Finding my WHY - Developing my Mission Statement

I like to do research - I probably like to research a bit too much. I thought it would be ideal to read the mission statements and business plans of others. The only issue with this is that it informs me about what makes others tick, their joie de vivre, but it says rather a whole lot of nothing about MY core values and what makes ME tick. Often I function looking outward, feeling empathy and compassion for others, but I realized that this particular exercise might require looking within.

I initially wrote out a somewhat rambling mission statement, trying to fit in the many details and intricacies of what I was thinking about:

I endeavor to live and share my core beliefs through providing nourishing, sustainable foods and works of creativity. My creative practice is used to elucidate and to marvel in awe at the record of nature. I provide others with the opportunity to explore their own creative inner selves and to develop artistic sight in order to empower them to improve their own quality of life.

I then did a bit of search engine work and found this excellent resource, where the mission statements of many successful businesses were listed. Inspired by these short, sweet, and to the point statements, I came up with the following mission statement:

To enrich people’s lives by providing nourishing, sustainable foods, aesthetic works for everyday enjoyment, and opportunities to develop individual creativity.

This feels both authentic to what I want to do in the world AND broad enough to allow me to weave together the many different facets and potential income streams of both homestead and studio.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my WHY. My faith and my family are the main driving forces in my life right now. When I look around at the world, it feels cold and ascetic. While minimalism can be a great way to declutter and refocus on what really matters, I sometimes feel like the pendulum has swung from overindulgence and distraction all the way to the other extreme where we no longer celebrate the Creator’s beauty in the world. We make buildings and daily objects with emphasis on function and in the simplest form that is functional. We abandon our abundant childhood creativity and awe for abundant industrially produced food and black, white, and grey buildings, vehicles, and even clothing. I don’t want to live in that limited world.

Last Sunday I saw a lady at our church chicken BBQ fundraiser wearing this uniquely cut cream colored dress with peacocks printed or painted on the fabric. She got out of the passenger side of a 1969 Cadillac. All of us working the fundraiser told her how much we loved her dress and asked what year the Caddy was; we oohed and awwwed. She and that nowadays unique car brought a smile to all our faces. I want to live in that world where we notice and are surprised by beauty and novelty again. I want to help create that world.