Hello everyone! This month I bring to you Shannon Yates. Sadly I do not have a photo of Shannon to share with you. She was gracious enough to share her answers to my nosy questions and then we had a glitch in our emails I think. But I have so many of her lovely layouts to share with you and our little interview. Shannon is a voice of wisdom on the message board and I love her ability to move so easily between clean and simple design and more adventurous mixed media. Her answers to my questions were insightful and interesting. In her own words:
what talent would you most like to have?
There are so many talents I wish I had but a singer/songwriter still tops the list. I occasionally dream about what it might be like to sing my own songs in an intimate coffee house type setting. You know the kind with low lights, a small crowd and the opportunity to mingle with the patrons. I love music, mostly all kinds and I am rarely without listening to it. When I am in my crafting space I usually listen to classical or jazz, my favorite jazz artists at the moment are Holly Cole, Diana Krall and Leonard Cohen.
favorite quote that describes yourself or your life right now?
As a teenager living at home, I remember struggling with typical teen problems. After a chat with my Dad about one of the issues, a boy issue, he said simply “with every decision you make, there are more of some things and less of others and it is your job to figure out the more of and less of and ACT”. My Dad was a man of few words but when he spoke it was important to listen.
This quote from him has stuck with me forever; it has informed the many decisions I’ve made throughout my life that have helped build my character and life then and now.
what is a quality you most like in a woman?
From my perspective, raw confidence in a woman is a most attractive quality. What I mean by ‘raw’ is she is not afraid to show her physical, emotional and intellectual flaws. She is completely comfortable in her own skin at any stage of her life. She handles her many roles in life with grace, determination, and care. My Mom was this kind of woman.
What is on your mind lately? or what is changing in your mind lately?
I am of the retirement age and on some days my mind is often occupied with what retirement means to me. I struggle with the idea of divorcing myself completely from the work world; I feel like I still have much to offer the workplace. Further, I try to wrap my head around ‘what is enough?’ ‘how will I know I have enough to retire?’ My husband and I have done all the scenarios and number crunching with help from a financial planner but still the questions linger for me.
On other days, when I am at work in my studio or gardening or visiting my family, I feel so fortunate that I have the time, health and enthusiasm to do things I love without worrying about fitting in work too. If I trust my intuition and pull out my Dad’s quote every now and again to weigh out possible decisions regarding retirement, I just may move into this next phase of my life graciously. Fingers crossed!
Where do you find/get your strength?
This may sound cliché but truly, my strength comes from ‘nature’. If I am restless, troubled or need to think through something deeply I head out for a long walk or a good hike. It is in the mountains hiking (one hour to the Rockies), or walking in the country ( 4 blocks from the perimeter of our little town and it is bordered by farmland) where I connect easily with a guiding spirit. Nature ignites my senses and gives me the confidence to go forward.
PS This might explain all the nature/gardening related paper crafting I do.
I love the Cocoa Daisy family and feel completely honored to share a glimpse into my life.
Thank you so much Shannon! Here are some of my favorite layouts in her gallery.
There is lots of good stuff in the gallery this month here are a few.
Meet Bailey by Luckysmom. Love the exclusive paper on this. Bailey is a sweetie!
Love the way the photos were used on this layout by shystad. Really fun!
The patterned paper, cut into a quilt design is so lovely. I hope Kaybree posts more layouts in the gallery!
This one by Lisa F is so cool. It was from the mini crop weekend challenge.
Cheekymagpie used the stamps in such a creative way. I adore this.
Thanks for sharing with us and keep posting to the gallery!
Shannon, loved learning more about you (Renaissance woman) and looking at your beautiful layouts & PL. And thank you, Denise, for sharing the inspiration you found in the gallery.
Julie, thank you friend!
I feel so very honored to have some of my projects showcased this month. Thank you Denise and the Cocoa Daisy family. The gallery is chock full of inspiration — so many beautiful creative pieces!!
You are so welcome Shannon!
Glad to share you insights and creative gifts with the rest of Cocoa Daisy.