The verb faire is the French infinitive for to do or to make. I once considered getting this word tattooed on me, I like it so much. I think it’s the word that best sums up my (aspirational) approach to life; you have to do things, cultivate experiences and wisdom, seek out adventure and beauty, make the life you want. It’s an active thing, this living business, and you’re not going to get anywhere admiring people’s Pinterest boards and wishing your own world looked like the soft-focus, well-lit lives of others.
Now, do I always follow my own advice? Heck no! Some (okay, a lot) of the time I find myself sitting on my butt watching Real Housewives of New York and eating ice cream right out of the container. Sometimes opportunities arise but geez that’s so far, and I feel really tired, and I probably wouldn’t have anything to wear anyway, so no thanks. But then I remember the ever-wise words of my old capoeira mestre (a prime example of carpeing the diem, by the way, when I decided to throw myself into the totally unfamiliar world of capoiera) when he told me I should always look for excuses to do something, never excuses to not do something. And it’s true: you never regret the things you do, only the things you don’t do. So I made this blog to give me that nudge into doing, to remind me of the things I know are true and motivate me to say yes more than no. It’s easy to come home and watch reality TV, but that’s not the life I want. I’m devoting myself to the active pursuit of my passions, to making and shaping and growing the world of my dreams…and doing it all wholly unapologetically, in the image that I want without concerning myself with expectations of others or fears of my own.
So, this is a blog about creating. Creating art, creating food, creating crafty things and DIY projects. Creating memories and knowledge and experiences. Fais la vie is a play on the phrase c’est la vie – it sounds similar (pronounced “fay la vee” and “say la vee,” respectively) but instead of the “oh well” adage that’s life, my blog means (loosely) I make life. And it’s going to be a beautiful thing.
P.S. If you’re wondering, I never did get that tattoo. Instead I have a sparrow, which is a reminder to pursue things and not let my own fear hold me back (a similar sentiment), and a lotus, which is a symbol of compassion and enlightenment. But now that you mention it, I am itching for another…
P.P.S. One thing I am not good at creating (yet!) is a good blog design. It’ll take me a bit before I become adept with Photoshop, or settle on the look I want, but hang in there. i promise the content and the journey will be just as good in the meantime.
fais la vie 