January 18, 2016.

Every once in a while I come across a book that really shakes me up – awakens me, if you will. I’ll devour every word until the last drop of ink and keep wishing there was more. Well, in this New Year, that book is Elizabeth’s Gilbert “Big Magic.” 

I must confess, I’m already a Gilbert Fan, and I follow her on social media, often feeling a common kindred spirit with her life attitudes and prose. But this book is really hitting home with me. It centers around the idea that we are meant to live a creative life, each and every one of us. Before you wince and stop reading, trust me, Gilbert expands the definition of “creative” so that it merely defines a person who is driven not by their fear, but by curiosity and wonder. 

If you haven’t had a chance to read this book, I implore you to do so! Gilbert has a wonderful writing style and offers very practical advice about how to quiet the innate fear that constantly says, “No, No, No, NO!” and make space for your creative spirit, which beckons you to say, “Yes!”

Today I offer you a simple watercolor of a bare tree, which my five year old named “Magic Tree” after seeing the colors. I thought it was a fitting choice to illustrate one of my favorite quotes from “Big Magic”. I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and read the book. 😉