It is easy to fall into a trap of human material measurement when it comes to our creative work and worth. How much did that painting sell for? How many of my books were shipped out to readers today? What is my ranking on the Amazon bestseller list? The real trap comes when we apply these metrics to our worth as human beings.
I had the honor a while back to support, in her book-publishing efforts, someone I greatly admire. I was not her editor nor her creativity coach. In fact, I started out knowing her as a fan of sorts. Melissa Dinwiddie has a marvelous podcast about creativity, Live Creative Now! Her joy around creativity is contagious, so I love to listen to her. When she put out a call for volunteers to be on her book launch team (an awesome concept that I hope to share more about with you), I jumped at the chance to serve as one of her Ambassadors.
In the final stages of birthing her book, the Ambassadors supported her in a myriad of ways. Melissa shared with us, through emails and a private Facebook book, as well as her podcast, all of her decisions, her successes, and her angst. We advised, shared opinions, offered encouragement. It was a beautiful process of creative people uplifting one of our own.
Shortly after her book release, I awoke one morning with Melissa heavily on my mind. I thought about all that she had done to get that book written and to assure the promotion process came off gracefully and successfully. Honestly, it was exhausting to watch the way she navigated the process, but she did it so adeptly, so expertly. It was so detailed and thought-out that, frankly, it blew my mind. But her efforts were not what troubled me that morning. What concerned me was the person of Melissa, the artist, the creative spirit.
I was driven to reach out to her that day and share what was on my mind in hopes it would further support her in the way all her Ambassadors had committed to do. I didn’t expect what happened next.
Melissa asked me if she could use my letter as the centerpiece of her final podcast on the subject of her book release. I’m sharing this with you here because the overriding message of my words was in my reminder to her not to apply our human ways of material measurement to her value as a cultural creative. Nor should any of us who offer to this world our words, our paintings, our sculptures, our dances, our music, our creative hearts and souls.
Melissa is living her passion and is thereby filling many other creatives with joy and the courage to do their art. That is immeasurable worth. As she says in her podcast, when you create, “not only will you feel more alive, it’s how YOU WILL CHANGE THE WORLD.” Thank goodness for all of us that Melissa is sharing this message and that she lives it herself!
Please, listen to Melissa’s podcast, and then GO CREATE! Listen here: http://melissadinwiddie.com/podcast/lcn084/
- To learn more about Melissa’s book, The Creative Sandbox Way, Your Path to a Full-Color Life, click HERE.
- To join Melissa’s Creative Sandbox Community, go HERE.
- Thanks to Keith Dixon for the awesome photo of Melissa, hands high, celebrating her creative joy. See some of Keith’s magical and amazing work HERE.
Gina Edwards is a retreat leader, a certified creativity coach, and a book editor. She is also a writer, so she’s intimately familiar with the challenges and elation that come with being one.
She supports all writers—published and aspiring—who want to write as an act of courageous and necessary self-expression.
Walking the writer’s path hand-in-hand with her clients and students, she helps them establish a writing practice and define a creative life on their own terms.