I am going to use this blog to write about projects, life, family, personality and the path that has brought us all to the compound. We laugh because it sounds like a castle doesn’t it, a gorgeous mansion perhaps? Even a sprawling gated estate?

Frankly it is none of the above but I love it and over the coming months I am going to explain what it is and why we use that expression to describe what we are building.

I am pretty feisty with a no nonsense personality, it is the creative inside of me, she doesn’t have space for waste, confusion or jazz hands. You may smile but my family refers to me as the Queen and I like it like that, it makes sense to me!

I believe that life is an adventure and ultimately we have to do what feels right in our heart. Over the next few weeks and months I will tell you all about how my heart has driven adventure, life, design, family, thoughts and most importantly  the place I call home now, the compound! It is going to be fun to expose all of this to you and I hope you enjoy the stories by returning to share this new journey with all of us.

My obvious passion is design of course, but that is such a broad word. I love decorating rooms, I love art, music of all kinds, photography and I believe that beauty changes lives, that a safe place to call home is a gift that we are all entitled to, which I also believe should also be achievable at all price points. This is what the compound is to me, the place for art, music, beauty and most of all safety, it is my home and the road to get here has been challenging to say the least.

Looking back I can see now that I had a number of turning points, a series of “fork in the road” moments that have been etched into my memories forever. I suppose they are meant to be universal teaching tools or life lessons if you will. Like many of you I have experienced some pretty challenging and sometimes even harsh lessons in life.

If you have ever wondered why I have “old soul” tattooed on the inside of my arm, now you know, because of the lessons life has shared with me! If we ever get the chance to meet you will see how that saying applies to my personality and why I wear it as a symbol of my inner strength and beauty.

For as long as I can remember I have had this inner voice driving me, it whispers constantly carrying the best and worst of my thoughts, ideas, desires and fears. It guides and steers all of the creative freedom which pours out of me and is the light of my very inner being. I find it comforting that so many of my friends , the creative types in our industry, the people that push boundaries, drive beauty and fun, creativity, color and art all speak about some form of their inner beast and how it pushes them to new limits in their projects and lives. The thing that is ironic about this is that more often than not these are the same people that were not great at math, could not excel in a traditional educational setting and in many cases were shunned or even secluded because they seemed different to the system. Imagine a world without creatives, my grief, beige would rule the world! That is why I am grateful and feel blessed by having this inner voice that encourages me to push limits, think outside the box and pursue all of my passions.

So here is my first suggestion to all of you, embrace your inner creative and don’t be afraid to live it up with your designs, art and colors. Let your home turn into your compound, whatever that means to you!

Come back to the blog and I will take you with me on this journey, I will show you our compound and all that it means to my life and family. You and I can enjoy this together and I cannot wait to tell you about the journey that brought me here. .

See you next week

Amanda