Book Review of Big Magic By Elizabeth Gilbert /Nightline Segment

UPDATE:

Here is the link to Nightline segment:

http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/eat-pray-love-author-back-big-magic-33998317

---------------------------------------------------------------
As you may already know (since I blogged about it all summer here, here, and here), I was chosen to participate in Elizabeth Gilbert’s Magic Lessons podcast.  The podcast expanded on themes found in her new book Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. 

Nightline, on ABC, will be airing a segment including an interview with Elizabeth Gilbert about Big Magic and my experience with the Magic Lessons podcast.  Eek! How exciting!  The segment will air on Wednesday, September 23.  Check local listings for the time, but in Michigan and New York, it will air at 12:30am.   

I was given a copy of Big Magic* which comes out on September 22^nd and is published by Riverhead Books.  I L.O.V.E. this book.  Love it!  I highlighted passages and tagged pages.  I was reading it as if I was studying for a big exam and did not want to miss one juicy bit of insightful inspiration.

As the title implies, it is about how to live a creative life without fear.  She examines the components of a creative life and how fear (or more accurately our fight with fear) gets in the way of embracing our creativity.

For instance, she personifies Fear as Creativity’s "conjoined twin."  So if we try to kill fear, it will inevitably kill our creativity. Elizabeth sets boundaries for Fear that she delivers in a speech directly to Fear before starting a new project.  How cool is that?! This metaphor totally reminds me of one of my favorite scenes in Eat Pray Love where she is meditating in the ashram in India and while meditating, invites each fear into her heart and accepts it with love.

Elizabeth also stresses the importance of living a balanced life while embracing creativity.  She talks about how people often follow the “tortured artist” model of creative living, and offers a different approach. Instead of thinking an artist needs to suffer, she suggests finding a path rooted in joy, curiosity, and self-forgiveness.

She talks about how balanced, curious people are consistently able to *do* the actual work, the real doing and making of our creative visions, instead of dancing around it with Fear.

As Elizabeth says, we become partners with Inspiration and Creativity as opposed to becoming their adversaries. This just made so much sense to me.  I would feel selfish for taking time away from the preexisting contracts in my life.  But when I made my contract with Inspiration to write my book, it felt concrete and solid, like any other contract I had with a tangible human being.

 The best part is that she doesn’t just talk about these ideas in a lofty, idealized way; she gives concrete examples of how she has worked these issues out in her own life.

It’s not very often that a creative person opens up so much about their approach to creative living.   I feel that most people live creative lives under a veil of mystery, eluding that the work magically becomes finished products.

Elizabeth talks openly about the choices she makes when she’s entered a new contract with Inspiration. She talks about her failures and how she reframes them.   Elizabeth also talks about how she truly defines success as a creative person (spoiler alert: it has nothing to do with money).

Most importantly, Elizabeth urges us to remain curious about life.  Regardless of whether you perceive yourself as creative or not, by stepping away from fear and towards curiosity, we are able to live juicy, interesting, and fulfilling lives.

Big Magic is in stores September 22nd. 

**I was not compensated for this post.  I just think that everyone should know about this awesome book.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since I am committing more time to writing my book, my blog might not be as active.

I have a newsletter that I will start sending in October.  You can sign up here.

You can always find me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  I would love to connect with you there, too!

An Open Letter to My Family About Family Vacations

Dear Family,

As you know, we are packing up our bags again and going to embark on a family vacation.  Yay!  I love to travel so there is a huge part of me that feels giddy with excitement.  I love having new experiences, especially with you guys.  I mean, seeing the world with your favorite people - there is nothing like it!

However, there is a part of me that is feeling a bit of dread creeping in.

Our last getaway, the meltdowns and tears shone a harsh light on your misaligned expectations of a “family” vacation.  I really want to stress that the word “family” is the operative word in that phrase.

A family vacation should not be confused with a vacation that you take by yourself.  Although we do our best to make sure everyone’s needs and wants are met, family vacations are not individualized experiences.

