Remembering something good, accidentally
Last month I shared how my creative process these days is increasingly about releasing my need to plan and control, and working more intuitively, allowing for happy surprises … “making space for happy mysteries”. In the week after publishing that, a word - and then a distant memory - came to me.
The word? “Serendipity”
“the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way / luck, or good fortune, in finding something good accidentally.”
Serendipity is a word I’ve loved for many years but had forgotten about. It’s another word for the kind of “happy surprises” or “happy mysteries” that I want to invite into my creative process (and life).
And the memory?
Back in my teens during high school, I had a little clothing business - my very first little business. Inspired by SARK and books like Hope For The Flowers, I used to paint and sell T-shirts with my favourite quotes - snippets of life wisdom that I loved - alongside bright, happy, and fun imagery that I painted.
I also drew a fabric print design (featuring my fav life wisdom quotes and sketches), which I paid someone to screen-print onto various fabrics for me. I contracted someone else to sew the fabric up into dresses and adult onesie pyjamas that I called “dreamsuits”. My friends had a blast modelling the dreamsuits in our high school fashion show!
And what did I call my little business?
When I pulled out my box of memories that’s traveled around the world with me, I found my hand-drawn labels and business card designs from 30 years ago, and I was reminded that, at the tender age of 16, I called my little business “Serendipity” .
Because I loved the meaning of the word.
When the dots join up
Sometimes it feels like I’ve had so much change and uncertainty in my life, so many begin-agains .… moving continents (multiple times), changing careers (multiple times), experimenting with different art-making approaches and materials (multiple times!). This, paired with my diverse interests and love of creativity and learning, means I often feel “consciously incompetent”, unfocused, and a bit lost.
And then there are times - like this - when I look back and all the dots seem to connect up.
And it doesn’t look like I’ve been unfocused or lost at all.
And I can see so clearly that … despite all of the changes, interruptions, diversions, and begin-agains in my story as I’ve adapted to losses and griefs, illnesses and disabilities, immigrations and having to start all over again, I’ve actually been on a single track all this time.
Or, hold on … maybe all those changes and losses that I’ve had to adapt to haven’t been interruptions or diversions or begin-agains in my story at all?
Maybe they’ve been the story.
Core to it all.
And essential to the process of “finding something good, accidentally”.
The process of serendipity.
Another name for which is happy mysteries.