Books for Creatives

Women’s History Month seems like the perfect time to begin my World-Changing Books by Women series. In March, I will share books by women I consider to be my creative ancestors. These books gave me the courage to access my creativity. I became a writer and an artist because of the books I will share this month.

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron This book truly changed my world in 1994. I was working at the bookstore, wondering how to live my most creative life.

This book, with its in-depth exercises, gave me permission to identify and go for my writing dreams. It’s a guide to getting to know your true self, and I’ve recommended it thousands of times.

A recent re-read of The Artist’s Way showed me how many of my beliefs about creating and writing come from this book. This book is one of my creative ancestors, and I salute Julia Cameron. She’s written many more books, but this is the best one.

Did The Artist’s Way change your world?

As a girl, every week I visited the library. My parents would drop me off and pick me up later. I’d come home loaded down with a stack of books that I would devour and chronicle in my book ledger.

Well, not much has changed! I still go to the library and bring home more books than I can read. In my twenties, I worked at a bookstore here in Denver where I got the best kind of graduate school education – real world lessons sprinkled through with bookish insights. I still love sharing books that matter to me.
[Read more…] about World-Changing Books by Women Book Review Series

Since I’ve stopped watching TV, I have been back to my original love: reading BOOKS! I’m launching a new series later this week, where I will share a world-changing book by women every Friday. More on that soon.

For now, here’s what I’m reading and enjoying.

The Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer. I read this memoir cover to cover. I relished how the author’s experiment in letting life lead the way made for the most magnificent life. Instead of having his own ideas of how things should go, he surrendered to what life had in store for him.

Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds by Dr. Kelly Turner. A dear friend of mine has been clearing cancer from her body in the last nine months. She has been relentlessly positive, trying all kinds of modalities to return her health. She mentioned this book, describing the nine things that people who have reversed their health have done to bring about healing.

Only two of the practices are physical (diet, and herbs and supplements). The others all relate to a mental and emotional health and how important that is to healing. When De told me about it, I realized that I could work on things like releasing negative emotions and connecting to a sense of meaning now. Why wait until illness appears to focus more on my health?

Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness Ingrid Fetel Lee This is a pick in the Next Big Idea Book Club. I’ve been reading the chapter on magic and I love the author’s approach.

Fiction

Exit West by Moshin Hamid I read this for my book group. It’s a story of a couple who flee their country for safety and become immigrants in London. There’s a bit of magical realism and a high dose of optimism. The writing is stellar and the story touching.

My Ex-Life by Stephen McCauley – For next month’s book group. I’d heard about this last year on NPR. The commentator talked about how funny it is. So far, I’ve had a chuckle or two. Who doesn’t need a laugh?

If you’re like me, you enjoy a good film that moves you emotionally. I particularly like the ones that make me cry. There just aren’t enough opportunities to open up and bawl like a baby. A good flick can do that for you!

I also refer to movies a lot when coaching my writing clients. Movies are a great way to see story and drama writ large. This makes it easier to infuse our own writing with emotion and depth.

I posted a note on Facebook recently asking friends for their suggestions of good ‘sobbers’. I compiled them into a document.

Download the list here and add the movies to your queue. Next time you’re feeling moody, check one of these out.

What movies move you to tears? Feel free to add them in the comments below. I won’t be able to amend the list but would love to see more titles if you’ve got them!

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing my friend Dan Blank about his new book. Dan is a soulful maestro at helping creative people bring their work into the world.

Dan’s book, Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Work and Engaging an Audience is wonderful for anyone who those who want their creative work to get out into the world and make a difference.

If you want to share your voice and inspire people with your writing, art, craft, or creative idea, you have to be the gateway for them. Instead of throwing products out into the marketplace, you open them up to a new way of looking at the world, of knowing themselves, and connecting with others. You unlock new experiences for them — not just through what you create, but through the unique way in which you share it with the world.

Too often we think about the creative process as being separate from the marketing process. Instead, view them as the same. Replace the inclination to promote with the desire to share and engage. How and why you create is a story — and is the best asset you can use to truly engage people. Be the Gateway shows you how to use that gift with joy and confidence.

My interview with Dan reveals insights about his process with writing and publishing this book that inspired me. Enjoy the audio of the interview below.

Listen here for the audio:

What did this interview inspire in you? Leave a comment below for me and Dan!