How many times have you started a project only to leave it unfinished?

I have been very guilty of this lately and I can’t figure out the root of my procrastination. It is possible that the busyness of this time of year leaves me creatively drained at the end of the day and the need to do design projects around my home takes very last place (the shoemaker’s kids have no shoes!)

I have had a project in my guest bedroom since moving into this house in August and it’s a simple task – paint some feature stripes to hang a botanical framework in front of creating visual interest in a very boring room. Sounds like a cake walk right? Will somebody please explain to me why the frames are still on the ground and the paint that I sell in my very own store has not yet been mixed? What is my world coming to?

There can be so many tasks in our day that we push the optional stuff to the bottom of the pile, the trouble with putting off these small projects is that whether we like it or not they are in our face every single day. I walk by my guest room every day and reprimand myself for not getting a simple and kind of fun task done – it’s not like I have to hang drywall!

What needs to happen is a creative motivator needs to come into our day and you never know when it will sneak up on you.

Being a designer and working with fabulous designers I am exposed to new ideas and fabrics and fun stuff every single day but often it can become too commonplace to be very exciting. I’ve almost become desensitized to design and that spills over into my personal decorating projects, they become more of a task than a joy.

I have a confession to make, I have never built a house – ever. I have renovated dozens of homes that I have personally lived in, having a particular passion for heritage homes but I have never built a home from the ground up.

I wonder if I could afford my own taste and if I would become that indecisive customer who can never make up her mind!

When we have excess in our lives it is easy to become gluttonous and overindulge in what we love, when that happens it becomes tasteless and bland and we need to take a step back from it and give our palette a break. For example, I could eat a Diva from my favorite Babycake Cupcakery every day but it would lose its charm and specialness plus I would be very plump! Instead I choose a special day every few months to enjoy a cupcake and believe me the anticipation is worth the reward!

With the amount of new and gorgeous products coming in constantly it’s like a cupcake a day – I am reluctant to start a housing project because I could design 500 and still be looking for what is next.

So in this glut of design deliciousness how and where do I find my creativity? In my clients! I meet wonderful people every single day who inspire me and let me help them create their homes. No two are alike and it inspires and uplifts me when I meet these wonderful clients.

Kim Lewis is an interior designer in Red Deer with Carpet Colour Centre.