Secret #2: Honoring Your Inspirations

(A post for The Next Chapter’s current book blogging of The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women by Gail McMeekin)

Catching up on my book blogging…here’s my response to chapter 2:

Chapter 2 of The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women didn’t do much for me, not because it didn’t offer any sound advice, it just didn’t offer any that I particularly can use. I’ve always honored my inspirations, perhaps to a fault. I chase those suckers constantly, in whatever form they arrive in. Even though I’ve blogged about how I would never call myself an artist, I nevertheless have, my entire life, gotten into various creative things at one time or another. Many forms of dance, theater, arts & crafts (I used to even do macrame with my mom!), trying this, doing badly at that…I thank my mom for raising me to go after these impulses. All of McMeekin’s suggestions in this chapter are things I’ve already done for years, but I do agree that they are all things that are important to do if someone isn’t doing them yet, such as being in touch with nature (I couldn’t exist if I didn’t have daily connections with the natural world—my spirituality is even Earth-based) and creating a sanctuary (my room is so fun and cozy to me; it’s my living room, creative space, sacred space, sleeping space…chock full of color and whimsical things that make me smile).

While I felt like the chapter was speaking to someone on the edge of realizing how to dig in to being creative (which is not me) and didn’t offer anything that deep in the way of insights, at least it got me to ruminate on things that I do/have done for a long time, and it made me think of how lucky I am that these things come naturally to me. Being grateful is always a balm and a blessing.