The 3 Boundaries Every Creative Needs in Their Community If They Don’t Want to Lose Their Mind

Have you ever included someone in a creative project and they overstepped in some way and refused to acknowledge that’s what they were doing? It’s not fun. And it can be excruciating trying to help someone to see that they’ve overstepped, even more so if there are other people around who also don’t understand how…… Continue reading The 3 Boundaries Every Creative Needs in Their Community If They Don’t Want to Lose Their Mind

The 3 Faces of Hans Christian Andersen That Probably Would Have Thrived On Instagram

Do you ever hear the life story of someone whose work you admire and get seriously bummed on their behalf? Well, that’s 100% how I feel about Hans Christian Andersen. I knew nothing about his personal life when I first started reading his work. I only knew that his fairy tales, like all fairy tales…… Continue reading The 3 Faces of Hans Christian Andersen That Probably Would Have Thrived On Instagram

The 3 Things Barbara Maitland Being a Badass Fairy Godmother Can Teach You About Being a Better Storyteller

Are you scared of the Ghost with the Most? So scared you won’t even say his name? So scared you flinch a little when a friend says it? I get it. When I was a kid, I thought Bumpelstitlskin (as we’ll call him for safety’s sake) lived in my basement. I could not for the…… Continue reading The 3 Things Barbara Maitland Being a Badass Fairy Godmother Can Teach You About Being a Better Storyteller

Advice for a Poet in Search of Their Voice

Start with familiar person, place, or thing. A young woman came into the bookstore where I work looking for some sort of guided workbook that show her different poetic forms and give her room to try them out, see what fit. Not idea prompts. Form prompts. Be still, my heart. There are lots of guided…… Continue reading Advice for a Poet in Search of Their Voice

Overpacking for Family Trips is a Form of Self-Soothing

Whether it’s a sewing kit or a dozen books or a tea chest, you brought it to feel better about being someplace that has sparked a sense of discomfort. As of this writing, I see my family twice a year; once in the summer that includes extended family, and once at Christmas that’s just Jermusyks.…… Continue reading Overpacking for Family Trips is a Form of Self-Soothing

You Can Love Every Aspect of Your Life As It Is Now And Still Be Making Progress Toward The Life You Want

Living a life of any kind of balance is at its core a life of being and doing. The aim of every productivity expert you come across is going to be to get you do more, create more, live more. If they do ask you to do less, it’s because they’re asking you to do…… Continue reading You Can Love Every Aspect of Your Life As It Is Now And Still Be Making Progress Toward The Life You Want