Since our last visit we had a major snowstorm. Well, major for my part of the world anyway. Five to six inches. Everything came to a halt and it gave me enough time to read a book that I have had on hold for months with our digital library. 
If you haven’t heard of Elizabeth Gilbert, she wrote Eat, Pray, Love, and it was on the Best Seller list for ages. That was my introduction to her and I have read the book twice. The first time I read it I was smack dab in the middle of a divorce and single parenthood and still working with my ex in our business. Life was not particularly good and I found an escape with Eat, Pray, Love. I was not in a place where I could up and travel the world to recover from a bad life situation, but I darn sure wanted to! I read EPL again a few years later when the dust had settled and still loved the book. I think it is Elizabeth’s honesty that I relish and found the same honesty in Big Magic.
You can also see Elizabeth Gilbert’s TED talks on YouTube as well as an interview on Marie Forleo’s, Marie TV, YouTube station. Oh, and as a side note…I do not have any affilates with Amazon or anyone else for that matter. Now back to our regularly scheduled post.
If you need/want some honest advice about what it takes to live a “creative life” read Big Magic. Ms. Gilbert has the street cred to give it. She doesn’t tell you to quit the day job and live your passion. Instead she tells you to wait tables or make coffee. Not what most people want to hear. She also has a charming name for the not so great stuff that comes with life and how to decide just how badly you want to follow your dream. It is a short read, but packed with practical, down-to-earth advice.
One side note from personal experience…don’t go into a creative day job thinking it will be helpful in your creative after hours pursuits or close enough to your dream job to be fulfilling. From someone who has done and is still doing it, eight hours of being creative for someone else doesn’t leave much left after dinner is cooked and the kids are in bed. Some folks are made of hardier stuff than I am and can pull it out after all that, but I am pretty much at the zombie stage by 7 pm. Wait tables or make coffee if painting, music, writing, etc. is coursing through your veins.
“Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures
that are hidden within you?”
After my major downsizing purge a few years ago and having hauled nine boxes full of books to donate to our library, I am very particular about what hard copy books come to live with me. I try them out first from the digital library. Big Magic was worth the wait and is now sitting on my wish list on Amazon. It will reside beside EPL in my office and I foresee frequent return visits when not-so-creative frustration sets in.
My plan was to give you an update on what I have been doing lately, but I got a little carried away here and suspect you are ready to move on to other things in your day. Remember hand dyeing, kitchen cabinets and invitations for next time.
Have a lovely week!
Pencils, Paint & Paper 