The Art of Vacationing in Your Mind
We recently returned from a four-week trip to New Zealand. We’d arranged our air fare, car rental, and lodging in advance, but had intentionally planned nothing else. We’ve discovered on these longer trips a distinct freedom in going with no set expectations. There were certain things we hoped to see while we were there, and...
Taking a Short Break
The Bursts of Brilliance for a Creative Life blog is taking a short break to have some fun. The blog will resume in April, 2024. Thank you for reading!
You Bet I’m Proud
Whenever I run into anyone I haven’t seen in a while they ask, “Have you written any new books lately?” “No,” I say. “But I’m still writing my weekly blog.” Most people look a bit disappointed. I guess a blog is nowhere near as impressive or exciting as a book. Or is it? Three days...
Resistance Is a Tool
A while back, I was mulling over an offer I’d received. When I first received it, my gut told me that, while it was a great opportunity, it was not something I really wanted to do. But I had no good reason for not wanting to do it, so I assumed that initial feeling was...
Woe Is Me
There have been times in human history when the term “Woe is me” was actually stated in seriousness by people who were sad or overly challenged. In modern usage, though, it is said in a more dramatic, humorous way, and sometime with a hint of irony: “I won front row tickets to the concert Saturday...
Creativity Takes Place in the Now
Last week, I had the opportunity to share my new talk, “Ignite Your Bursts of Brilliance,” with some very lovely members of our local writing organization. Since it’s the start of the year, the director thought it might be nice for me to focus on helping people realize their writing matters so they’d stay motivated...
Is Your Identity Fixed or Fluid?
In my ongoing efforts to declutter and Feng Shui my house, I got rid of 96 more books in the past week. In the process, I tackled a bookshelf that I have so far mostly avoided, the one containing my massive World War II collection of books that I used as reference while writing seven...
What It Really Means to Be a Living Legend
My husband shared with me a TikTok video in which a high school teacher is showing her students the old music video of “We Are the World.” You know, the hit single recorded in 1985 to benefit African famine relief that featured many of the musical greats of that era, including Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder,...