My Spring Manifesto

Each season brings with it something new, a new chapter. I take real pleasure from noticing the changes and love the blurry edges to the seasons as they move to the next. My word this year is Awaken and with this in mind I have decided that I want to awaken more of a connection to the seasons than I have done before. I want to awaken more awareness and I want to awaken my senses.

To help me achieve this I'm writing a manifesto for each season of the year. A manifesto for me is a statement that pulls together my thoughts and the key things that what I want to get out of the season ahead and to help act as a guide. For me it's about thinking of the simple pleasures I love during the season, celebrating what the season brings, creating direction, actions, and practical and achievable intentions, with the outcome of connecting more to each season in an intentional and focused way. Life is full and creating a practice to allow myself to intentionally become more mindful is a such a good thing. Living with and observing the seasons is something that I do unconsciously, I adore it, but I want to awaken more of an awareness.

Over the past month or so I have been living with my Spring manifesto and wanted to share it with you today.  I'm putting my focus on a few key things this season...

My Spring Manifesto 2016

Make time to step away from digital habits

Reconnect to a handmade craft

Shape and grow something new in my life

Start a gratitude practice

Plant and cultivate seeds

This Spring I wanted to focus on growing, shaping, starting and reconnecting. As the plants bloom and new growth appears, I wanted to feel a connection in my own way and feel growth in my own life. Taking small steps to grow is something I'm really cultivating in my life at the moment and I'm really enjoying it. In the next month, as summer begins, I'll let you know how I've been living my Spring manifesto and what it has added to my life.

Inspired by... A Playful Day podcast

I've been listening to A Playful Day podcast for just over a year, I adore my weekly date with this podcast and it has become one of my favourite things to listen to. There are very few British podcasts that I listen to that I love so much and that I am really inspired by. With season one of the new-look podcast recently completed, I thought it would be a great time to share it with you so that you can catch up on the wonderful content over this rainy May bank holiday weekend.

A Playful Day is created by Kate, a talented blogger and podcaster who has recently moved from London to Dorset. Until the end of last year the podcast was focused mainly around knitting and yarn based chats, with monthly themes around making and creative process. Kate decided to take a short break away at the end of last year to rethink her podcast and change things a little. Relaunching her podcast in March, with a fresh new look and feel, the focus of A Playful Day podcast has now widened and contains some of the most brilliant content that I've listened to for a long time, they are subjects that are close to my heart too.

During season one Kate has been interviewing creative people, finding out about their process, the projects they are making, their small businesses, and discovering how they got to where they are. It's fascinating to hear about how people have started their creative businesses and what they are inspired by. There's still the occasional knitting and handmade chat which I adore, with the addition of wonderful recipes and updates on Kate's life. It's a podcast that I listen to on my walk to work, and also one that I will snuggle down with a mug of tea and a blanket and soak up over a weekend.

Kate is very much in touch with living a creative and sustainable lifestyle and her podcast now reflects even more of her story. By covering these different subjects Kate has really carved her own niche podcast, and having met her in person at Blogtacular last year, is as wonderful, honest and genuine in person as she sounds on her podcast. Kate has a fantastic voice to listen to and someone who loves her life and what she does. Kate bravely started a wonderful new creative adventure with her business and I feel very inspired by her. I would love it if you could take a listen to A Playful Day podcast, it will bring warmth, inspiration and brightness to your day.