

:: TUESDAYS ::

Quantitative analysis of relationships between people and their living spaces and furniture while answering the questions:

Expressing gratitude for those who have impacted my life. Send cards to two amazing people who have impacted and touched my life.

We are all impacted by every single person we encounter each day whether we notice it or not. Whether they are in your current life or they played a role in the past, it’s heart warming for both parties to acknowledge how they have contributed to who you are today.

The design of the card is such that it’s contagious. The front flap turns into a postcard that the recipient can pass onto someone who has impacted them. For every person I thank, they can too! With 46 weeks left the year, that’s 184 people we together can share our gratitude with!

Here is the card, note and envelopes I made out of 100% upcycled materials: manilla folders and brown grocery bags!

:: THURSDAYS ::

:: FRIDAYS ::

***

“Beautiful! Thank you for accommodating the special request – it’s better than I expected!”

Custom order "Stella" fanny pack: over-sized to use on her baby cart

“Nicely crafted-greatly support recycling efforts! Thank you!”

“Slight tears in the burlap, but that just added to the quality, giving it an awesome feel. Beautifully made, a great purchase!”

“Functional yet cute. Very well made.”

“Thank you! It’s perfect … And the extra orange lining is a great touch. Just lovely.”

“Excellent quality and fast shipping. Love it!”

Custom order "Ace" iMac sleeve + battery pouch

“Love the bag, unique, well-made, perfect size, and super versatile. Thanks!”

Ever so versatile "Leah" tote bag lined with upcycled pants

“Absolutely gorgeous, really well-made and incredibly friendly service! I’ll definitely be recommending your store!”

“The shipping was really fast! Thank you for your piece of art! It’s lovely ”

"Alexa" wristlet

“Absolutely love this! Fast shipping and excellent seller!”

“What a well made, creative, one-of-a-kind, beautiful bag made by a conscientious and amazing young lady! Thanks so much for contributing to my wedding by providing me unique and special gifts for my bridesmaids!”

"Alexa" wristlet

“Quick shipping! Would def buy from this seller again. Very cute and well made wristlet. Thank you!”

“This little bag is adorable!! Thank you so much”

Keep your handbag organized with "Maggie" zippered pouch

“I simply adore this little coin purse. Perfect for storing a few cards, cash and a cell phone. Extremely well constructed and artfully executed. Great value for the cost. Thank you ”

Ever so versatile "Leah" tote bag lined with upcycled IKEA curtain

Thank you all for your lovely feedback and support!! <3

I am currently in an open relationship with a quirky design nerd who expands my world, believes in me, stuffs me with his amazing cooking, and makes me smile. Open? Yes. Open. We have the option to share ourselves intimately with multiple partners at the same time.

Just the other day, he told me he went on a date with an uber smart law student with whom he shared a wonderfully esoteric conversation about the world of environmental law. This was a shock to me as it was the first time he has dated anyone outside of our relationship and there was no former mention of her.

I was immediately overcome with jealousy, fear and feeling of inadequacy. I mindlessly fabricated a flawless, beautiful, smart, witty woman excelling at everything she attempted. I filled myself with every reoccurring insecurities: “Oh my god, she’s so much better than me…I’m not good enough…I’m not smart enough…I’m completely inadequate…He’s going to fall for her and leave me.”

It…totally…sucked.

After a day of mental digestion and a morning chit chat with the Mr., I came to realize I have a choice:

1. Be jealous of her…someone who I know nothing about…just what my insecurities fabricated in my mind.
2. Be fearful of the unforeseen future that he may (or may not) like her more, spend more time with her and eventually dub me “undesirable” and leave me in the dust.
3. Compare myself to the completely fabricated, perfect “her” and make myself feel utterly pathetic and inadequate.
4. Be really happy for him that he was able to meet someone who fulfills a need in a way that I don’t.
5. Be in the present moment and enjoy the shit out of the relationship we share now.

