Permission to be a Beautiful Wild Mess

I have this tendency to put myself in boxes.

When I had a career in interior design I put myself in the “I’m an Interior Designer” box. When I stepped away from that career I was left unsure of who I was because for many years my identity was tied to my profession.

When our identity is gone, who are we?

This is the question I’ve been asking myself for the last decade: who am I?

Not who society wants me to be. Not what’s expected of me. But when everything falls away: who am I?

My soul’s work in this lifetime is about liberating myself and others from the boxes of limitations - the societal shoulds and supposed to’s that dim our light and suffocate our joy.

Lately, it’s been interesting to witness how much I want to put myself back into a box and claim an external identity.

I moved to Washington, a beautiful state where I feel deeply held by momma earth, and I’ve been meeting a new version of myself, or rather I’ve set free a version of myself which I’ve kept locked away.

And yet, I want to put her back in a box.

One of the ways the boxes have been showing up in my life is within my business.

I am a wildly creative multi-passionate woman with a wide range of interests and a diverse skill set. From interior design, to women’s circles, to creating art, to coaching, to studying Female Shamanism - I'm the happiest when I do it all.

What I’ve come to realize is I keep trying to put my business in a box so I can make sense of what I do. If it makes sense then I can put a title on it and claim an external identity which then validates who I am as a woman and the work I do in the world.

(There's LOTS to unravel here)

This box has left me feeling suffocated and has taken the passion out of what I do.

Last night I was chatting with my best friend and was sharing projects I’ve been working on which excite me: painting and selling Goddess Portraits, Let it F*cking Go (a decluttering challenge I led a few months ago), decluttering in person here in Kirkland, and a Self-Discovery Scrapbook.

All of these feel REALLY good but I haven’t been focusing on them because I couldn’t figure out how to put them in the box!!!

When I was sharing this with my friend I had the realization, “Maybe it’s all a beautiful wild mess!”

We both started laughing and in that moment I felt free - the box was gone.

This is me claiming a Beautiful Wild Mess in my life and business. It doesn’t have to make sense. I’m allowing the joy, creativity and curiosity to lead the way. I’m saying yes to what feels really good, and taking a pause from everything that doesn’t. I’m giving myself full permission to be everything that I am and do everything I want to do in the world. No boxes allowed.

If what I shared today resonates I would invite you to explore:

• The identities you attach to
• The boxes you create for yourself and others
• What you need to give yourself permission to be, have and do?
• Who are you with no boxes? Or Identites?

I don’t know what Beautiful Wild Mess will become and that’s the beauty of it.

Like always, I’m happy you’re along for the journey.

Cheers to letting joy, creativity & curiosity lead the way,

xo,

Em