
I like to have competitions with the GPS -- Who can get me around faster and easier? I almost always win.
Charlotte Blake
:: Lifestyle ::
What does it mean to you to be quirky and what do you love about it?
It means that sometimes people just look at you, pause for half a second, then laugh their butt off. I love that I come across as this calm, shy, serious, put-together, grounded woman. Which I guess I am, but once I get comfortable, my silly/quirky/bouncy side comes out. And this side is FUN. I love finding my fellow quirksters — you know, those who look at me and laugh and say “Ummm, I didn’t know you were funny?!?!” and then we laugh some more and maybe have a tiny dance party.
What’s a secret, unusual talent that you have?
So I actually have a photographic memory when it comes to maps. I can look at a map once or twice and remember how to get around a new city, or wherever I am traveling. I like to have competitions with the GPS — Who can get me around faster and easier? I almost always win.
:: Quest ::
Where do you find your mojo?
In dance class. And if not in dance class, by dancing alone in my apartment, or on the street, or in a park, or wherever. Even when I lived in the tiniest apartment ever in Brooklyn, I would put on fun music and dance, dance, dance. Dance is ultimately what fuels, heals, and energizes my life. Everything I do is a dance.
Explain one experiment you’ve done that changed your life:
It’s silly BUT, I experimented with online dating. It took about 5 years to figure out a good groove but, I experimented with how to integrate that kind of dating into my life without getting depleted (or feeling like I was wasting my time.) I let go of my attachment to outcome and I began experimenting with just using the online service to meet new, sometimes cool, people I figured out the rules that worked for me: only 1-hour first dates, 1 drink, and no kissing. One evening, when I realized I’d just spent 3 hours with someone, had 2 drinks, and let him kiss me on the cheek, I knew I was in trouble. And so, I decided to marry him. Our wedding is in October. :-)
What’s your favorite recent discovery for…
Your home: Baby’s Breath EVERYWHERE. In vases, mason jars, old wine bottles, sometimes my hair. Baby’s Breath is so adorable.
Your body: Snow Shoeing and Cross Country Skiing! I thought I hated XC skiing. But you just have to know not to wear a thousand layers so you’re not sweating like a pig. (Of course some Vermont friends had to teach me that one.) I am looking forward to truly embracing NorthEast winters from now on.
Your belly: Homemade Kale Chips!
Your soul: Self-Care Fridays. This can include: sleeping in, dance class, acupuncture, wine with a friend, dinner out, massage, solo Pilates class, afternoon nap, movie, the list goes on. It’s my new favorite day. It’s how I can stay 100% present in my business, relationship, life, etc.
Music: It’s not recent but I gotta say it… Bruce Springsteen, always and forever. <3
Writing: Blueprinting out my monthly business tasks. Sitting down and writing down exactly what I need to do in a month = more hours of restful sleep.
Art: I am constantly floored by what my fiance, Stephen Shaheen, creates out of stone, paper, and random found objects. He is my biggest inspiration in the art world right now, for sure.
:: Mission ::
How do you celebrate the deliciousness of being quirky?
By laughing, a lot. And by surrounding myself by people who not only make me laugh (a lot) but whom also laugh at my silly jokes.
What is your #1 tip for a fellow quirkster?
Have dance parties daily, walk around your home naked, eat Kale chips.
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