"Embrace fear and listen to its messages. It is a part of you like your shadow is. When we know what we most fear, we know what we care most about, don't we?"
~~Patti Digh, Creative Is a Verb
The witty, wonderful and oh-so-wise Jane recently shared with us the story of how she came to read (and fall in love with) Patti Digh's book Creative Is a Verb. So inspired was she by the book, which was a gift from the also witty, wonderful and wise Melanie, that Jane purchased three additional copies and passed all four copies of the book on to other blogging friends. I was one of the lucky recipients and my copy came last week. Though I am only about halfway through the book, I have been overcome with the enthusiasm of the recently converted and couldn't wait to tell you about this book.
Creative Is a Verb, as its title suggests, is a book about creativity. It is not a book about becoming more creative, but about uncovering and embracing the creativity you already possess. It is a pep talk of sorts--sprinkled with quotations and encouragement from a wide variety of sources, familiar and brand new. There are exercises and suggestions, but from the beginning, Digh encourages us to use her suggestions however we see fit--follow them to the letter, use them as a jumping off point to create something that we feel will work better for us.
The book is full of stunning and evocative images--written and visual. It's all so delicious you might be tempted to devour it all in one sitting, but it's a book worthy of savoring, of taking your time with, which I intend to do before passing the love along to someone else in our bloggy little corner of the internet.It is doubtless a sad state of affairs that we so often long for "permission" from outside ourselves to be true to our own creativity, but it is nevertheless a fact that most of us do and this book provides not just permission, but inspiration.
Masked Mom's One-Word Review: Generous.*
*This applies to both Creative Is a Verb and the fantabulous Jane.
I went to go add that to my to-read list on goodreads.com and noticed the subtitle "If you're alive, you're creative." That seems profound in a way that my brain can't quite put together before 8am.
ReplyDeleteIt's exactly that kind of book--simple and somehow profound at the same time.
DeleteCan't wait to read it! I know I could use both some permission and some inspiration.....
ReplyDeleteI look forward to hearing what you think about it, JT.
DeleteJT sent it to me and now it's gonna be on it's way to some other lucky recipient.
DeleteI am still savoring the copy Melanie sent me. Poor Alien Body, I'm sure, is tapping her foot impatiently for it but I'm not quite finished.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you are enjoying it!
I really am Jane and thanks again for your generosity in passing it along!!!!
DeleteI have 3 sisters, all of whom over the years have said, 'I wish I were creative like you.' It always makes me sad, because they feel that somehow they have to create like I do. I want to shake them and say, 'You are!' There is so much joy in creating, I hate to see anyone missing out on it.
ReplyDeleteI have said before that staying true to that side of me has kept me centered in my life in a way few other things have or could. The book would be great for your sisters--it talks about recognizing creativity in ordinary life (for instance, her father made pancakes in special shapes or letters, etc). It really gets you thinking about the gazillion ways we express creativity and why it's so important to do so.
Delete