What in the world is Unicorn Space? No, it’s not a children’s book or a make-believe land, but it is something us moms desperately need in our lives. Unicorn space is the creative space we have forgone as our schedules are busy with late night feeds, schedule jenga, and the overwhelm of juggling adult responsibility such as never-ending laundry. Finding Your Unicorn space is about dedicating the time to be curious and enjoy something just for you. Eve Rodksy defines it as “ the active and open pursuit of self-expression in any form, which requires value-based curiosity and purposeful sharing of this pursuit with the world”. Not the same as self-care, instead this time is meant to enjoy creative expression and being authentically you AND share it with the world. The power of unicorn space is that it aligns us more wholly with our individual purpose and allows us to show up as a more authentic version of ourselves. This rich and beautiful space is where the best things can happen.
I love it when books or concepts I am exploring manifest themselves in life. I recently had the opportunity attend the Mom’s Brain Cooler event and to my surprise I found myself in an unexpected community Unicorn Space. I described the day to friends later as a dance party meets health retreat meets church- a very special, magical Unicorn Space that the creator behind it envisioned for moms that just needed a “day to themselves”. The event opened with a literal dance party at 10am. The schedule of activities included gardening herbs, journalling, watercolor painting, Capoeira, and mat decorating.
Typically retreats are heavy on yoga and self-care, so I was surprised by how much of the agenda leaned towards self-expression and creativity- just like the concepts from the book. None of these activities would have made my normal Saturday priorities. However, spending time away from the urgent reignited a desire to embrace more creativity in my normal schedule and inspired me to create this content to share with this community.
Here are some Unicorn Space Ideas to jumpstart your creativity:
- Crafting – Jewelry making or DIY projects at Upstairs Circus
- Dancing- Lessons or Line dancing
- Art – Painting, Ceramics, or Other
- Cooking Lessons
- Gardening, Bonzai, Hydroponic Plants
Pre-kid , pre-corporate me used to enjoy art lessons, line dancing, and would love to try out new hobbies. For a moment there (or decade!) as life got busy, I misplaced my curiosity to explore interests outside of career and parenting. While I always continued to prioritize self-care, something still was missing. This often “missing” element is where your curiosity and self expression meet your values. My current unicorn space activity is carving out time to write whether it is journalling, blogging, or creating content for Austin Moms! There is something so rewarding about creating unique written content, especially in this age of AI. Contributing for Austin Moms has been an awesome unicorn space allowing me to share some of the things I enjoy most aligned with my core values of family and connection. As a kid, I used to scour newspapers finding fun activities to attend with my family. And even now as an adult, I love nothing more than sharing great recommendations or connecting friends with tips, tricks and research for all things food, family, and fun. As a part of that I have also fulfilled my thirst for knowledge as I’ve had to learn WordPress, website design, and social media content generation – none of which I do as a part of my day job.
What are your Unicorn Space activities and how are you sharing them with the world?
