Remembering there are no rules
The book I *had* to buy
Hello loves, Happy Friday 🩷
I was out in the wintery sunshine this morning. I hadn’t slept well and woke with such a deficit of dopamine and serotonin not even kitten cuddles could fix it. I’ve been inside all week so I knew I had to get outside.
After catching up with my sister on the phone my legs walked me to my local bookstore. Hadn’t planned to go, just wanted to look at the window display but you know how these things go…
I came home with a book :-)
I’ve quite a collection of books I bought for the cover1 — do you do that too? Women Living Deliciously by Florence Given was absolutely bought for the cover — it practically jumped into my hands.
The author is an influencer who’s half my age and while I’d usually overlook books like this, telling myself I’m not the “intended audience”2, that I “know the message” already or similar nonsense, when I flipped through the pages in Waterstones it felt fresh and sweary and the exact kick in the arse I needed.
It doesn’t matter if I know it already, maybe I need a reminder ✨
And so it came home with me. Florence is the kind of cool young writer I aspired to be when I was 26.
And maybe 26 year old me would enjoy spending some time with 51 year old me, so we’re gonna do a book club together 🩷 👯♀️
Today’s questions
✏️ Is there a book (or item of clothing or event or anything else) that you told yourself “wasn’t meant for you”? How would you feel about it if there were no rules?3
✏️ What books* have you read lately that inspired you? Fiction or non-fiction!
*Obviously we’ll be revisiting books again and again, so consider this the start of our Creative Joy Club library shelves!
Sending all my self-imposed rule-breaking love xo
When I make my office tour video for you I’ll try to remember to film them!
In this case women in their 20s, at the start of their journey to finding their power
Because there aren’t!!
I dress very casually and in the 90s I practically lived in denim overalls. Fast forward to 2024 and overalls are back! However I am now 66 years old and I felt weird about wanting overalls. Well my 28 year old daughter surprised me with a pair that were on sale since she wanted a pair of her own. That day we wore our overalls out together and it's been many years since I've felt so much like ME! Fuck ageism and the stupid arbitrary rules about what we can and cannot do or wear! I feel like myself again! 😁
It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again by Julia Cameron was an inspiration to me when I read it in 2019. It started me on my journaling journey (her morning pages are legendary). She helped me look at things from a different perspective - always a good way to get the creative juices flowing. I’ve re-read it twice since then and find fresh information each time. I’ve just started her book Living the Artist’s Way, An Intuitive Path to Greater Creativity for a new approach.