Hello friend,
Thank you for your incredible support last week as we revealed our new Balance Design studio space in Inman Park! I am looking forward to continuing to share progress shots as we move in in January. As a team, we all went over this week to take some team photos with our favorite portrait photographer, Lisa, at Wilder Storyhouse. You’ll see these shots on our holiday card and throughout the website. But today, I am sharing some of the shots I took on my phone because I couldn’t wait to share them with you!
This brings me to the subject of this post-we have hit the holiday season, and if you are like me, it gets nutty! Each year, when I finally get to November, I feel like the clock goes on double time (even with our extra hour of daylight saving!) From Halloween through New Year’s, I often feel harried, rushed, and frankly completely overwhelmed! I long for the endless days of summer when I feel like life allows me to linger longer.
Interior Designer, Jennifer Carter in front of our new washed blue exterior wall at the new space.
I realize that time is a construct that I have fully bought into. Each year around this time, I bemoan the crunch and my anxiety about falling short of my expectations. After 59 years, I’ve gotten very good at these feelings! Do you feel this way too?
Interior Designer, Marlee Vlassis Marasciulo, at our new studio space.
One of my favorite books, Simple Abundance, addresses time as a concept and defines 2 different types: Chronos and Kairos. Chronos is what we are used to: measuring time with watches, clocks, phones, planners, calendars, and schedules. We also have tons of apps and tools to “help” us manage our time better. As designers, lawyers, doctors, workers, and many other professionals, we must carefully track our time to get paid. This adds another dimension to the chronos phenomenon; we really have to watch the clock to be “successful.”
Marilyn, Andrea, Jennifer, Jean-Luc and Dorian.
Yet time has another side: Kairos. Kairos is a moment. And part of this moment is recognizing it. Moments in Kairos create memories, and often, it is these times we long for. Kairos has no ticking clock; in fact, it’s the opposite: these are the moments we don’t want to end, or when we completely lose track of time. Kairos is also about seizing the moment at exactly the right time. For example, a Kairos moment may be big, like Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Or they can be small, like holding your grandfather’s hand as you wonder how much time you have left together.
Interior Designer, Melody Richardson Ali at our new space!
As we move through this season together, I want to share a few ideas for creating our Kairos moments. These moments often come rarely, so we want to seize the opportunity. We have to notice them and not get lost in the chronos world. Here are few ways to seize the Kairos this season:
1-Focus on eating together as a family, without phones or other distractions. Ask real and deep questions and listen carefully to the answers. Here is a link to some deep questions to consider asking your friends and family. There are some cool questions here to try!
A photo of a wreath project by Fabien TWB.
2-Decorating for the holidays creatively, naturally, and slowly. Taking our time to get it just right. Here is a link to some natural decor ideas by design guru, Emily Henderson that I loved and am considering for this year.
3-Choosing an event to dress up and experience for the holidays. Here is a list of events in Atlanta. I encourage you to choose 1 or 2 events (out of 101 events), so you don’t plan too much and get out of the Kairos frame of mind.
4-Wrap your gifts individually and creatively, and relish the feeling of giving thoughtful gifts to your loved ones. Here is a link to some creative ideas from my favorite travel photo book source: Artifact Uprising.
5-Come home after work, make a cup of tea or hot cider, and play a board game or read a good book. The goal here is to relax, perhaps without alcohol, and do something that has nothing to do with digital media. Give your senses a break.
From author Sarah Ban Breathnach of Simple Abundance:
“Kairos is time at her best. Chronos requires speed so that it won’t be wasted.”
I hope that this upcoming season is full of those Kairos moments and that we can seize them together! I believe we can recognize them. Let’s slow down and enjoy the season, shall we?
Until next week,
Stephanie