Just as I could have chosen jealousy, fear, inadequacy and overall misery, I just as easily chose happiness and went with #4 and #5.

I realized the consequence of me choosing #1-3, and behaving out of those feelings, was so undesirable. We would have gotten the insecure, self pitying, fearful, resentful Akiko. Instead, through choices #4-5, we get the confident, vibrant, loving Akiko. And who wouldn’t want that?

This was originally difficult for me to swallow but has proven to be a really pivotal experience where I practiced, 1) living in the moment and 2) choosing, not out of fear but out of authentic desire. It’s not easy — I’m sure I will feel jealous, fearful and inadequate at some point again but knowing that is a choice is empowering and a relief.

***

(Speaking of inadequacy and vulnerability, Brene Brown‘s talk on TED and interview with Smart People is worth a listen!)

Yes yes, I know, I know. I’ve sort of missed the exciting “declare your new year’s resolution!” boat but better late than never!

This morning, I came across what I wrote down and it brought back a much needed, refreshing *sense of purpose*. So read on, folks, and keep me accountable if you ever see me falling off the tracks!!

***

Spending time at home with family and long time friends, sharing meals and stiff drinks over long conversations is food for da soul — time for rejuvenation and clearing of the mind, a chance to check back into my priorities and commitments.

At home, I don’t have to worry about much. My mother cooks amazing meals, does my laundry, makes my bed and calls me downstairs for dessert. My father fixes my car, updates my laptop, and buys me new power tools. My brothers and I lounge around, shoot the shit, and play with the dog. My friends remind me of how much I have grown and what I have accomplished in the year I spent away from home. Similarly, their growth and accomplishments throughout the year inspires me to push on.

Being surrounded by those who love me unconditionally and truly believe I am capable of doing anything happily stirs up all flavors of possibilities. After swapping the unnecessary anxiety with courage, honesty and encouragement, I was able to reflect on what kind of person I want to be and what steps will get me there.

• Eat less processed and simple sugars, drink less alcohol, eat more intentionally, exercise regularly: “The physical state of our bodies can either serve or subvert the quest to create genius. But because life seems to value output over the humanity of the process and the ability to sustain genius, attention to health, fitness, and exercise almost always take a back seat. Choosing art over health rather than art fueled by health kills you faster. It also makes the process so much more miserable and leads to poorer, slower, less innovative, and shallower creative output. (Exercise) affects not only your ability to think, create, and solve, but your mood and ability to lean into uncertainty, risk, judgment, and anxiety in a substantial, measurable way, even though until very recently it’s been consistently cast out as the therapeutic bastard child in lists of commonly accepted treatments for anxiety and depression.”

• Similarly, mentally eat less processed and simple sugars. Read more, educate myself, be intentional about what I feed my noggin: What I feed my mind is as important as what I feed I body. Be mindful of what I subject my mind to. Introduce new music, podcasts and films to my mind. Think about what type of person I want to be.

• Run my business as a business: Manage my career as if I were my own business. Be entrepreneurial about my career every single day. Make a niche and be the go-to expert.

• Manage my accounting: ”The one who dies with the most toys doesn’t win. The one who lives life to the fullest wins.”

• Be this person → inspirational, motivational, brazen, relentless

• Sleep early, rise early, kick some ass

• Don’t worry about what others think…they really don’t give a *bLeeP*

• Plan ahead, be methodical…grow up! You’re kind of old.

• Go balls out: ”If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.”

• If I feel drawn to someone, go to them: Put yourself in the right place at the right time (ie: Horse Brass with Duane Sorenson)

• Practice empathy: Think CARL

• Make goals, make actions: Have a friggin’ purpose! Jeez. Once a decision is made to move forward, put an action plan in place. Put down dates by which tasks will be accomplished and move! Be specific and all-encompassing. Include a budget based on projected income and expenses — know that I can survive and thrive financially.

