On the edge of a new idea or direction?

Summer Specials Starting July 30th!

I will start a new – Total Self Boot Camp – class every two weeks through October! The Summer Special will be over at the end of August, so sign up now for discounts!

$150 for 6 sessions + two 30 minute private coaching sessions with Annie McIntyre. (Regular price $250, a summer savings of $100!)

On the edge of a new idea or direction, and need support and accountability to pull it off? Want to feel healthy and stronger in body and mind? Here’s the combo package to get it all flowing at the same time! Take steps, literally and figuratively towards your goals.

Movement brings you energy & more motivation. You actually ground your intentions and ideas into your body assisting you in more rapidly achieve your goals.

Four mornings and two evenings (for a total of 6 walking sessions approx 50 minutes each) + two 30 minute private sessions with Annie over the course of two weeks. The sessions take place on walking trails in Ashland, the coaching sessions are held on Skype or by phone, and the ceremonies will be held at a special location.

To reach even further, we can go deeper in to this work with these add ons:

Clear space = a clear mind and less stress
$75 for one hour office/room organization & decluttering (regular price $120 a summer savings of $45!)

Dive deeper Into You
$75 One hour of one on one coaching (regular price $120 a summer savings of $45!)

Sacred Burn Ceremony
$50 per person for a group ceremony or $100 for an individual ceremony (witnesses may be invited)

In the first half of the ceremony we will identify what is holding you back and/or what you no longer want in your life and release this into the fire.
In the second half of the ceremony we will anchor your personal power through a visualization process that allows you to step into your most powerful self.

Enroll by July 29th for a start date of July 30th. Full Payments can be made by check or PayPal.

I speak from experience. I had these plans, they were good ones. I had an idea, and the determination and follow through to get it done. Oh, and I also had illusions. They were big ones, about my need for collaboration, and partnership. I thought I needed that kind of support to be good at what I do. But, what I actually needed was what I got, an insight into personal strength and creativity through the striping away of all the illusions. It’s been an amazing journey and boy I learned a lot!

So here’s the story:
It was Indian summer and I was in love, my guy and I went on a walk and saw an old  house with big potential. I leapt, and bought it. I wanted to make a real home, and build it in collaboration with my guy. I also wanted a long term investment for my future, and this house seemed to have the potential for it all.

And as I geared up for the remodel, it all came tumbling out from under me. The relationship, the dream that I held about it, and stuff I wont go into… This wasn’t a new phenomenon. It’s happened before, it’s what happens when all parties were not aligned on the same outcome. It seems that occasionally I’m a slow learner! You see in my mind, it was safer to have a partner to create with – in design, color, music, life… It turns out I was misguided. Finding strength and self sufficiency for me, was truly the important lesson I learned.

I’ve built houses before, and I’ve worked with a lot of clients over the years. I know I know how to design for and with others, but to design purely for me was really a new experience. The gift of my arduous journey, is that now I know myself so much better, and truly trust my senses.

In a lot of ways the house mirrored my personal journey. The Empress was a big old hulk, one that needed to be stripped down to the framing and rebuilt. She had good bones, but somewhere along the way, she went from being functional, to lacking flow and direction. She had rooms without windows, a maze of 1930′s additions, ugly 1970′s wainscoting, no insulation, and tons of potential. I did all the demo work myself, including pulling down three chimneys and crab walking them out of the attic. I even tried to sell her, mid steam, thankfully that didn’t work. As the Empress got torn down and rebuilt, so did I.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I had plenty of help on the rebuild – both professionally and emotionally, but not the help that I thought I needed. I know that’s a strange distinction to make. It turns out I didn’t need someone to rescue me. I didn’t need anyone else to help me come up with design solutions. As I look back, I just needed to believe in myself, and then have the courage to speak up. That’s a new level of expertise for me, in a fundamental design sense, as well as personally. I realize that it was an illusion that I needed a co-collaborator to produce beautiful work, or to have a connected life.

