Curating Your Museum
I was reading a book called Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love).
It’s a book about being creative.
It made me think about the role of curiosity in being creative.
Lack of curiosity is the death of creativity.
And creativity makes the world go ‘round.
Have you ever had a conversation with someone who has no curiosity?
B-O-R-I-N-G.
Having said that, I think most people are curious.
Been to a bookstore lately?
So many subjects under one roof! (And so little time.)
Someone’s buying those books.
Many curious someones are buying them.
FOMO is real.
But how do you balance hopping from subject to subject, becoming a jack-of-all-trades versus concentrating on one subject and becoming a master?
I used to tell my kids when they were young to just keep going on a path that interested them until they couldn’t go any further—until they either succeeded or decided the path was no longer worth pursuing.
That didn’t mean they couldn’t pursue more than one path.
Life is full of tangents and rabbit holes.
What rabbit holes do you enjoy tumbling down? (You know, like Alice in Wonderland.)
No surprise that I love writing children’s books for middle-grade readers.
I love the world of possibility and the champions in middle-grade books.
I love how the characters open their eyes and see injustice—either on a personal level or societal level—and pursue a way to make things right.
I will always love middle-grade novels.
But I’ve taken a detour. (Some might call it “something shiny syndrome.” I don’t.)
I’ve started marching down the path of picture book writing.
I’m having such a good time, too!
I haven’t forsaken my middle grade novels.
Never.
But, my goodness, picture books are fun!
They’re like putting together puzzles.
Like every other fiction book ever written, picture books need the same elements: character arc, plot points, and a satisfying ending with the main character taking action and solving the problems.
All in about 500-700 words.
My curiosity entertains me, keeps my writing life interesting.
Curious people (you) are like the proverbial sponge—soaking up the world.
But another way to think about yourself is like a museum curator, finding pieces to showcase and polish, pieces to keep in your warehouse for another day—maybe tomorrow—and pieces to toss.
So I’m not jumping to the next shiny thing and neither are you with your bookshelves full of art books and how-to books and fiction and non-fiction and your closets full of craft supplies and a multitude of sports equipment.
We’re curating our museum, making this life we’re living more interesting and creative.
No one says you have to stick to just one thing until you’ve mastered it.
One of my favorite poems is called “Happy Thought” by Robert Louis Stevenson.
The World is so full of a number of things,
I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.
Stay curious.
Follow your paths.
Curate your museum.
Until next week,
~gail
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