I had a birthday … 67 and damned glad to see it. We did the usual. I made coconut layer cake and helped Dale make my favorite mushroom and Italian sausage lasagna with red pepper tomato sauce. It takes the two of us most of the day to make it.
We each had a piece of cake, and the rest went into the freezer. We’ll see how long it lasts there! I made a vow to quit eating candy, mostly jelly beans and my all-time favorite, Bottle Caps (a Wonka product).
But I did not give up sugar completely – just trying to be more sensible about the whole thing. I figure a piece of cake or pie now and then is an essential and joyous part of life, but lying in bed with a book and a bowl of compressed dextrose is unnecessary.
Tonight is another run at lasagna, and then it’s off to the freezer for him. The last piece usually goes down around January. For two people who love to cook and eat, plenty of freezer space is a gift.
I was feeling out of sorts about the creative activities that fuel my retirement and spent some time reflecting on why I continue to beat myself up for not doing more or being better at it. I think it goes back to childhood – wanting to be seen and heard by parents who were largely absent. There’s this drive to succeed at all costs, but the true cost is the toll it takes on my self-esteem because I’m mostly disappointed in the outcome.
As I was browsing around looking for a lifeline, I stumbled on an article by Elizabeth Gilbert, who wrote, Eat, Pray Love, a book I could hardly get through. There’s also a notable TED talk on the same subject. All of it relates to her book called Big Magic. My library had it, so I hopped on over there, killed it with my library card and dragged it home, whereupon I found my spot on the comfy couch and spent the day reading.
The book was published in 2015, but it was new to me, and I loved it. It is hands-down the best thing I’ve read about creativity and how to deal with the frustrations of fear, expectations, success, failure – all the little demons that try to drag us down.
In one of my favorite passages, she compared being creative to having a border collie. She said you have to give it something to do or it will find something to do, and you will not like the thing it finds to do.
“A creative mind is exactly the same. My experience with having a creative mind is that if I don’t give it a task, a ball to chase, a stick to run after, some ducks to herd, I don’t know, something, it will turn on itself. It’s really important for my mental health that I keep this dog running. So give your dog a job, and don’t worry about whether the outcome is magnificent or eternal, whether it changes people’s lives, whether it changes the world, whether it changes you, whether it’s original, whether it’s groundbreaking, whether it’s marketable. Just give the dog a job, and you’ll have a much happier life, regardless of how it turns out.”
I know there are a lot of creative dabblers out there – if you need some positive reinforcement, I highly recommend this book. I should probably just go ahead and buy it in case I need a booster shot. It was exactly the medicine I needed to keep this dog running.
Which leaves me with my latest piece of woodburning art. You got a peek at this earlier, when I burned in a couple of the golfing cats. I like it, but I don’t love it yet. However, it’s early in our courtship. I wasn’t even going to share it, but after reading the book, I said, who cares if it isn’t perfect, put it out there. You can see the details better in the image I uploaded to the gallery.
Just keep practicing creativity. Give the dog a job.
Interesting post! Reminds me of the Henry Van Dyke quote:
“Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very quiet if no birds sang except those that sang best.” – Explains why I keep on knitting! Lol
I love that quote! Thank you.
Its more than perfect, its a wonder! Fantastic.
You are way too kind, but I will gratefully accept your lovely compliment.
You really need to copyright your golfing cats before someone else does. I’m neither a cat nor golf person but I think they’re amazingly clever.
Ah, thank you so much. They are rather cute, if I must say so myself.
I enjoyed Big Magic as well. Thanks for reminding me, Donna. Could be time for a re-read when my life gets back to normal (post renovations).
Deb
I rarely buy books, but I am going to purchase this one and keep it handy. She perfectly addresses all my negative self talk.
I just love your wood cuts..the colors and images are really gorgeous!! And thanks for the book recommendation.i also could not get through “Eat Pray Love”— not where I am at in life, by far, lol! But “Big Magic “sounds like a great fit.I came to art late in life also and sometimes feel very “stuck..” I love the quote about having to give the border collie something to do..so so accurate..I am gonna get into my art studio TODAY!
