You are Creative Right Now

I was thinking about you early this morning (yes, you, lovely reader + SHE OF THE WILD community member). I was awake, sleepless, and then my ten month old woke up, too, and could not be consoled. Cradling him in my arms, I paced the room, the two of us, both caught between slumber and wakefulness, needing and wanting a rest.

While I walked, I sang. Hummed, really. It was not meant to be a real song.

But I realized, even through my 3:00 AM bleariness, that it was a song.

In the most unlikely of circumstances, without much in the way of formal training, I was creating music. Out of nowhere and nothing, notes came from between my weary lips and into the world.

In the darkness, it felt like a miracle.

And I thought of you. I wanted to share this miracle with you.

Because maybe you think that you're "not creative" -- which is what we say when we mean that we don't naturally possess near-genius level talent in the arts: writing, painting, drawing, and other fine arts.

But just because you weren't practically born with a paintbrush in your hand doesn't meant that you're not creative.

I think that we are all creative, and my too-early-morning song proves that to me.

I am not a musician. I am not trying to become a musician, either professional or hobbyist. I have not touched an instrument in over a decade. And yet, I sang, without effort, and it was lovely and sweet and sent my son back to dreamland.

Why do we discount such acts of creation? Are they less valuable because they are small, or wouldn't make money, or just done in the middle of everyday life?

What if something like my sleepy lullaby is made more valuable by its smallness, its lack of monetary value, its simplicity, its impermanence?

When did I lose my sense of wonder at such things? When did you?

And -- perhaps most importantly -- how can we take it back?

The only answer I have is to press in to your small miracles even as you chase your bigger creative goals. They are all water from the same well.

She of the Wild Reads: The Book of SHE by Sara Avant Stover

She of the Wild Reads highlights and reviews books that support women on their journey toward becoming fully authentic, free, and fully alive. Today we'll be checking out The Book of She: Your Heroine's Journey into the Heart of Feminine Power by Sara Avant Stover. Enjoy!

About The Book of SHE

In The Book of SHE: Your Heroine’s Journey into the Heart of Feminine Power (New World Library, October 15, 2015), bestselling author Sara Avant Stover guides women to a powerful new understanding of and appreciation for every aspect of femininity. “Your feminine soul, which I call your SHE, contains your deepest source of personal power, inner wisdom, and authentic expression,” writes Sara. “We spend so much of our lives focusing solely on our material realities, forgetting that we are all carry a spark of the divine within us, that most of us never come to truly know our souls.”

The Book of SHE provides women with a road map for what Sara calls The Heroine’s Journey, which merges psychology and spirituality into a path that leads to psychological wholeness, empowerment, and ultimately, full female realization. While Joseph Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey” was conceived in 1949 with primarily men in mind, Sara’s gender-specific map of the Heroine’s Journey is designed with the unique twists and turns that initiation into empowered womanhood in modern times entails.

The Book of SHE turns the current paradigm for success and empowerment on its head, and reminds women that everything in their outer world is based on the unseen, inner one. “By changing the inner, we change the outer — not the other way around,” writes Sara. “Through relinquishing our chronic busyness, we open up the space to increase our capacity to be present and truly enjoy this precious life.”

Beth's Review

When I was offered the opportunity to read + review The Book of SHE, I jumped at the chance. Not only was it already on my divine/empowered feminine to-read list, but I thought it particularly jived with what we do here at She of the Wild. I'm always looking for more delicious reads on this not-very-well represented subject matter, and Sara's book seemed perfect for my tastes.

Each chapter of The Book of SHE includes:

• the main text, on topics such as "Becoming a Whole and Holy Heroine" and "Ending the War Within"
• exercises to help you practice and incorporate Sara's teachings into your real-world life
• journaling prompts to bring you deeper into your heroine's journey
• access to supplemental materials on Sara's website, such as audio recordings of the meditations included in the book, which I LOVED -- I always get frustrated when authors include meditations in their books, but don't include an audio version

Sara also describes some of her personal experiences from her own heroine's journey. I always enjoy reading such anecdotal stories, but find that many books swing heavily either toward or away this material. The Book of SHE offers a great balance between the author's life experiences and the inspirational instruction.

I particularly enjoyed how Sara shared some of the feminine archetypes that have showed up in her life -- including Emily Dickinson. Yes, the poet. You know that I swooned over Emily being treated as a divine feminine archetype!

The Book of SHE is easy to read -- but does lead you into some complicated terrain, such as journeying to our personal underworlds and healing our mother wounds (yikes). This is necessary for those women who are seeking to live more awake and more empowered, but it can be very uncomfortable. Thankfully, Sara offers a lot support as you traverse this tricksy terrain.

