Edit your life frequently and ruthlessly. It’s your masterpiece after all. -Nathan W. Morris

Let’s think about this friends. You’ve invested your hard earned bucks into your BRAND NEW HOUSE, and now you want to make it feel like home.

You’ve got a couple of options:

1. Run to Target, buy a bunch of crap you don’t really need, and find random places for it to stay until next year’s garage sale

2. Make your house feel like HOME by prudently investing in DYNAMITE decor that FEELS LIKE HOME (and since you invested in something you love, likely won’t be in the garbage or garage sale bins next January)

Did you answer #2? If you did, you should DEFINITELY read on.

• You LOVE the idea of having unique pieces in your home that feel like YOU

• You want to welcome guests into a beautiful home you adore

• You want to feel confident inviting people in, regardless of what the floor looks like (that mess is real, or maybe it’s just me?!)

First of all, you don’t have time to be messing around with little trinkets all day.  You’re sick of “decorating” for a moment in time, like Christmas or the next holiday, instead of making your house a HOME, a space where you can surround your family with safety and confidently welcome others into your home

In my experience, I’ve found there are four myths that make people panic and run away when they find art they love. I’m about to debunk these myths, and replace them with ways you can actually COLLECT ART, love your home, and feel confident welcoming family and friends, and not have to be a Kardashian to afford it all.

MYTH #1

its going to break my budget

Let’s get real here–art is expensive. I’m not going to sugarcoat it.  What most people think of as “art” is only a small fraction of what actually goes into it.  The process is HUGE.  You are not just buying art.  Let me say it again for the people in the back: You’re not just buying a painting, a print, a ceramic bowl.

You’re buying

the story

the inspiration

the quality

the time

There is so much love that goes into each piece, things that are not always visible on the surface.  Each painting has a story. So, artwork shouldn’t be seen as a cheap fix–it is an investment.  In that sense, waiting a bit longer to buy something we truly love, speaks to us, and maybe even spreading the payments out over a few months make any piece completely accessible. (Also, I’ve done this with pieces I absolutely love, and have created payment plans for collectors so they can have their perfect pieces.)

MYTH #2

I can find something good enough at hobby lobby/target

Seems simple enough right?

I love Target, and I love Hobby Lobby. There’s a time and a place for those box stores, but for a timeless piece for your home, if you really think about where your money is going, do you want to save it and put it towards something you’ll treasure for generations or just something thats “ehh” for now.

Kick that habit (your budget will thank you), and fall in love with something that can withstand the test of time, not just the season.

MYTH #3

It’s too hard to make a decision

It can be overwhelming to collect something you love.

Either you’re in the camp:

I LOVE EVERYTHING AND I WANT IT ALL!

or

WHAT IF I LOVE SOMETHING MORE LATER?

Well, if you don’t mind me saying so, it’s called art COLLECTING for a reason.  You don’t have to just get one piece.  And, once you stop making those inexplicable purchases of things you don’t need, you’ll have some cash leftover to put towards collecting art that you really love. (exchange art for anything really–a new oven, for example, since we lived without one for about 6 months)

Do I find more art that I love?

LITERALLY EVERYDAY.

And that’s wonderful! I love that I am constantly finding art that I love in my own studio or in others’.  The beauty of art collecting is even if you decide on one piece you love, you can always add something new, and when you save your money, you can make those bigger purchases and not get analysis paralysis trying to choose between this piece you love and some unknown future piece yet to be discovered.

MYTH #4

I can support an artist just as well through a box store.

But artists are “employed” by box stores right?

Yes, that’s true… kind of…

Box stores like Target and Hobby Lobby license artwork from artists so they can sell it in their stores.

It’s a great way to support artists in a pinch if you are super short on cash. (Been there)

However, do you know that artist’s story? Do you know the artist’s name? Secret time–before I became an artist I never even thought about it.  Now, I want to know who the artist is behind the work, what their story is, what the story of the work is, etc.  It makes each piece so much more meaningful to my heart, and so much more meaningful to my home.

If you’re reading this post right now friend, it puts you in a very unique spot to not only love your home, but stop fixing it with bandaids that will end up in as next season’s garage sale fodder and make your home the cozy and welcoming place of your dreams.  

Clearly, the drive to Target is a quick one, and that’s what most people are doing.

It’s easy, feels cheap (even though it’s not in the long run), but doesn’t typically match your home with your heart, but with the latest trend. I have created a free workbook download to help you determine how you want your home to feel, the why behind those feelings, and how to make it happen.

Whether you’re new to decorating your home, making big life changes, or in a bit of a rut, I want you to move past the analysis paralysis to feel confident welcoming others to your home, and do it without breaking the bank.

Need to see more? Check out the links below—I’m rooting for you!