Unit 3 before the remodel

I feel fulfilled being a designer, and a coach and a vocalist, and I stand behind my work, and my experience and celebrate it for it’s beauty, and it’s strength. It feels incredibly liberating to have had this realization – that I am capable, even through great difficulty, of producing beautiful work that truly reflects the deepest part of myself.

Yes, I would have loved to have shared, and created a home and a life with the person I cared for. But it was good for my soul to go through that fire alone and come out a stronger creative force. I love the act of collaboration, but it always felt like a necessity rather then an option.

Unit 3 After The Remodel

I look forward to working with new clients who need my skill set in design and coaching. And as far my future personal collaborations go, they do not have be creatively dependent anymore.

Thanks for listening

I spent a lot of time traveling in Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Turkey, and Mexico, and those influences of curves, arches, textures, and color can be seen in the house I built after those travels. You can see the gallery of this house here.  There was more to it then just the travels, a certain sun born warmth, the blossoming of a marriage, and the color orange all held sway in that period of my life, and ultimately showed up in the house.

This last house I built for myself was influenced by more life changes, and a new color palette emerged as well as a different esthetic. I took a spring trip to Portland, Oregon and the clouds, the concrete colors, and the lines all influenced me. Other changes like a single life, the over coming of grief, and a new simplicity brought grays, greens, rust, and a more retro modern feel. Reclamation is also a big theme. I used a lot of reclaimed building materials and concrete, as well as the personal reclaiming of self. I got the chance to use a color that my former husband had negative associations with, one that I love. You can see that gallery here.

I heard an interview on NPR by Terry Gross and the designer Tom Ford about the influences of time and shapes. He talked about the tail fins of cars in the 1950’s, the torpedo bras and the atomic age. Then the sensuality of the 1970‘s with the use of velvet and satin, and how these shapes and textures showed up in fashion. Here’s the transcript of the interview.  It’s really an interesting read, or listen.

I am still finishing the final details on my project, and am enjoying the completion of a home that is mine alone and really reflects me at this point in time. It will be interesting to see what happens next with my personal color and style.

Our houses hold us, and our things. They can be a utilitarian dumping ground, or a home that holds our hearts. Contemplating how we’ve chosen to live, and what comforts we give ourselves is an interesting exercise. To have a home that fits you, that serves your needs is a beautiful gift.

I’ve seen such a wide spectrum of houses and living situation over the years. Caves, huts, palaces, sheds, McMansions,Victorians, and Craftsman, apartments and condos.  I’ve seen them too neat and tidy to actually feel comfortable in, to a hoarders nightmare. Your home can truly reflect the state you’re in, personally, professional, spiritually, and emotionally. The colors and textures you chose can support those states too. Here’s to the only thing that’s constant – change, and here’s to being happy in your home!

I know I have made change. And not the pocket kind, smart-assed reader. (I can almost see you smirking.) I’ve changed walls and views and dreams and all kinds of things. If not careful, I might make myself maudlin – again. At times I am so overwhelmed I want to sink, back against a wall and sob. Sometimes I push myself up very steep hills to overcome frustration and sometimes it catches up with me anyway. I have to say, crying and hiking can be cathartic, in a twisted sort of epiphany producing way. Other times I just go at it, one room at a time and it’s all okay. But, I digress, good change really is happening. Really. Here are the latest 7th St. pictures.

Crocus have popped their bright heads though the frozen soil. I have inched further from heartbreak, teetering on this fine edge of progress and evaporating grief, doing my best to move forward, one foot at a fucking time. My house is in a lot of pieces, some scattered at the dump, while others lay neatly or not so neatly stacked awaiting reincarnation, evolution, or recycling.

It seems to be an appropriate analogy, the demolition of a house. Tearing away the old and rotten, revealing the parts worth keeping, hauling off the trash, repairing, redesigning, and rebuilding. I am really looking forward to that part, maybe even that part being done!

