Secrets of Space Maker from a Real Life CareBear

Upon approaching a safe distance, it’s impossible not to be zapped into Hannah Thomas magical world of space making, cosmically creative thinking, and extremely positive life affirming physicality. The most wild aspect of her character is, her humbleness to her unique and uplifting gravitational pull. Also, Hannah is a wicked good crafter. She whips up an idea in a flash and has generously spread her unique and useful treasures far and wide in the strala community and I’m sure beyond. For this and many reasons, namely she is just plain rad, I am honored to have a little conversation and share her more with you. Get your markers, needles, yarn, veggies and yoga mat ready, you’re about to soak up the good vibes from a real life CareBear.

You have loads of strength and creative energy, I know you bike a lot and lead lots of Strala but do you have any secrets you haven’t shared to have this energy you do?

Hannah: No secrets really as i think if you’re doing simple things like keeping your body hydrated, giving it all the right nutrients and getting good quality rest, chances are you will naturally have good energy.

Having an active job that brings movement into my everyday life i think increases my natural energy flow but it can also be super tiring so it’s important for me to maintain energy and stay balanced. Strala has been massively beneficial to me, by learning the importance of staying in harmony with my body I’ve become more aware of it’s natural rhythms and cycles.

Spending most of my time outdoors i think i’ve become more in touch with the seasons noticing how they make me feel and how closely related we are. When the seasons change, our bodies change and it’s totally normal to experience ups and downs in our energy levels.

Working outside is a joy but you have to go at natures pace, as we are part of it and our bodies need time and changes in our daily routines to adjust and stay in our natural flow. Slowing down and moving well have become my key ingredients to sustaining energy and avoiding the tendency of becoming over tired and ‘burning out’ which used to happen fairly regularly.

You are a crafting and knitting wizard. How do you come up with ideas and any tips on execution? You are always inventing new patterns and making them work.

Hannah: Generally one idea will tend to lead to another and to be honest not all of them will work but i think regular practice is more important than the ideas themselves. The ideas don’t need to be great or make sense, you just need to do them. A lot of my ideas evolve out of, or while I’m working on another, so keep them flowing!
If you really have no starting point whatsoever then make a list of all the things you LOVE, it can be anything from your favourite food to your favourite activity. This is a really fun thing to do anyway, especially if you love lists as much as i do, then ‘Making Lists’ is top of the list, ha!

For me the most easy and inspiring thing to do is simply go outside. Its impossible not to be inspired by natures colors and patterns and all of the textures and little details. Also being outdoors is super meditative and will help to empty your mind of unnecessary thoughts, making space for new creative ideas. I like to take a small sketchbook with me for notes, sketches, rubbings etc.

Having your own creative space, however tiny, with no distractions and being disciplined is super important. Make your creative time a priority even if it’s just half an hour a day. Sometimes the less time i have, the more productive i am.

Most importantly, connect with people, meet up with friends who like to discuss and encourage thoughts and ideas, no matter how crazy and random they seem. Having another perspective will redirect you out of your “normal’ thinking patterns and help to spark new ideas.

I saw you went through a ‘get rid of your stuff’ exercise. How has that made you feel? Any advice for clearing up clutter?

Hannah: Yes, i felt like a proffessional Spacemaker!

My environment is important to me and has a massive effect on my mood. If my house is tidy and everything is in its place i have more clarity and headspace whereas if things are cluttered and chaotic i feel frustrated, disconnected and unable to concentrate.

I think when we minimise our ‘stuff’ we start to think more about how to create and innovate rather than thinking we constantly need more stuff to do more stuff. We need so much less than we think we do!

For anyone who’s thinking of having a clear out, i would advise focusing on what to keep rather than what to get rid of. You have a relationship with all the things you have around you so be fussy about what you choose to keep. Don’t keep stuff just for the sake of keeping it, ask yourself, is it useful? is it beautiful? what does it add to your life? why are you keeping it? I think sometimes when we hold onto certain things that are not serving any particular purpose we can become a little bit stuck in the past and this can prevent the natural flow of our life from moving on.

Love your life first and your ‘stuff’ that supports it second.

Cheesy question but got any favorite recipe, maybe something you regularly make for yourself?

Hannah: Yes, it’s a soup by Anna Jones from her book ‘A Modern Way to Eat’  brilliant, easy to make recipes which are healthy, creative, imaginative and tasty too!

I make this all the time. It’s so simple and healthy, it has loads of turmeric and lemon in it so it’s super cleansing and you can’t help feeling amazing after eating it. It’s called ‘Lemony lentil and crispy kale soup’ Everyone I’ve ever made it for has asked me for the recipe, so here it is.

You’ll Need
1 leek
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
juice of 2-3 lemons
250g split red lentils
1veg stock cube
4 handfuls of kale

To serve (optional)
yoghurt with a little sea salt stirred in

Now What
Fry the leek in a large pan, add the spices fry a bit more then add juice of one of the lemons and fry some more.
Next add lentils, 1.5 liters of water and veg stock allow to bubble away for 20-35 mins until lentils have cooked, take off the heat, add the rest of the lemon juice.
Fry the kale in a separate pan till its crispy
ladle into bowls, top with the yoghurt and kale
enjoy!

Thank you so much for, super space maker Hannah for taking the time. Love, Tara