embrace your weird

Book Rec – Embrace Your Weird

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Embrace Your Weird: Face Your Fears and Unleash Creativity by Felicia Day

I originally downloaded a sample of this ebook, and soon discovered that I needed the printed copy. The printed book gave me the opportunity to write in the book in the space provided, and really let me unleash my creativity in colorful ways (see the pens in the photo).

Unfortunately, I put it aside for quite some time, and it wasn’t until I started reading The Book of Alchemy and following those prompts for a 100 Day project did I come to the realization that I wanted to continue with Felicia Day’s inspiring book.

While both books are gateways to jump starting your creativity, they are vastly different. Jaouad’s Alchemy, I think is geared more towards the writer. All of the prompts, so far have been excellent for my writing. Sometimes I write short little vignettes, sometimes thousand word think pieces. I’m looking forward to re-reading all of these once the hundred days are completed.

Day’s book is written perfectly in her voice – irreverent, with gameplay, fantasy, oddities, and fun, and truly speaks to my Gen X brain. I found some of the exercises nostalgic, some tough to get through, but mostly they were deep thoughts that could be examined seriously or frivolously. And one of the good things about Embrace Your Weird, is you can return to it and try the opposite tack – if you began frivolously, now you can do the same exercise with a bit more serious take.

I thought returning to Felicia Day’s book during the solemn, contemplative time of Lent would be a double exercise to explore myself, my spirituality, and my awkward outwardness.

Embrace your weird, and give Embrace Your Weird by Felicia Day a try. I’m excited to return to it in the next days.

Book Rec – Embrace Your Weird by Felicia Day

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FELICIA DAY!!!

Felicia Day, taken from her book jacket. (c)2019-2023

Felicia Day is Human Extraordinaire. She’s talented, cute as a button, and has the perfect color red/ginger hair that I strive for. I had known her in geek and fandom circles, and then she appeared in my favorite television show of the moment, Supernatural. Her character was the epitome of geek, nerd, D&D master that I grew up with and grew up as. In honor of her birthday, I am recommending one of her books that I am currently reading.

I borrowed her book, Embrace Your Weird: Face Your Fears and Unleash Creativity from the e-library at the end of 2019. I read about two chapters in, and knew that a borrowed book, an e-book would not do. I was expected to write in this book – something both foreign to me and impossible to do with an e-book. I broke down and ordered a hard copy in paperback with my Christmas Amazon money and waited until the perfect moment to start.

One word of advice: there is no perfect moment.

Embrace Your Weird book with my go-to post-it notes
and the pens I bought especially for working in this book.
(c)2023

Some of the tasks are really thought-provoking, and some were emotionally draining, but also exhilarating. I was proud of getting through the tasks thus far. I am not even halfway done with the book. I did put it aside for a time for other (creative) projects, and I’ve picked it up again, and in picking it up, I wanted to share it with you.

There are seven chapters with several parts in each chapter. Each chapter lets you look into yourself and learn what might be holding you back from busting out the creativity and finding your jam. That sentence channels Felicia in all the best ways. Don’t be afraid to try. A lot of the hesitation for me (and for Felicia, as it turns out) is anxiety. Name the monster and it can’t hurt you, or something like that.

The book is go at your own pace, which is why I’ve been able to start it, put it down, and continue it. Notice that I said “continue;” not “start again.” The book, like your creativity, is a never-ending journey that pauses when the need arises and continues when you’re ready. I was ready last week, actually, but the book’s been missing. It was a victim of cleaning for guests, and shoved in a large green tote bag, which I only remembered yesterday morning.

This book breaks two of my rules:

  1. Read and follow the directions as closely as possible.
  2. Write in the book.

Despite my guilty childhood of scribbling in books, writing in books is anathema to me, but I’ve adapted with this special book.

I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I am!