• Have integrity! Be accountable for my actions! Put the booty on the line. DO WHAT YOU SAY YOU ARE GOING TO DO. SERIOUSLY.

• Embrace failure. “Lean into discomfort”: Every time I fail, I get closer to the solution, right? It isn’t about succeeding right now, it’s about working toward it, bit by bit, day by day. Start. Persist. Make mistakes. Be true to myself.

• Close down all open tabs and shut computer down every night: Finish reading, processing or saving all tabs opened during the day. Complete things!

Phew! That’s it! How are your new year’s resolutions coming along? Share, share!

I ask the following questions:
1) What are my strengths?
2) What are my weaknesses?
3) What can you always count on me for?
4) What can you never count on me for?
5) If I was a flavor of ice cream what would I be?
6) If I was on a cover of a magazine, what would it be?
7) If you could control my life, what would you have me do?

I initially thought I could only interview friends who knew me really well, but the truth is, generally speaking, people see/judge each other within the first 30 seconds upon meeting. They already have opinions about you. Those are interesting to pick up on too — how I am perceived right off the bat…and how transparent I am.

The feedback are not too surprising. I think we are all aware of our strengths and weaknesses. The surprise comes when realizing how much others see me as my strengths or weaknesses. It becomes clear how transparent I am to others. Having my strengths confirmed by others is empowering. Having my weaknesses pointed out to me is an awesome kick in the ass — it’s one thing to know I negatively impact myself with my weaknesses, but a new level of effort goes into changing my behaviors when realizing I have negatively impacted the people I care about.

Not only are these interviews helpful for my self development, they also shine light on what each of my interviewees value. What they see as strengths and weaknesses is a direct reflection of their values. Now, I have a better understanding where their morals, values and expectations stand.

One of the many overlapping feedback has been for question #7. “If you could control my life, what would you have me do?” I get feedback like:

- Relax. Chill the fuck out.
- Realize you are capable of anything
- Slow down. Don’t do so much. Don’t pack your day so tightly.
- Enjoy the journey, don’t focus so much on the destination
- Take time off for yourself
- Be more selfish
- Focus on the few things you want to do and don’t spread yourself out too thin
- Reserve one day a week for nothing. Have no plans. Just enjoy what comes to you.

So, I did just that this past Sunday. I had NO PLANS. WHAaaaT???!! Yes, absolutely no plans. No obligations. No phone calls to make. No emails to send. No Etsy customers to please. No meetings. No bags to make. No coffee meet-ups. No catching up with time. No nothing.

………It was the most fulfilling day I had in a super long time. I don’t remember the last time I was so relaxed and at peace with myself and the world. I was in great company with positive spirited, interesting, endearing people…cooking + eating wholesome food, downing mimosas, mushroom hunting, feeling small in nature, breathing fresh air, losing myself in music, deepening my spirituality…a day sprinkled with laughs and silly giggles.

In Japanese/Chinese language, two characters together make up the word for “human being”:

The two characters married are: 1) person and 2) between. It signifies that humans exist intertwined with one another. We do not live independent of one another. We impact each another in the most incomprehensible ways, knowingly or unknowingly, each and every moment.

Recently, I realized that the void I have been feeling stems from the desire, bordering a need, to help those less fortunate; to utilize myself for the service to others. I am blessed with so much: financial stability, awesome physical and mental health, a pretty smart noggin , social and familial network, an array of skills and talents. These blessings are wasted unless I use them…and what better way to use them than to benefit my community?

This mentality spawned Seeds of Opportunity — a nonprofit/interactive art space where immigrants and refugees use the skilled trades they obtained in their native countries to make art and in turn a living. Due to the government budget cuts, their stipend period upon arriving to United States have been reduced from two years to eight months. Within eight months, they are expected to learn a new language, find employment, find accommodation and assimilate into their new culture. Really? Eight months?! The Seeds of Opportunity interactive art space will be a space where immigrants and refugees with skilled trades will be employed, to create, sell and teach their trades to the community of Portland. On top of gaining financial footing, it’s an opportunity for them to interact with their new community, practice their English and create a niche for themselves. In turn, it’s a great opportunity for the community of Portland to learn about their countries, cultures and hardships they have endured.

