Let Your Spirit Play
You can Do It!
By Liz Sterling
You Can Do It!
Christopher Lowell is a powerhouse. He is a motivator, energizer,
inspirer and a guru on unleashing creativity. While interviewing
him on a beautiful Chippendale sofa at the Office Depot
Success Strategies conference media room, his message was
resoundingly clear. "We are all creative," he
says, "and through personal creativity, our spirit
comes out to play." With summer upon us, I knew Lowell
would be great for our inspiration. He has a wonderful motto…you
CAN do it! And I propose we use this mantra throughout the
summer. Better yet, when talking to ourselves and those
we love…Let's use this mantra…forever.
Explore Your Personal Creativity
Lowell was easy going and easy to talk to. He is a man on
a mission and believes his work is his ministry. He is watching
the trends and patterns in our society and is influencing
our evolution. "In the American culture, Lowell observes,
"people have great instincts but these same people
are afraid. And with fear comes hesitation. Our instincts
have been suppressed because of our past experiences and
most people don't discover this until they go to decorate
their homes. Our home is a reflection of who we are…and
when we begin to design the interior, we have to meet ourselves.
Then we say…oh my gosh, who am I? I have always felt
the home format is the perfect opportunity to get in touch
with yourself. You see, our physical interiors match our
mental interiors. We are how we live and by changing the
way we live, either in our mental interior or our physical
interior, other things in our life will change as well.
We have an opportunity to reinvent and to explore our personal
creativity in a more profound way, under our own roof, than
in any other area of our lives. If we can't experiment in
our own homes, then where can we?"
Christopher Lowell has many talents. He was an accomplished
concert pianist, artist, sculptor, dancer and entrepreneur.
"My inner curriculum developed by honing my artistic
skills. We confuse talent with creativity. We are not all
talented, but we have an innate creativity. I do my personal
work everyday. Here's what I suggest:
Christopher's RX For Living
Decorate With Your Heart
"Take a look at your wardrobe. Look at what you have.
Chances are you will see a repetitive group of colors that
pop up. Chances are these look good on you, and will also
look good around you."
"As I watched our culture change, I saw male and female
relationships changing too. Get home magazines for you and
your husband to peruse. For one month without regard for
budget, tear out every picture you like. Have him do the
same. Circle what you like in the picture and put all the
pictures in your own folder. Have him do the same. Then
look at what you have selected. This elicits dialogue and
allows you both to contribute to the new creativity you
will express in your home. You see, for the first time in
history, co-partnering every decision made in the home is
a reality."
Future Trend
The Day Spa industry is up 78%. In the future, we will build
spa-like settings in our own homes. "People want flexible
sexy spaces that are not gender specific environments. In
my next book, “Future Urban Living”,
we will explore the changing home environment and we will
look at creating that environment and new options in entertaining."
Man On A Mission
A native of Anchorage, Alaska who spent a portion of his
childhood in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Christopher Lowell
has genetics to thank, in part. "I was very blessed
to be born into a creative family," he explains. "My
father was a master joiner, an artisan who can recreate
16th, 17th and 18th-century interiors. From him I learned
that elusive thing called scale. I was also inspired by
my grandmother, an interior decorator."
Lowell's inspires confidence in consumers, adhering to
his philosophy that, where there is fear, there is no creativity.
His first, best-selling book, "Seven Layers of
Design: Fearless, Fabulous Decorating" (Random
House/Clarkson-Potter) is now in its twelfth printing. It
was designed to help people overcome fear and was followed
two years later with the Fall 2002 publication of "If
You Can Dream It, You Can Do It!: Dream Décor on
a Budget" (Clarkson-Potter). In September 2003
"Small Spaces" (Clarkson-Potter), was
published and Christopher's new entertaining book, "The
Hassle Free Host" (Clarkson Potter), came out
last fall. New York Times Magazine says "At
once cheerleader, drill sergeant and household ham, the
frenetically funny Christopher Lowell is poised to parlay
his stealth success as a decorating guru-to-the-masses into
the next how-to empire."
Love Your Home---Love Yourself
As viewers of his top-rated television show can attest,
Christopher Lowell is an expert at smashing barriers, especially
those that stifle creativity. Disarming audiences the moment
he steps onstage, sporting an outrageous costume or playing
a flamboyant character with a silly accent, he sparks creative
thinking from the start of each episode. His TV series "It's
Christopher Lowell!" and "The Christopher
Lowell Show" give viewers the ideas and courage
they need to create the house of their dreams. Lowell earned
a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Service Show Host. As one
journalist noted, his "signature humor, wit and charm"
transform what might be a bland how-to show into a mischievous
romp, propelled by an infectious enthusiasm. With his hearty
slogan "You can do it!" Christopher motivates,
entertains and inspires.
Lend A Helping Hand
"The rewards for helping others can only be understood
while in the act of giving. We shouldn't give because of
the politics, the money or social standing. It's the pure
pleasure of doing something outside our self that can make
such a profound difference in someone's life-someone we
may never meet. An act of anonymous kindness can, and does,
change lives. Working together for a common cause can create
community. Being generous of heart can yield the greatest
sense of what being human is all about. A greedy heart is
one that took too much, felt entitled to more and focused
on self. A full heart is one that lives without fear, knowing
that a humble heart will always be replenished and that
there is no such thing as being "generous to a fault."
Together we can make a difference.
Inside-Out
When you think about it, "inside-out" is really
one of life's metaphors. We seem to be forever busy on the
outside, dancing as fast as we can, trying to cope in stressful
world thinking this is what we're supposed to be doing.
In reality, what we're all trying to find is that safe place
where inner joy and happiness are all we need. Every generation
and every civilization has had its own unique set of circumstances
at its moment in time. Our outward fight for freedom, independence
and positive change should never take precedence over our
inner ability to love and be love-to understand the power
of forgiveness and integrity. The next time you find yourself
thinking about the million and one things you think you
need to get done or else-stop, take a breath and ask yourself
if what's on the outside list is more important than creating
that safe and loving place for you and those you love. Together,
we can do it!"
Change Your Home, Change Your Life
"Throughout nearly 10 years on television, my real
goal is to penetrate your mental interior just long enough
for you to understand that deep and personal change starts
at home. Creating a nurturing space has nothing to do with
money, perceived taste or expertise. It's really about self-esteem
and the ability to understand the home is really a powerful
metaphor for where you are. Look around. Does where you
live give you a feeling of pride or is it undermining your
ability to create experiment and discover who you really
are? Accomplishment is additive. Small changes can give
way to major breakthroughs. It might only be a matter of
painting one wall. But the thousands of letters I get tell
me that in the act of doing, many of you have found yourselves
in the process."
This summer, create a nurturing, safe, loving and sacred
space…that reflects you. Remember
Christopher's mantra…You CAN do it!
Liz Sterling—Southeast Feature Editor
liz@balancemagazine.com
© 2005 Balance Magazine
