It’s All In The Risk

The Nester is have a National {Not Really} Take A Risk Day. I got me thinking about the risks I’m willing to take.

My most recent risk is my Ancestral Map Settee.

It wasn’t really a risk for me to tackle the project. I’ve done other upholstery projects before and I knew this one would be pretty straight-forward.

Deciding to draw the map on the fabric and paint it, that was a risk. I hadn’t seen anyone do something like that. I could see in my head how I wanted it to look, but sometimes translating the visions in your head into reality can be a tricky process.

I also took a bold risk of color when I redid my dresser.

I’m not totally sure how I feel about the color choice. I love all the colors individually, but together, I’m not sure. I certainly don’t want to repaint it any time soon, but I have yet to figure out the direction for my room.

The bedspread that I bought for my room has torn and will need to be replaced. The green of the dresser matched the bedspread, so I’m not sure if I’ll keep this color or not. Since I have the settee in my bedroom, I’m leaning more towards a pastel pallet that pulls from the colors in the settee, which means the red would have to go.

The other risk I took with the dresser was coming up with the embossed panel.

Again, this was a matter of taking an idea in my head and trying to make it a reality. I love the design and no matter what color I paint on the dresser, I’ll happily keep the embossed panel.

My lampshade was also a risk. It could have gone from pretty to kitschy in about 3 beads.

I love this lamp shade, but I’ve yet to make a matching one for the other lamp. It was so much work and I really need to find a different frame for the shade. One that has side supports. My love of beads and glass will never leave and I truly enjoy this lampshade.

It’s easy for me to see a project on a blog and think, “I can do that.” Getting ideas is why I look at blogs. Blogs and companies give us inspiration and direction and help us create beautiful things for our homes.

Knocking off Pottery Barn or Anthropology or any other place is about copying someone else’s creativity. Don’t get me wrong. There’s no shame in knocking off one of the big guys and making something for pennies that they’re trying to sell you for top dollar. In fact, I plan to knock off PB’s butterfly pillows soon.

But knock offs are not generally risks. Taking a risk means moving out of your comfort zone. It means tapping into that inner voice that’s giving you guidance and direction on a project. It’s looking at something and seeing the potential.

People ask me where I get my ideas. I don’t know. I’ve seen map projects on the blogs for awhile now and I’ve loved every one that I’ve seen. My sister just started a genealogy blog and I’ve been helping her a bit with that, so genealogy has been on my mind.

I follow the lovely Marian at Miss Mustard Seed and the delightful Donna at Funky Junk Interiors. I think if they had a love child, it’d be me. Both of their styles are so different, but the both do things that I absolutely love. Both of them, coincidentally, are no stranger to risks. Maybe that’s one of the reason I follow them?

You throw all those things into my head, and out comes an Ancestral Map Settee. It was a risk, but the greater risk, in my mind, is to be safe. Not take a chance. Not listen to that voice that speaks to you. Being safe has it’s place, but when it comes to creativity, there’s got to be a risk.

The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect, but by the play instinct arising from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the object it loves. – Carl Jung

What risks have you taken lately?

Suesan