
Blog

How to do the work AND give yourself grace
I’ve got a reputation for being pretty hard on myself. I know where it came from, of course. A lot of self-reflection, journaling and excavating moments of my childhood reminded me that my parents expected a lot from me. I was “the smart one,” a title that, while flattering, was also intimidating...

Why saying no to everything can be the best thing
Sunday was the new moon in Libra. I love new moon energies—it’s all about starting over, setting new intentions, starting fresh. This moon in particular was all about finding balance. For me, and for a lot of my creative friends, that balance has as much to do with taking care of your creative...

How to get past all the lies and start creating
It’s one thing to get clear on our WHY when it comes to wanting to establish a creative practice. It’s another thing completely to figure out the HOW. I’m not alone here, am I? I was born knowing I was meant to create. And like a good little girl, I did all the logical things that would help me...

How to find your creative “why”
Before you can have a creative practice, you need to figure out WHY you want one. Because if you want it for the wrong reasons, it’s not going to come as easy as it should. For me, the why was easy. I was born with a love for stories. I demanded to be read to every day when I couldn’t read; when...

I wanted to clear something up
People hear the word creativity and think it has to mean “official” creative acts like writing, painting, drawing, pottery—creative careers. It doesn’t. As one of my greatest teachers, Louise Hay, always said, you can be creative in the way you make your bed, or cook dinner, or throw a party. You...

This is the way out of writer’s block
When I was a kid and an aspiring writer—since the age of about 7, in case you’re curious—my parents told me to have a backup plan to my Plan A of becoming a novelist. And they already had it figured out for me. Since they were both teachers, it made sense to them that I should be a teacher too. I...

Instant Inspiration: Three ways to start your book today
I love starting a new story. Once I start turning a new idea around in my head, the first couple of chapters just flow. I can’t get them down fast enough. It’s the middle I hate. And sometimes the end. So yeah, for me, the beginning of a book is as good as it gets. I know that’s not true for...

How to conquer writer’s block, doodle style
Those of you who follow me on Facebook or Instagram have probably met my rescue pups, Molly and Penny. I post a lot about them there, mostly because they're cute, but also because they are always teaching me something. Specifically Penny, my Australian cattle dog/poodle mix, who literally crashed...