Decluttering and Creativity – My Story!

Today feels like a big day! I’ve been working on a little side project since last year and I’m excited (and maybe even a bit nervous!) to finally share more about this passion…

One of the many benefits of learning to declutter and let go that I’ve been happily chirping about since 2010 is increased creativity. That creativity isn’t just a literal thing in terms of the more traditionally-associated “creative” activities like music, art or poetic writing. It’s also in the sense of putting clothes together in a way that’s freer and more inspired, finding imaginative new ways to design, decorate and organise your home and even a greater openness and resourcefulness in your lifestyle, interests, career, finances, relationships and health and wellbeing. Contrary to widespread belief, we all have creativity within us, whether or not we were “good at drawing” in school – every single day we create in our lives.

Decluttering and Creativity

I worked with a lady in her home a number of years ago who was an accomplished artist and she had a beautiful art room. We decluttered much of the house, including this space. In a follow-up conversation, one of the things that stood out to me most was how she felt her creativity had burst open since the session. She was painting more, enjoying it more, she was seeing the light in the space differently and was finding herself using much brighter colours in her work than before, and I found this fascinating. I was interested in art, having studied it for my Leaving Certificate and enjoying art-related activities in my childhood, but it wasn’t anywhere on my conscious radar at the time.

But this is where life can deliver the biggest surprises, and decluttering and creativity became intertwined for me!

As per what I teach in Declutter Therapy, a big part of my own life is practicing letting go of what’s not serving me or weighing me down, physically, and on all other layers and levels. Although this hasn’t always felt like the easier path, committing to “LET IT GO” in a thoughtful and compassionate way has transformed my life in ways that I never imagined possible!

To cut a long story short, after 23 years I found myself inexplicably drawn back to painting and I’ve just launched a collection of abstract artwork through “Lightbridge Art“. Continually letting go of the “stuff” has made space for a fulfillment and self-expression that I find hard to put into words. Here are a couple that I really enjoyed creating!

Blue Float by Breda Stack ©

Angel Walk by Breda Stack ©

What’s strange in all this is how starting something new – or re-engaging with something you thought you’d clearly left in the past – impacts your identity and how you see yourself; this is exciting and at times disconcerting too! (I mean, I don’t even own a pair of dungarees!) But despite any fears, when something feels good you just have to go with it, and having my decluttering programmes online has been a blessing as it’s helped me give painting the space it deserves in my life.

I’m celebrating 10 years as a decluttering business this year and have also had the pleasure of witnessing in my clients and students – and even in the pro-bono clients of The Declutter Academy certified students doing their case studies – how the rewards for letting go are rich, magical, and always beyond expectation.

So, what freedom or blessings can learning to declutter and “LET IT GO” bring you, your friends and family or your clients? Learn more about my 3 levels of personal and professional decluttering training here.

If you’d like to find out more about the story behind Lightbridge Art or have a look at some more of the paintings or prints you can visit the website here.

Hope you like the artwork and thank you for reading!

Breda 🙂