In this very moment I am tired and want to be whisked away to some soul soothing situation, but then reality settles in, and I know I just need to keep moving, even if it’s slowly, or sideways, kinda like a shark.

Soon I will possess a building permit (cross fingers here) The design is finished, although the finishes aren’t chosen; that will be the fun part. I can’t wait to see framing crews, electricians, plumbers and the drywalls guys. I need to get busy and get bids!

Music has been slowly reviving it’s self within me, like those bulbs pushing up through the frozen soil. My internal drive has changed, I’m not as interested in conquering the world as I used to be, I am more interested in having fun, connecting with the heart of a song, fellow musicians and an audience. I really miss it.

I mentioned a saloon in the first paragraph, and not by accident. I used to go to The Saloon in North Beach and see Johnny Nitro and The Door Slammers once, and sometimes twice a week with two wonderful girlfriends. We would dance till closing time in the crowded gritty bar on Grant St. Johnny became a friend, and then a mentor as I learned to sing and perform. He guided me, teaching me how to communicate to the other musicians on stage, learning key signatures, breaks, solos and endings. Johnny produced my first CD. He was wonderful to work with. He always invited me up to sing with him whenever I visited. I know he did this for a lot of aspiring, and professional musicians. He was a generous man, with a kind, if not a theatrically lecherous heart. I will miss him and the constancy of his gigging. I could always count on him being there in the San Francisco night, loudly playing to a happy packed house full of fans, both new and old. He’d say “keep drinking triples till you’re seeing double, feeling single and getting in trouble, and if you’ve had too many, have two more.” Rest in peace Johnny, you will be sorely missed.

Thanks for listening,

Annie xox

This is the place that will I put pixel to page, and talk about design, color, classes, and coaching.

Design and color fascinate me; so does the way people function, how they understand and inhabit their world, and what their relationships are like to it.

I’ve been lucky enough to work with some phenomenal teachers over the course of my life, as well as working with amazing clients. I have learned so much about color, both personal and architectural, about building and design, and about coaching and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming). I love learning and growing, and being part of the act of transformation that we are all capable of.

I recently added my coaching services to the McIntyre Interiors site. For any of you who have worked with me in the past, you might recognize that I’ve used some coaching techniques to help you to arrive at design decisions, color choices, or to meet deadlines and goals. Through coaching, I will help you become your most inhabited, integrated powerful self.

Personal or Life Coaching as defined by Wikipedia:

“Coaching is the practice of supporting an individual through the process of achieving a specific personal or professional result. The structures, models and methodologies of coaching are numerous but are predominantly facilitating in style; that is the coach mainly asks questions and challenges the client to find answers from within themselves based on their values, preferences and unique perspective… Coaching is performed with individuals and groups, in person, over the phone and online via Skype.”

I look forward to working with you as either your coach or your designer, by helping you to identify your passions, desires, skills and capabilities that reside within you, and help apply them to goals that you seek to accomplish.

I will be offering closet clearings, clothing swaps and personal color classes in May, so stay tuned!

All the best,

Annie

The back of the original wallpaper from 7th St.

And now – the view from here:

I was with some wonderful women friends last weekend. One said, “it seems like we are either living and moving through reconstruction or deconstruction in our lives.” I have to say, I agree.

I’m at yet another crossroad myself. A juncture of what was and what will be, inward turnings and dismantlement, coupled with building a solo life and a new house. I’ve been documenting the change through photographs, and poetry. I’ve been hiking and hauling bricks to heal a bruised heart, and am busting ass on a big project for distraction and future investment.

The house on 7th Street is coming along! I’ve submitted both the pre-application, and then the application to the city of Ashland, to change the 1800 sq ft single family home into a duplex with a third unit in the back. This includes over 7 pages of plans, and addresses the all the proposed changes to the property. Now it’s a six to eight week wait to find out if it passes through the city’s process. When it does, I will receive my building permits and be on my way! Cross your fingers for me. For pictures of the project you can visit here.