I felt extremely challenged by much of The Book of SHE -- but in ways that felt healthy and necessary. And I also felt incredibly inspired by Sara's words and excited to see what embracing some of her practices might do for me.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

"We are at the point where, as grown women, we recognize the need to stop pushing ourselves forward from a hidden agenda to be loved" (p. 35).

"Our bodies aren't indentured servants here to labor for us until we take our dying breath. They are sacred chalices . . . . Our bodies always tell the truth and hold the information we need to thrive" (p. 43).

". . . every moment of the day can be SHE space, if we allow it to be. When we're nursing the baby, driving on the freeway, and chopping onions, we can be at home in our bodies and alive in our senses. Rather than getting lost in thoughts, we can fully inhabit our lives" (p. 81).

"We need to see the darkness as part of our nature. It's half of the miracle of life -- a safe and holy place -- imbued, like dark chocolate, with bittersweet beauty. We need to remember that all true creativity springs from the darkness. We need to learn to hold sleep, surrender, and uncertainty as profound spiritual practices" (p. 102).

If you'd like to embark upon your own heroine's journey, you can purchase your copy of The Book of SHE HERE . . . or keep reading for a chance to win a free copy!

From the Author

Author Sara Avant Stover shares a little about her vision in writing The Book of SHE here:

The Giveaway is CLOSED. Thanks everybody!

Sara's publicist has generously offered to give one She of the Wild reader a free copy of The Book of SHE (!!!).

To enter to win your free copy, fill out the form below and click "enter" by Wednesday, March 10,  and you're good to go!

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*Please note: a winner residing outside of the United States will win a digital copy; a domestic winner may choose to receive a print or digital copy.

And! If you'd like to earn extra entries, share this post on your favorite social media outlets, then come back here and leave a comment saying that you did so.

Best of luck, wild ones!

*This post contains affiliate links. I only endorse products I truly believe in. Thanks for support independent authors + artists!

What To Do When You Want to Quit

I never thought I was a high achieving/overachiever type of person. School was mostly painful, and I thought it was because I was lazy, but recently I've realized that it's probably because I didn't care about it so much. But the things I am lit up for? Totally different story. I have crazy drive and passion and resourcefulness. I'm so grateful for this, for discovering what I feel made to do, and then going after it, for me and for the world.

But at the same time, I can at times get TOO driven. Because there's just SO. MUCH. to be done. So many opportunities for growth, unending improvements to be made. I get overwhelmed, and then I get depressed, and then I want to pack it all in and take up monasticism. I want to quit everything, from writing to art to mom-ing to showering.

But!! Then there are days like today. Where I don't have an agenda, no to-do's, no rushing. Days that feel sweetly slow, the perfect balance between being and doing, between mom life and my creative work. Where I'm not escaping into my phone all day because I'm exhausted or overwhelmed or inundated.

Today my boys and I enjoyed some time at our local science museum, and I chatted with a mom who has boys basically the exact same age as mine, and even GOT HER NUMBER (this kind of thing is usually SO hard for me, but this felt so relaxed and organic, and we're totally going to have a playdate!). Then we enjoyed some burritos, one of the few healthy foods that my oldest boy adores. And, because I wasn't rushing him everywhere, he didn't meltdown when it was time to transition and listened pretty well, which is a rare gift.

This day was, in a word, flow.

I wasn't fighting the current, either to get downstream faster or to battle my way backwards. I was just here. Now. Present.

It rocked.

I took this photo in between burrito bites and stopping the baby from throwing his sippy cup on the floor for the billionth time:

The light + view here remind me of what it feels like when the earth begins to thaw and we start baring our feet again and every breath feels like a miracle. If only I could live in this kind of balance and gentleness everyday. It's a work in progress.

What to Do When You Want to Quit

So, what does one do when you want to quit, no matter what you are "get me the hell out of here!" about (your marriage, your job, your role as a parent, your creative work that you usually LOVE, or maybe just that artistic movie you knew you shouldn't have bought a ticket for, dang it)?

Here's what I think.

You step back.

Like, WAY back if necessary.

Back into the simple, into what flows, into ease.

There's a time and place for pushing, for going hard . . . but then there's also a time and a place for not.

Today, I kind of happened into stepping back, by accident. And I needed that stepping back. Badly. I wish I had been more deliberate about making it happen rather than having it happen to me, but still . . . I'm relishing it.

What does stepping back look like for you?

For me, it looks like taking things slow. Going to bed early. Making time to wander, to get down on the floor and play with my kids. Cleaning the bathroom finally (seriously, it's a disaster).

And in terms of my creative work, it means creating for the joy of it, not because I need to pay my bills (which can be great motivation, but can also be a passion-killer).

How are you going to step back in the areas you need it this week? This month? This (*gasp!* I know, it's hard) year? Tell us in the comments. Let's support each other as we move counter-culturally, but so healthfully.