From our Colectivo
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The Early Morning Hours with Elizabeth Hutchinson
“Oso” Elizabeth Hutchinson brings a deep sense of calm and reserved strength to the Curioso studio. She is a delightfully layered human, full of quiet intelligence, creativity, and playful humor.Professionally, her expertise is wide-reaching, but it's her inner artist that brings such heart and soul to her work.
Elizabeth’s artistic nature flows throughout and beyond design. A talented ceramicist and painter, she finds inspiration in stillness and the quiet reflection of the natural world around her. In particular, she cherishes the early mornings, setting aside time for a variety of mindfulness practices that center her spirit and inspire her creative work.
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What does your daily mindfulness practice look like?
My practices evolve throughout the seasons and have changed over the years. From my perspective, mindfulness should support and encourage personal growth, transcending various life circumstances. The common thread weaving everything together is quietness and stillness to let the mind and body feel present. I find solace in waking early to see the sky change colors or the storms roll by – there is something about observing the world as it exists in the present moment that is powerful to me. My practice has a fluidity to it, so it’s hard to define. But the baseline is about finding contentment in the chaos, observing and feeling the macro and micro of our world.
What instruments do you use and how does that enhance your practice?
Throughout time, I’ve used a variety of tools to support my mindfulness practices. Last summer, sound baths were laced into my morning rituals (the term “rituals” being used loosely here). A type of meditative experience, sound baths utilize sound waves and frequencies that are not for the sake of music, but are for the immersion of sound, mind, and body. Another thing I found myself doing was mixing paints just for the sake of mixing them. There is something interesting about mixing colors in the dark hours of the morning to see how they change as the sun comes up. Currently, I find myself in a season of quietness and actively limiting stimulation, although that doesn't mean there aren't low-energy sounds mixed in there occasionally. We'll see where we journey next.
What kind of environment do you create for your practice – lighting, sounds, smells?
Regarding the olfactory elements of my practices, light and smell are always an important part – and sometimes touch too, if we want to count the cat. Burning incense brings a nice warmth and earthiness to the space, and when the sun starts rising, the smoke dances in the light and it lures me in.
Every morning at 5 am, some of our lights kick on at their dimmest settings – almost candlelight level – with the intent to ease into the morning. There's something about a noir light level at the quietest times of day that feeds my soul. Recently I've been paying more attention to how present all of our senses are, all of the time, and how strange it is that we don't realize they’re there until something triggers them.
How do these practices impact your creative work?
We all know our industry (and all of life for that matter) is full of high frequencies and excessive stimulation, which is why I love practicing the opposite. I'm able to do my best work and exercise better judgment when I find stillness of the mind.
The older I've become, the more aware I am that design is an art form. I’ve learned how intertwined it can become with someone’s personhood and identity. With any art form comes a passion that can catapult us into the abyss if not careful; being able to stop and recognize when I'm floating in that void allows me to stop, rest, and recalibrate. By putting meditative space between one day and the next, I find that I'm able to return to my work with a slightly shifted perspective. Sometimes creative work requires intuition and emotion, but sometimes it requires space and processing.
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Throughout time, I’ve used a variety of tools to support my mindfulness practices. Last summer, sound baths were laced into my morning rituals (the term “rituals” being used loosely here). A type of meditative experience, sound baths utilize sound waves and frequencies that are not for the sake of music, but are for the immersion of sound, mind, and body. Another thing I found myself doing was mixing paints just for the sake of mixing them. There is something interesting about mixing colors in the dark hours of the morning to see how they change as the sun comes up. Currently, I find myself in a season of quietness and actively limiting stimulation, although that doesn't mean there aren't low-energy sounds mixed in there occasionally. We'll see where we journey next.
What kind of environment do you create for your practice – lighting, sounds, smells?
Regarding the olfactory elements of my practices, light and smell are always an important part – and sometimes touch too, if we want to count the cat. Burning incense brings a nice warmth and earthiness to the space, and when the sun starts rising, the smoke dances in the light and it lures me in.
Every morning at 5 am, some of our lights kick on at their dimmest settings – almost candlelight level – with the intent to ease into the morning. There's something about a noir light level at the quietest times of day that feeds my soul. Recently I've been paying more attention to how present all of our senses are, all of the time, and how strange it is that we don't realize they’re there until something triggers them.
How do these practices impact your creative work?
We all know our industry (and all of life for that matter) is full of high frequencies and excessive stimulation, which is why I love practicing the opposite. I'm able to do my best work and exercise better judgment when I find stillness of the mind.
The older I've become, the more aware I am that design is an art form. I’ve learned how intertwined it can become with someone’s personhood and identity. With any art form comes a passion that can catapult us into the abyss if not careful; being able to stop and recognize when I'm floating in that void allows me to stop, rest, and recalibrate. By putting meditative space between one day and the next, I find that I'm able to return to my work with a slightly shifted perspective. Sometimes creative work requires intuition and emotion, but sometimes it requires space and processing.
What impact does your dedication to mindfulness have on your daily life?
The impacts of practicing mindfulness are slow but profound. When I set an intention in the morning, it helps me open up and accept wherever I’m meant to land that day, month, or beyond. There are times when I notice I'm having “popcorn brain” and need to pull out of that head space, so redirecting the mind to something macro, or focusing in on a micro detail around me, helps pause the microwave. I have also recognized that creating space actually stimulates creative thoughts tenfold.
How would you encourage others to begin a mindfulness practice for themselves?
There is no road map, because every practice is unique to the individual. It's really about feeling it out. Your mindfulness prescription one day may not be the same the next, and that's perfectly okay. Take a moment to notice any sensation; feel what you need to feel without harsh inward judgment and have patience – we're all growing and learning together. Sometimes mindfulness takes a multitude of visits back to the same idea or situation before understanding floods in – remember there is no schedule or rush. You are the only vessel to carry your soul through life. We owe it to ourselves to recognize how we're feeling day to day – be present, be aware, be attentive with yourself.
The impacts of practicing mindfulness are slow but profound. When I set an intention in the morning, it helps me open up and accept wherever I’m meant to land that day, month, or beyond. There are times when I notice I'm having “popcorn brain” and need to pull out of that head space, so redirecting the mind to something macro, or focusing in on a micro detail around me, helps pause the microwave. I have also recognized that creating space actually stimulates creative thoughts tenfold.
How would you encourage others to begin a mindfulness practice for themselves?
There is no road map, because every practice is unique to the individual. It's really about feeling it out. Your mindfulness prescription one day may not be the same the next, and that's perfectly okay. Take a moment to notice any sensation; feel what you need to feel without harsh inward judgment and have patience – we're all growing and learning together. Sometimes mindfulness takes a multitude of visits back to the same idea or situation before understanding floods in – remember there is no schedule or rush. You are the only vessel to carry your soul through life. We owe it to ourselves to recognize how we're feeling day to day – be present, be aware, be attentive with yourself.
“The common thread weaving
everything together is quietness
and stillness to let the mind and body feel present.”
“The common thread weaving everything together is quietness
and stillness to let the mind and body feel present.”
