Going deeper, not wider: 2019 as a depth year

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what is a depth year go deeper not wider

At the end of 2017, I found this article by Ann Patchett on her experiment with a year of no shopping, and promptly decided to give it a go. The idea was to practice conscious consumerism, but let me just say, I sucked at it!

I think it’s mainly because I’m really not much of a shopper. I tend to think before I buy, and the things I splurge on are actually put to use. So, no shopping made no sense for me, personally.

Last month, I stumbled upon the idea of a depth year. Now that…that feels exciting!Continue reading→

Reading challenge for 2019

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reading challenge for 2019

After cutting down on reading significantly over the last couple of years, I think it’s time to jump back into the fray. I’ve established a good rhythm with my art and spiritual practice, and I’m feeling comfortable with the idea of reading more books this year. While I will not go back to reading 90 odd books a year, I plan to commit once again to two books per month, for a total of 24 books (plus art, tarot, and self-development books, which I tend to not share on the blog. But maybe I should. What do you think?)Continue reading→

The word: 2019

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word of the year 2019

It’s funny how we can take to some rituals like a duck to water. After spending decades setting resolutions – and promptly breaking them – I stumbled upon the concept of a word of the year and it just…clicked. There’s a delicious expansiveness to choosing a word as a touchstone for the year as opposed to setting resolutions. Where one is focused on a singular outcome, which means you can either keep your resolution or break it, the other encompasses myriad possibilities and unfolds in, sometimes, unexpected ways.Continue reading→

The Decoding the Year workbook is here!

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Year end planning workbook decoding the year 2019

It’s that time of the year again! The time when you cozy up with pen and paper, a hot cup of your favorite beverage {black coffee without sugar for me, please}, some soft music, and start reflecting on the year gone by and planning for the coming year.

As an avid journaler, I really cannot let this time of the year go by without spending some time in quiet reflection. But I haven’t always been super successful with making new year plans – not by a long stretch! There have been many years when the change of the year was met with a dreary ho-hum, couldn’t care less attitude. Because just idle reflection and day dreams are really not enough to help move you forward in any sort of direction.Continue reading→

Small acts of kindness: Support a women’s sewing circle

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Ever so often, when I write out a cheque to NGOs like WWF or Cry, I wonder about the smaller NGOs that are doing excellent work but that I know nothing about. Rather than supporting these larger, globally established NGOs, I prefer to support smaller organizations that are doing excellent work in their areas. The problem, especially in a country like India, is in finding NGOs that do genuine work.

One of the NGOs we support every year is Asha Bhavan, which is doing excellent work to rehabilitate drug addicts. Recently, I learnt of another NGO – Project Why – from my friends Damyanti and Ishieta. Project Why was started by Anouradha Bakshi in 2000 with 40 slum children who wanted to learn spoken English and a handful of volunteers. It slowly expanded to include women’s empowerment initiatives, so the slum dwellers could support themselves and their children. Since 2007, over a 1,000 women have been trained at the women’s center sewing circle, including Renu, the sewing teacher.Continue reading→

On my art table: Constellation of Hope

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art journal techniques abstract art constellation of hope

I’ve been experimenting with abstract art recently, and it has been fun – challenging too, but fun. I find that I tend to slip back into slightly familiar territory when I am painting abstracts – adding in leaves, plants, flowers, or figures as a focal point and to try and bring everything together.

In this latest piece that I did, I was determined to keep it completely abstract, using only lines and shapes and color to tell a story. And what a story it turned out to be!Continue reading→

Organized vs Messy: What’s your desk style?

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Organized vs Messy Whats your desk style; messy desk; organized desk

A while ago, I saw this beautiful before and after post of an office-cum-creative space from the owner of A Beautiful Mess. She had done up the entire room in white, with a beautifully co-ordinated color palette and designated storage and wicker baskets for everything on a huge wall-to-wall shelf. The space looked organized and inviting. There’s also a certain feeling of calm that a predominantly white room exudes. It’s a pity that it is so impractical given how much dust and pollution we have here in Delhi.

But, I digress. Continue reading→

On building a mindfulness practice

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On building a mindfulness practice

I thought I’d share this month’s issue of Gypsy Wanderings to give you a taste of the kind of letters I share in my monthly emails. I enjoy writing these letters every month – it feels so much more intimate than blogging, and somehow, a lot more personal too. I imagine you, my dear Wanderers, sitting with a cup of coffee and reading these words, and I hope they strike a chord with you each month too. You can sign up for Gypsy Wanderings at the bottom of this post. xx

Hello loves,

I’m watching the sunlight dappling through the window; the gentle swaying of the leaves outside creating a flickering, fluttering pattern of shadow and light on the white marble floor. The boys {my two tom cats, Simba and Loki} are fast asleep by the balcony door. The house is quiet – all I can hear is the soft whirl of the fan and the chirping of the birds on the windowsill.Continue reading→