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 Laura Lee Carter, aka The Midlife Crisis Queen, writes here on the subject of pursuing your creative impulses. She's a fan of Elizabeth Gilbert who wrote the wildly popular Eat, Pray, Love and shares some wonderful pearls of wisdom about pursuing your creative dreams.
Some inspiring words to get your creative juices flowing...
It's damn hard for me to admit when I feel envious of another, but I’m mighty jealous of the amazing success of writer Elizabeth Gilbert.
First of all, I am green with envy over the resounding success of "Eat, Pray, Love." This book took off in a viral way most writers can only dream of! And then to be on Oprah, twice no less!
But what I envy the most is how useful this book has been to millions of women worldwide. It is basically a simple tale of midlife crisis and self-discovery. We all have stories like this if we've made it this far. Having the experience is one thing, learning the lessons offered by them is another, but being able to share those lessons with others in a way that speaks to them personally, that's the whole enchilada for a writer! I LOVE THE IDEA OF REACHING OTHERS IN THIS WAY!
Because of my envy I decided to go to Elizabeth Gilbert’s homepage and I’m glad I did!
First of all, she has a lovely homepage . Then I read her bio and, come to find out, she's also had a boatload of rejection letters as a writer! She started out in her teens sending in short stories to The New Yorker.
The gold mine for me and probably any other person interested in pursuing a form of creative expression, can be found on her: "Thoughts on Writing" page. It's a call to pursue your passion through thick and thin simply because you have to.
Her original goal was: "to publish something (anything, anywhere) before I die."
She has some lovely advice for those that pursue the creative life: "Quit complaining! It's not the world's fault that you want to be an artist, so get back to work."
But her best advice is to stop judging yourself so harshly, before the critics even get a chance. If you want to write for others, than get it out there for others to see. Don't hide it under the bed for decades because it isn't quite perfect yet.
She also encourages those "of a certain age" not to give up because the bloom is off the rose, so to speak. But interestingly, her example is Julia Glass, author of "The Three Junes." Julia began writing in her late 30's, and when she won the National Book Award she said, "This is for all the late bloomers in the world."
She doesn't even know what "late bloomer" means! My model in this regard is Laura Ingalls Wilder, my favorite childhood author. She didn't even start writing her famous series of books until she was 65!
The final line of Elizabeth's "Thoughts on Writing" spoke to me the most:
“Do you have the courage to bring forth this work? The treasures that are hidden inside you are hoping you will say YES.”
I agree! Find a way to nurture that small creative kernel within! Tell it you will be fine if you aren't the best artist, or writer, or film maker in the world. Perhaps something inside of you wants to get out and express itself in some profound and important way. Encourage it, don't smother it inside!
See, I've successfully turned my envy into hero worship... Laura Lee now uses her research and writing skills to provide free support and encouragement to others who might feel like midlife losers, just like she did only a few years ago. Through her blog: www.MidlifeCrisisQueen.com she attempts to bolster the courage of those foundering on the trials and tribulations of midlife. She has also found some success in her new career as a freelance writer and copy editor. Please see her bio, clips and resume at: www.lauraleecarter.com.
 | LIST OF COMMENTS |
1/3. Well Said
Written by Griffin - Thursday, July 31 2008 |
Thanks for a well-written and encouraging piece on something that I know in my head and tell myself constantly-I like the sound of the cheering section that you've now set up inside my brain. |
2/3.
Written by Guest - Wednesday, August 20 2008 |
Good for you Griffin!
Let it roar!!!! |
3/3.
Written by Guest - Thursday, September 04 2008 |
Laura: There are other ways to be creative as well. A year ago a friend spent 20 minutes teaching me how to crimp the end of a necklace and at 69 I am a prolific jewelry maker!
The joy of creating with my hands and using my artistic color sense to design and make necklaces & earrings is the most amazing "high" I've ever had. Who knew? Keep creating. |
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