This post originally ran on July 2, 2022 and is reprinted here in honor of Thanksgiving Week I’ve been reading a book called Real: The Inside-Out Guide to Being Yourself by Clare Diamond. In Part One, Diamond deconstructs “self” by telling us all the things we are not. We are not our thoughts, emotions, beliefs,...
Tag: passion
How to Rise Within the Occasion
For most of my adult life, I’ve been engaged in the study of World War II. I wrote seven fictional books (two for adults and five for children) based on interviews with men and women who contributed to the war effort in various ways. It’s impossible to be a historian and not wonder, when talking...
Our Founding Artists
This Fourth of July, I got to thinking about the Founders of this country and their respective arts, and why so few people know that many of them considered their artistic pursuits to be passions, just as many of us do today. Many of the male Founders were well-trained tradesmen, farmers, or scientists. Some were...
Passion is Life – Cheers, Dani Rojas
Dani Rojas, a soccer-playing character on the TV show Ted Lasso, is known for his motto, “Football is life!” Dani is a Mexican national playing in England, hence the word “football” rather than soccer. He’s the team optimist, the good guy, the one who reminds everyone else to bring their love of the sport to...
What Did Your Favorite Toy Say About You?
Did your favorite toy as a child predict your future? Is it possible we understand our journey in life long before we can even articulate it? I was pondering those questions when I decided to give a stuffed Snoopy to my friend’s daughter for her first birthday. Snoopy was my first love, long before I...
The Art of Making Money (Or Not)
I’m preparing to lead a discussion on the book, It’s Not Your Money, by Tosha Silver, for a local writing organization to which I belong. Money is a constant source of worry, debate, motivation, and frustration for artists of all kinds. How much do we give away for free? How high can we raise our...
You Are Not
I’ve been reading a book called Real: The Inside-Out Guide to Being Yourself by Clare Diamond. In Part One, Diamond deconstructs “self” by telling us all the things we are not. We are not our thoughts, emotions, beliefs, or even our past. It’s quite the liberating feeling to realize all the things you think you...
What Gets You There
The other day, someone mentioned the book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith. I have not read it, so I’m not sure what it’s about (my apologies to the author) but the title really struck me. As I’m progressing through my yearlong sabbatical, it has occurred to me several times...
The Wisdom of Our Younger Selves
I recently came across an exercise where you write a letter to your younger self. I chose to write to myself at age 15 when I was full of teenage angst and bursting with ambition and struggling to contain other emotions that felt like they could tear me apart. As soon as I started the...
Is Your Art Turning You On?
The other night at a local concert, singer-songwriter Maia Sharp talked about a conversation that took place when her long-term relationship was coming to an end. Her partner said, “You’re gonna make a nice girl miserable someday.” Maia must have gotten a certain look on her face, because her girlfriend then added, “Oh my God....