Kids, that means sometimes you will need sit at the breakfast table in a restaurant and be cool while your Dad and I drink a second cup of coffee so that we have enough energy to ensure you both have a fun day. 

via GIPHY

Sometimes that means I will have to take you to an arcade, an activity that I would put in the same category as having Pitocin without an epidural (one never forgets that kind of pain.  Ever).

Sometimes that means eating a meal that is comprised out of familiar foods that you eat at home, yet presented in a slightly different way.

On the other side of that, your Dad and I expect to eat a hot dog for dinner at some point although we would much rather enjoy a steak and a glass of wine.

Here’s the thing – we are a family, a team!  We are going out into the world and experience it together as a family.  It will not always be about you and what you want to do.  It will be stepping out of your comfort zone; it will be about compromise.

I hate to drudge up the past, but remember the last time we went to Myrtle Beach? At any given time someone was complaining how salty the ocean tasted or how hot the sun was or how communicating his or her disappointment about the limited screen time or complaining about the complaining. (That last one was me – I’ll totally own it).

This is a picture of the three of us (Harrington take the picture) eating breakfast outside because someone (Thomas) wanted to watch TV instead of the ocean.

We were really mean parents and decided to take our kids to a fun restaurant
that served food that they loved.

I waited until day 4 out of a 7-day vacation before reining it in.  I forced encouraged you both to look for seashells in your pjs before breakfast to remind you
that vacation is when you are supposed try new things. 

Let’s do the direct opposite of that.

This is not exclusively your vacation, but a communal experience.  If you approach this trip with an open heart and embrace the spirit of adventure, the fun factor might be higher than if you are constantly disappointed that all of your individual “wants” are not being met.

But shit is going to happen regardless of all of the hours that I spent planning this trip. 

All I ask of you is to limit yourself to one complete meltdown each. I get it – we all have a breaking point, even me (maybe especially me).  But I will not tolerate any diva bullshit that will derail group morale.

Now let’s go make some magical memories!

Love,

Mommy

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since I am committing more time to writing my book, my blog might not be as active.

I have a newsletter that I will start sending in October.  You can sign up here.

You can always find me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  I would love to connect with you there, too!

Magic Lessons Podcast with Elizabeth Gilbert: The Big Check-In Episode

You know when something so exciting happens and you want to shout it from every mountaintop?

But you can’t because it’s not the right time yet?

Well, I’ve been holding in some juicy news for over a month now, and I can finally share it.

**Takes a deep breath**

I met Elizabeth Gilbert this summer!! 

Remember when I was chosen to be a part of her Magic Lessons podcast that was in tandem to her new book Big Magic that is all about living a creative life beyond fear?

I posted on my blog that in that podcast, she gave me some amazing advice and the 3 assignments:

Create a sign for my studio (formerly known as my office) door to let my family know when I was working.

Polite, yet effective.

Hang this quote by my computer.

This quote.

Start writing my book.  I do not have a picture of this, but I do have over 13,000 words already - yay!

She said that she would like to check in on me during the summer to see how I was doing with the assignments.  I totally thought it would be another wonderfully inspiring phone call.

But it wasn’t.  

I actually traveled to New York City to meet her.

In person.

To have a conversation about writing and inspiration and how I progressed with my book.

EEK!

You guys, she’s the real deal.  She’s kind and warm and supportive.  And funny! Oh, goodness is she funny!

I can say that she is one of loveliest people I have ever met.

I still get choked up when I think about this.

You know, I had been meditating since last November to meet a mentor that could nudge me in the right direction of starting my book.

I never imagined that this is what the Universe had in store.

My heart is bursting with gratitude for this opportunity to have met her and the encouragement she gave me to become unstuck.

Take a listen to our in-person conversation in this episode of Magic Lessons.  Elizabeth sure gives me another huge surprise!  Also, be sure to hear how the rest of the women stepped away from fear and towards their creative endeavors. So inspiring!

If any of the other podcast participants want to connect, please email me!  I would love to hear about how this changed you.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since I am committing more time to writing my book, my blog might not be as active.

I have a newsletter that I will start sending in October.  You can sign up here.

You can always find me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  I would love to connect with you there, too!