Roxanne: How a Mannequin Became My Feng Shui Collaborator
We found Roxanne in an antique store over ten years ago. She was going to be an art project.
That never happened.
Instead, she became something far more useful: a feng shui collaborator. But it took several years, and a shift in perspective, for me to realize that.
The Accidental Discovery
For the first few years, Roxanne lived in our home as a piece of furniture. She held her place. But she was incomplete, waiting for an art project that would never come.
Then, about two years ago, something shifted. I stopped seeing her as an unfinished project and started seeing her as something else entirely.
She was metal. She had presence. And she could serve a purpose in my home that had nothing to do with paint or glue or transformation.
Maybe, I thought, her purpose was already here.
That's when Roxanne started moving.
The Journey: Southwest to North to West
Since that realization, Roxanne has lived in three different sections of our home, and her locations had one thing in common: they needed metal.
She started in our southwest sector, where she lived for several years. Then she moved to the north section, where she stayed for a year. Now she lives in the west section of our home, near our front door.
The moves weren't random. They were informed by what was happening in our lives, our careers, our personal circumstances, the energy we were trying to build in a particular moment. I was testing, paying attention, asking: Where does Roxanne actually need to be right now?
Each move taught me something about how feng shui works in practice. It's not static. It's responsive. It changes as your life changes.
What She Carries
Roxanne typically has a purse or pouch with her.
Inside, I tuck things… sometimes written notes, sometimes objects of metal, sometimes objects of love. The contents are intentional. They're symbolic. And they change depending on what sector she's in or what moment we're moving through.
Right now, in the west section where creativity lives, she might carry something that represents what we're building creatively. Last season, it was different. Next season, it will shift again.
This is hidden feng shui. No one sees what's in her purse. But she knows. I know. And it matters.
That's the kind of adjustment that doesn't show up in a photo. It's not visible. But it's there, working.
Her Many Roles
Roxanne is a greeter. She's positioned at our front door in the west sector, the first impression anyone gets when they enter our home.
But she's also a bouncer. She guards the entry. She controls what comes in and what stays out.
She's my creative collaborator. She always wears a t-shirt celebrating my husband's art, his work, his contribution to the creative energy we're building.
And she's part of our community. When we have parties, she comes outside. People take photos with her. She's famous, at least in our friend circle. But that's not accidental either. The way people relate to her, include her, celebrate her, that's part of the energy she brings to our home and our lives.
The Intentional Dressing
I dress Roxanne intentionally. Mostly seasonally.
Right now, she's wearing summer attire. Beach vibes. A coolie cup from Tybee Beach. Water elements, because that's what this moment needs a hint of in this section of my home. She's not just dressed cute, she's dressed for purpose.
When the seasons change, she changes. When what we're working on shifts, her wardrobe shifts. There's strategy in every outfit.
What Roxanne Actually Teaches
Roxanne could have stayed an unfinished art project forever. Instead, she became something I never expected: a tool for living intentionally.
She shows that feng shui doesn't have to be rigid or serious. It can be playful. It can involve the people and objects you already love. It can evolve as you do.
She also shows that feng shui isn't about buying the right thing or placing it perfectly and then forgetting about it. It's about paying attention. It's about asking: What does this space need right now? What is my life asking for? And then responding with intention.
Sometimes that response is moving a mannequin from one room to another.
Sometimes it's dressing her for the season.
Sometimes it's tucking a symbolic object into her purse where no one will see it but you.
The point isn't the object. The point is the awareness behind it. The intentionality.
Roxanne reminds me that feng shui is alive. It's responsive. It's a conversation between you and your space, not a checklist you complete and forget.
She's been with us for over a decade, and she's finally found her real purpose.
She's helping me live with greater intention in my own home.
And for a project that never quite happened, that's more than I could have asked for.