Your birthday celebration sounds perfect..I also love to make a special meal and a pie for our birthdays,which are only 4 days apart..we celebrate the whole week! And our own home cooking,candles and music are far superior to the crappy food in our restaurants lately not to mention the increased costs!!
Thanks for sharing your journeys!
I also feel stuck a lot. The book really helped me see things differently. Hope it works for you!
Cooking at home is great. We’ve only been out a few times in the last several years. And then I’m mostly disappointed.
Your work is fantastic! I love it. The golfing cats are YOUR thing! They’re adorable and unique.
I’m on your team about Eat Pray Love. I won the “Big Magic” book at a conference and tossed it aside. Just a few weeks ago, I gave it to Goodwill – thinking I’m never going to read it. Darn! Maybe I’ll make my way back to it eventually. Maybe I should find the audible – and let osmosis kick in as I drift off to sleep. You never know when those muses are going to work overtime. 🙂
Isn’t that weird that you only recently got rid of it? The article is hyperlinked. Check that out. Might be enough.
I have a lot of work to do if golfing cats are going to be my thing. But that’s OK. The dog needs a job.
I may have to check into that book. I’m in kind of a funk right now with my creativity and life in general. I could use something to perk me up.
I hope you read the book and get as much out of it as I did. It was like she read my mind. Definitely perked me up.
Very cool. I may need to see if I can get that book from our library. One of the best things about the condo we moved to when we FINALLY downsized two years ago, (in the midst of the pandemic —there was finally nothing else to do, lol) is that we are only one block from our library, and walking distance to several other important things in our lives.
I’ve recently decided to try my hand again at watercolor painting. I’ll likely never be great at it, but I enjoy doing it. Mostly I paint the fronts for blank greeting cards. I can share them and not be offended or even know if the recipient keeps or throws them away.
It’s also economical. The supplies don’t cost more than buying most cards. And now I can think of it as keeping my inner Collie busy. 😂
There’s not much within easy walking distance of our house, but the library is one of them! I love it.
Good luck with the watercolor. I’m curious about that myself, but I really do have enough going on right now without it. I like how you’ve thought out your expectations. I still need to work on that.
The ginger cat is my favorite. He (ginger cats are usually male) looks suave, a cat of the world.
A friend told me that there is a new mosaic place in town. Making a mosaic frame a long time ago was something I really enjoyed.
A belated happy birthday! I remember 67. . .
I love the gingers, but we’ve never had one. Our neighbors had a very cool ginger who recently passed away, and I find myself recreating him in my art.
Mosaics are quite interesting. I’ve also thought about branching out from my pallets to a large mural. But I’m careful about how I bend and stoop, and I might not be able to pull it off. I do the pallets at a stand-up work table.
I recall when I read Big Magic a number of years ago, it didn’t impress me. Maybe wrong time of life? I do love the term “creative dabbler” as that is totally me. I have no desire to get to a “mastery” level in my crafting or even sell my stuff. I just want to have fun doing it! And not worry how things turn out. And move onto another crafty thing if I feel like it. Not sure it relates to the dog, but it might!
I hadn’t realized I put those words together — creative dabbler — but it pretty much nails it for me, too. Thanks for noticing!
I struggled through Eat, Pray, Love too, so completely sidestepped Big Magic. It sounds like it may need space on my TBR. I’m fortunate in having a creative outlet that’s easily sated in photography, as my other half is a keen too. I’ve been having to scale back my equipment, as the really good stuff is heavy (all that fantastic glass) which does my back in, so I’ve been working on accepting that, in terms of sharpness, my pictures will never reach that level again. It’s a loss but, so far, I’m OK with it, although looking at Himself’s pictures (taken on his big camera with all the good glass lenses) can bring up some unwelcome emotions. I’ll get on with that book then…
Photography is a great creative outlet. And I love that you’re both into it. I’m not much into photography anymore, but I would still make a special effort to see a good exhibit. I still remember seeing the Cindy Sherman exhibit in Chicago.