We are having a Charity Art Fair :: THIS SUNDAY :: TOMORROW :: OCTOBER 30TH :: to raise public awareness and funding to kick-start this nonprofit organization. A slew of local Portland artisans have stepped forward for the cause. We have a group of vendors donating 50% of their sales and 20+ artisans who donated their work for the silent auction.

Visit our Facebook event page or scroll down for more details and a list of participants and contributors. Please spread the word! A huge turnout is a WIN for everyone! Yes, even for you!

***

We are having a charity art fair on Sunday, October 30th, from 12-4pm at SLATE (2001 NW 19th Street #104)!

Kick-start your holiday shopping + support local artisans + contribute to a great cause + get rid of your Saturday night Halloween debauchery hangover ALL IN ONE DAY!

This is a public awareness/fund raising art fair in an effort to open a non-profit, interactive art space for the immigrants and refugees of Portland. The art space will provide employment opportunities where they can use the skilled trades they obtained in their native countries to make a living.

Local Portland artists will be vending at this art fair where 50% of their sales will be donated towards Seeds of Opportunity. It’s win-win! You get to enjoy/buy local art work AND support a great cause!? It’ll make you feel all warm + fuzzy on the inside, I promise

Sponsored by:
- Toyota Scion
- Brook Design Services, LLC
- Camera Graphics
- Redirect Guide Portland

Featured vendors:
- Nakate
- Bleu Oiseau Photography
- Allison Bratt
- Shannon Larson
- Designated Dryden
- Brooke Weeber
- 5th Season

Silent auction donors:
- Mag Big
- Breedom Public Sewing House
- Little Things
- Belovie Pure Bath + Body
- Urban Lace Upcycled Jewelry
- Noble Studios Ltd.
- Betty Turbo
- Dolls for Friends
- Jolby and Friends
- Roots Soap Co.
- MOSS Handmade
- Oh My Cavalier
- Write Owl Designs
- Super Phoebe
- Garnish Apparel
- Seaworthy
- Cathy McMurray
- Michelle Maule
- Rainy Day Creative ceramics
- Manifest Photography
- Allison Bratt

Event photos by Margaret Jacobsen Photography
Graphics/media by Alyssa Paquette

Remember, there is a :: 15% off coupon code :: for all 5th Season items in the Etsy shop! From now until next Monday!! Woot!! Just punch in ITSFALLYO2011 at purchase!

Today, I got to enjoy a beautiful, sunny autumn day with my friend, Monique, at the riverfront Saturday Market. Nothing better than spending an afternoon being surrounded by carefully handcrafted art and catching up with a friend about life, careers and relationships. We had a late lunch at one of my favorite eateries downtown: Mother’s Bistro for some zesty veggie sandwich, cauliflower + cheese soup and of course chocolate chip + toffee cookie. Nothing like chocolate to put a smile on this face

In a previous blog, Breakthrough = liberation from shit., I mentioned that I moved into a new fixer-upper house my friend bought. Here are some “before” sneak peak pictures. It’s a pretty sizable two bedroom/one bath house with a big side/back yard. Gary already built an awesome fence with some windows for the front — supplies all from the ReBuilding Center

The babies, Yoda and Huckleberry, are already loving and exploring the neighborhood. The neighbors always call to let me know how friendly and cute they are. They’re so cute and pretty, they are apparently girls…”Yoda just walked into our house. Is it okay if she plays with us?” “Yoda slept in our bed last night. She‘s so precious!” Huckleberry has reverted back to his mama’s-boy status and follows me around everywhere I go! So cute, that one