CREATING FROM THE INSIDE OUT:
Motivational Strategies for Artists and Writers
Creating from the Inside Out:
Motivational Strategies for Artists & Writers
is 177 pages: 6.5 x 6.5" and coil bound.
It is filled with inspiring quotations, mini essays on the creative process,
and over 75 black-and-white digital collages.
The book also comes with a Thank You CD of 10 collage sheets
to use in your art.
The cost is $25.00 CAD plus postage
and you can use PayPal to pay online.
To order: email me at wordandimage@hotmail.com
Book reviews on Creating from the Inside Out
“This is a wonderful little book that does exactly what it says: it motivates! It’s filled with inspiring quotations, mini essays on the creative process, and stunning black and white digital collages. The images are all designs created by Susan in Adobe Photoshop and they are amazing. With great titles like “Enter gently,” “Discover your purpose,” Trust the urge,” “Radiate your completeness, and many others, each section is like a personal session with a motivational guru. This chubby little edition is perfect to slip into your purse, briefcase or art tote. The coil binding makes it lay flat so you can keep it open for inspiration while working on a project. I love all the quotes in this book and know I will turn to Creating from the Inside Out often, both in my personal and professional life.”
Reviewed by Jana Holstein: Managing Editor of Somerset Memories
Can’t seem to get the creative side of your brain working? Stuck in an artistic rut? Being too self critical? Susan Williamson can help you get those creative juices flowing.
I think her most important advice is “Create in spite of your moods.” It’s too easy to procrastinate otherwise. “Instead of worrying about how little time you seem to have, make a point of looking for opportunities to use it more wisely.”
(Susan’s) book is 177 pages of inspiration, motivation and cheerleading.
Reviewed by artist Barbara Blanks
MY OWN REVIEW
So how do you review your own book? If I had a promotional turn of mind I’d probably come up with a list of five good reasons why you should read it. But I have to be honest. The main reason I wrote Creating from the Inside Out was because I had to.
For years I felt like I was hovering around the edges of my own creativity. I could never seem to access it with any kind of consistency, and this frustrated me. I became convinced that if I only had more—more time, more money, more talent, more opportunities, more support from the universe, more recognition from others (etc.)—then I’d be able to enter the magic kingdom/queendom of creativity and proceed full speed ahead.
I thought to myself: if there’s a system to creativity, I’m going to find out what it is and then tell everyone else. And if it turned out there wasn’t one …well, I was going to invent my own!
But I soon discovered that you can’t control creativity. It’s huge and it’s fluid, and all you can ever hope to do—and the only thing you should do—is to align yourself with it. You’re an individual reflection of something greater than you are, and your task is to get down to the business of expressing who you really are.
This can’t be done by wishing your circumstances were different or by waiting for ideal conditions. No. You need to act—and you need to act now. I suggest you begin by examining your thinking because the way you view the creative process will influence the action you’re likely to take—or not take, as so often happens.
Let me give you an example. Time was the first topic I tackled when I started working on my book. I’d always felt that not having enough of it was responsible for holding me back. But the more I thought about this, the more I realized I spent more time being annoyed about my lack of it than actually using what I had! I also believed that unless there were several free hours available to paint or write, there was no point in starting anything.
While it’s true we don’t ask for many of the challenges life hands out to us, we have to take responsibility for them anyway—and once I realized it was up to me to use what time I did have wisely, things really began to open up for me.
Self-motivation is crucial to anyone who wants a happier and more fulfilled life, and it’s my hope that people who read my book will be inspired to take action towards realizing their own creative dreams. Making even small changes to the way you engage in your creative process can deliver big results down the line. I firmly believe that if I can write and illustrate a book—and have a solo art show—you can achieve what you want to do as well.
You probably won’t accomplish this with Zen-like serenity and immediate results
because I know I didn’t. But don’t let that hold you back. Just go for it. Not tomorrow, next week or next year but right now!