I’ve been doing the majority of the demolition in the house on my own. It’s an interesting process taking away the 50′s and 60′s ugliness of what was, and revealing the beauty of the original 1902 building. I’ve removed false ceilings, horrid pine wainscoting, textured wall board and old linoleum. I discovered that there is no lathe and plaster, nor drywall and not a shred of insulation. Instead I revealed the original wallpaper covered wooden walls. The heat when on, loses about a degree a minute, once turned off. I have dismantled three defunct chimneys and hauled galvanized buckets of bricks across attics and down ladders. I’ve been to the dump in my new to me truck – Larry The Lush (who guzzles gas like crazy), several times. I’ve endured a hard holiday season, and an unfortunate break up, and the beginnings of a reconfiguration of that wonderful relationship into something else. I’ve lost my business partners as well, and after all that, I am still standing, a bit wobbly, but upright, if just. No, that’s an exaggeration, I am strong and capable, and have learned something from all of it. There is a small part of me that wants to run off into the wild blue yonder, preferably a tropical one with a calm sandy beach, clear water and no complications. But, that said, I’d be there, and there in lies the problem. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to take a conscious vacation from yourself?

Larry The Lush

So in the mean time, I am dismantling a house and some old parts of myself and attempting to put both back together in some sort of new, stronger and hopefully more beautiful order. One that serves a good purpose in the world and brings some joy floating back in on this tide of change. Cause that’s the constant, oh ya that, and maybe surrender. So in the mean time, as I heal both heart and home, it’s one foot in front of the other and life continues.

Here’s a poem from my new slightly existentialist self.

Dark Mobile
The Calder hangs and pivots
Catching just enough shadow
To glimpse metal as it bows back
Swallowed by the dark

Pirouetting from the brush
Of breath across it’s skin
Returning to the void
To spin silently against that emptiness

Then it rotates again
A glimmering in the dark
Rorschach-ian thoughts float there
Like battered butterflies

Rising and falling
On internal thermals
Spinning out like me
As I reach for self understanding

Speaking of mercurial, I am weighing out the 7th St house possibilities – finish it and rent out, sell as is, with completed building plans, travel and come back to it. I just don’t know what feels right, or the rightest. My being is suffused with an urge to go. Go somewhere and retreat, relax, rejuvenate, and restore myself.  I easily imagine writing music, reading books, lounging under a warm sun and swimming in a clear sea. Mmmm. So I am mulling over possibilities, dipping my theoretic toes in to differing scenarios and seeing what pulls my internal keel, so to speak.

Meanwhile I have been helping a design client ready her house to sell. I’ve been coordinating plaster, drywall, paint, metal fabrication, master bath renovation, tile, counter tops and cabinets. Choosing color, and surface finishes for all of it. It’s been fun to have a tight deadline and push a lot of work through many stages, with a lot of great guys on different crews. I love the challenge and the pace.

So here’s a toast to change and transformation – slàinte mohair.
I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Vernal

Peeling off
The rind of this earthbound moment
The sharp sweet tang of spring’s return
Growing to the end
Evidentially and eventually
To be tilled under again, and again

Cycles recycled in light and dark
Death and birth
The vernal promenade
Of those Pleiades etched on velvet
Of tree rings, tides, typhoons and the
Illumination of this night’s full moon

Endings and beginnings
Hand-fasted
In a Möbius strip
This prayer of constantly releasing
Not taking up more
But, of letting go of my grip
AM – March 19, 2011

Thanks for listening

Annie xo

This last sleepy Sunday afternoon I was walking along with my guy and we spied a house with a for sale sign. Always curious, we checked it out. That led to a call to my mom to come see it, and that led to the Realtor showing it to us, and an offer and then a counter offer and an acceptance and now within 24 hours I’m in contract to buy my next place. Like I said I’m excited!

I am also really excited about getting back to the work of design. Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to keep making music and writing poetry.  But right now, with the exception of the Mistress Mind book that I am co-writing,  I want to immerse myself into the world of color, texture, light, surfaces, design, organization, staging, de-cluttering, choosing clothing and clearing closets for structures and people.

When my band AnnieMac was running strong I stepped away from this other love of mine. Then, not knowing if I was sticking around the Rogue Valley, I took my hands off the McIntyre Interiors wheel. I want you to know, they are firmly back on. I can’t wait to have fun with transformation of clients homes and wardrobes.

So you will be reading more about color, light, design, texture, and their effects on me, and the design projects I’m working on. I will be doing lots of before, during and after pictures of my own project. My web page for McIntyre Interiors is under construction by Align: Visual Arts and Communication. Jeff Altemus rocks by the way, so if you need any graphic design work, look him up!

I will soon be teaching new McIntyre Interiors classes on:

• Architectural color and your space
• Personal color – Relating you to clothing and your home
• Interior Design – Design fundamentals + hands on learning
• Recession Proof Design – Long lasting inexpensive solutions & change
• Surfaces and textures – The where, and why of them
• Curb Appeal – How to get it for your own home – hands on class
• Clothing discernment for your style & body – Get it right the first time!
• And a few other classes I’m dreaming up

Thanks to my wonderful friends Pete and Niki I have all the measurements done for the plans. Today I meet with the City of Ashland, a contractor friend and a draftsman. Forward progress! Like I said at the beginning, I’m excited!

Thanks for listening!

Annie

I join all the other leaves that have changed into their bright and fluid colors – Our chlorophyll dissipating, leaving behind the ruby reds, fire, and burnt orange, canary and burgundy, tannin and suede. Beauty in transition, and transformation of another sort. We are all going through it – right?

I had been waiting for my internal gong to ring out a sound that would give me certainty in my direction. And it happened. I’m left resonating with the desire and pull to replant myself here, and really live where I’m at in this moment, in Ashland, Oregon.

I want. I want to make plans and stick to them. I want to create work that moves me and is in service to my community. I want a home again that I can fill with friends and music and art and parties and food and happiness. I want to write and perform music and poetry. And change people’s lives with design and color. The love I had is now reclaimed and re-framed and beautiful to behold. Life has surprised the hell out of me – how cool is that?

It’s good to come to this turning, to this place in my life where I can see possibilities again. Where I can lean into love and see where it leads me. As you know if you’ve been following along, I’ve been through a big personal change cycle, it might have been labeled spin, or tumble. But I think better yet, it could just be labeled good, necessary change and growth.

I’ve had the image of Slim Pickens as Major T.J.”King” Kong in Dr. Strangelove in my head for the last month or so – him riding that rocket and swinging his cowboy hat around yelling yeehaw, waaa hooo. There is a certain joy in the surrender to whatever the fates have provided, even if it’s in the face of destruction. The flip side in my experience, is that the old is new again, different, challenging, and even beautiful. So many of my dear friends have been going through huge changes too. If I might, and it doesn’t sound too presumptuous, I say congratulations and then surrender – it’s what worked for me. Hang on, it’s one hell of a ride.

And now to what’s next. I am available for interior design, color consults both personal and architectural, and music. Lets talk! You can see some of my design work here -
McIntyre Interiors. My new web page is will be finished soon.

I am teaching design and color classes. You can get a room redone in your house during the hands on class. I am also available to go through your closet with you, and leave behind only the things that you look and feel stunning  in. I can also do your personal colors, this leaves you with a fan deck that is distilled from over 1500 colors and made specifically for you. I can accompany you to the clothing stores of your choice and help you chose perfect outfits for everyday or special occasions. I can teach you to use your fan deck or just help you with choices. I love consignment, thrift and high-end boutiques – your choice, your price line.

I look forward to singing and playing and design and all that my wonderful community and friends have to offer. Lucky me!

Thanks for listening,

Annie xox