I love surrounding myself with an evolving collection of interesting resources, whatever the topic. After building a career in publishing that was not especially gratifying, I was on a quest to figure out how to build a work-life that would include my artistic self within a profession that offered a reliable means of support. Early on, Seth Godin and Barbara Winter caught my attention with their talk about finding one’s tribe. Who was my tribe?! And how could I meet them? This led to all kinds of exploration: reading the books and blogs of creative entrepreneurs, attending workshops on business development and the arts. A chance meeting at one of these workshops evolved into the co-founding of a women’s entrepreneurial networking group that was self-sustaining for almost eight years and cost members absolutely nothing financially. We called ourselves The New Girl Network. We met monthly for brown-bag lunches. Resources were shared, friendships were made, and lucrative business connections happened.
If you know me, you know that I fall in love with books. And when I do, I can’t stop talking about my latest crush. I Just Like to Make Things, a ‘mark up the pages’ kind of book, falls within this category. At first, I was going to keep the book in its brand new pristine state. But Lilla Roger‘s friendly writer’s voice encouraged me to take the plunge and respond to her questions right there on the book’s pages, to attach treasured tidbits such as pretty ribbons, fortune cookie messages, and pretty stickers. And, as she instructed, I circled colors and objects, and drew right there in the blank spaces she’d left on the page. This is as much a workbook-aka-personal-record as it is a resource book to read and digest.
Another favorite is Julia Cameron‘s The Artist’s Way, which guides the reader while offering discovery exercises to be completed elsewhere. Her chapter on Creative U-Turns was life-changing. This was when I rediscovered my passion for photography. During the pandemic a self-imposed assignment of photographing doors and windows during a daily walk provided a sense of purpose, as well as a way to express my point of view which I could share on social media. Artist Dates are a solo activity that Cameron recommends to nurture one’s aesthetic sensibilities. I found these so inspiring that I put together a list of Artist Dates to share. I hope you’ll take a look here and give them a try!
That quest for a different work-life eventually led me to gratifying work in which I help others to identify their purpose, and to find connection with their tribe.