iPhone photography: red berries

Something unexpected happened with my September Shift list. First I put it out there. Then you gave me wonderful feedback both in comments and email. Thank you! I can’t really express how helpful it’s been!

And then I stared at my list. And spent time with the list and my thoughts. Gradually my thoughts turned more towards the season, towards the shift and how refocusing seems to be a recurring theme both in my life in general and for my creativity. (Here’s an example of Refocusing Creative Life.)

One day everything seems to be going well, I’m satisfied with how I’m supporting myself with yoga and swimming and healthy meals, my work is going well and is full of meaning. I’m learning new things, spending time with loved ones and the items on my to-do lists are getting ticked off at a gratifying pace.

Then one day, I’m out of sync with the beautiful plan, maybe it started with a cold that set off my daily routines or perhaps I started doubting myself, or had a technical difficulty, or got swamped with work, for what ever reason though, it feels like I lost balance and I have to make an effort to get back on track. Focus and then refocus. Perhaps it’s simply a natural part of life that we’ve lost touch with?

So I thought I’d like to do this deliberately, take stock and refocus, regularly, before I lose the plot. And since it feels so appealing and natural to me to follow the seasons, why not make a shift each autumn, winter, spring and summer? Then I thought that if I find this helpful, maybe other people do too? So I’ve been carried away by a wave of creativity and inspiration, working on a set of Seasonal Shifts! I’m so excited and almost ready to release the first one!

Tags: creative cycle, focus, growth, recharge, redefinition, Seasonal Shifts, seasons, transformation

iPhone photography: birch tree and lights

First the squirrels chase each other across the oak tree and then the pigeons arrive. It’s the acorns. It’s the end of summer. The scent of apples. A kind of clarity in the air. The last night the party lights are strung up under the birch tree. Harvest time and a shift to a different pace. 

And I’m not painting, which is what I really should be doing in my spare time. Instead I busy myself with things that seem important, or that seem fulfilling but that leave that slight feeling of unease or dissatisfaction… You know that feeling one can get after having indulged in fast food? It kind of wasn’t worth it? Busy work. The kind of work that seems productive, but actually just keeps you occupied. (Is it just me or does this happen to you too?)

So I wrote a list of what I need to balance and prioritise in the area of art and design.

• paint
• redesign my website (like disappearing down the rabbit hole?)
• design skins for iPhones and put them up for sale in my shop
• make an illustrated recipe book or perhaps prints with recipes (“Studio Cooking” perhaps? Quick, fun and easy both for a budget with the odd party thrown in. What do you think?)
• prepare some new super inspiring interviews with creatives for your reading pleasure
• open life drawing programmes start soon. I’ll be going to draw dancers in motion at the Museum of Dance and perhaps try a new one for the regular life drawing.
• website maintenance (yawn, and also another rabbit hole)
• make pixel art mini posters with Hype Hair designs
• write a micro magazine for members of Club Marmalade Moon. (The next issue will come with a pre-release of a new collection of Vintage Folder Icons)
• did I mention painting?

Lets see if writing this list puts things into perspective for me and gives you an idea of some of the things you can expect here at Marmalade Moon this autumn. What’s your autumn looking like? Got that back to school feeling of energy and clarity? Fresh beginnings? New projects on the go? Or still muddled up like me, with more ideas than time?

Tags: autumn, creative cycle, focus, goals, growth, priorities, recharge, redefinition, summer, transformation

“Luminous: Grey” wallpaper keeps your desktop calm and focused in a neutral dark grey, discretely adding interest with texture. Perfect to use together with Luminous Greyscale Icons.

This pack of wallpaper includes versions for fullscreen and widescreen computers as well as the iPhone, iPhone 4 and iPad.

< — Save this wallpaper to your computer.

The Complete Series of Luminous Wallpapers:

Luminous Ultramarine Wallpaper
Luminous Cerulean Wallpaper
Luminous Grey Wallpaper

Tags: black, desktop art, focus, grey, minimalist, wallpapers

You’ve built up flow, you’re in the zone, fully immersed and engaged, focused, when a message pops up indicating that you’ve got an unread message. It’s almost irresistible to check what it is, isn’t it? Notifications with unread items break your flow and concentration.

If you’re using Apple’s e-mail you can turn off the distractions notifications, and the problem is solved by being out of sight out of mind. Instead of knee-jerk checking your e-mail, you can check mail when you feel like it or when you have made time for it.

Here’s how to turn off notifications for Apple’s mail

Open the preferences. Change the dock unread count to none! That’s it!

While you’re at it, you can also make changes to how often you want to automatically check your e-mail, as well as change your preference to only check for mail manually. Change the sound for new e-mail or set the sound to none at all.

Now it’s up to you to check your email instead of having that “unread count” broadcast to you. A subtle shift, but one that can make a powerful difference.

Tags: flow, focus, Mac, software

Creating a desktop work flow process will help you be more efficient so you can focus on your projects rather than feel overwhelmed by desktop clutter.

Customize your folders and desktop icons helps you to quickly and easily locate your favorite applications, the projects you are working on, and your most important files and folders.

Rapidly finding and identifying the files you are looking for speeds up your work and reduces stress.

Customizing your desktop with my Workflow Collection icons can show a night and day difference

Workflow Desktop Icons

• It contains the Inbox icon (shown above) for your “collection buckets” such as your folder for downloads, your folder for brainstorming, URLs you’re saving, images and loose ideas that need to be processed.
• The TO-DO icon (a clipboard) can be used for “next actions.
• The Doing icon (a gear) for “active projects”
• The pending icon (an hourglass) for “waiting for” and
• The archive icon for “completed projects”.

This method works excellently for David Allen’s Getting Things Done (or GTD) action management method but also for personal methods of staying productive and organized in a simple way.

Not sure how to customize your icons?  Click here for a great tutorial!

More Suggestions for a Productive Desktop:

Zen .. Zen .. Where’d I put my Zen? The Beauty of an Organized Desktop
Color Code your Folders and Improve Productivity
How to Organize Your Desktop by Naturally Following Your Workflow
How to Change Your Icons

Tags: art, color code, desktop art, flow, focus, getting organized, Getting Things Done, GTD, icons, productivity