I looked up the #1 book on Amazon on CREATIVITY. Do you want to know what it is?

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown.  And # 2 is The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Creative Battles by Stephen Pressfield. When did the art of creating become such a painful process? Or is it cliché?

I love Dr. Brown’s lectures, writings and stories. The first time I watched her on TED, I was overwhelmed by emotion; and related to the simple principles she teaches. Vulnerability. Imperfection. Inadequacy.

Stephen Pressfield describes his book as overcoming “roadblocks” and setting up “battle plans.”

Are we really at “war” when we decide to create?

I will admit when writing LOVE The Beat Goes On, my new release on Amazon, I dug deep. But I kept it together. I wonder how memoirists can spend years writing about past pain, trials and tribulations. I can’t imagine what it takes to go back and dig all that crap up. In LOVE, I chose to keep it short, and still… I cried. And cried some more. When you’re told to get your affairs in order–and I don’t mean the romantic kind–it’s scary! And dredging up those memories was super painful. But, the messages I’m receiving from first readers more than makes up for it. I would say the challeges of the creative process are worth it for me.

I choose to keep pages of quotes to inspire me. I throw them on my FB page. I do it for me. I use them as screensavers. There’s always a message that jumps out at me when I need it. And they help me by reminding me of my “Why.” Many talented people have gone before me, and I cherish their brilliant sound bites.

I think lots of creatives have become successful without fighting “battles.” We’re not all alcoholics, drug addicts or damaged people. But we all share one thing: we must be brave enough to put ourselves out there, to be open to criticism. I suppose that might classify a lot of us as… strange okay, maybe a wee bit crazy!

Yes, these are quotes I can live by.

And finally, I found myself writing the initials I A E on my wrist this winter. Every time I felt inadequate, unworthy or just plain freaked out, I would look at my wrist and smile. And know in my heart that through my words some day in some way I could let someone know that LOVE is out there and you are not alone.

This one’s for YOU: