Do you remember when Elizabeth Gilbert’s first non-fiction book, Big Magic, came out sometime around 2016? Gosh, I loved the art work on that cover. It was so fresh and exciting. I couldn’t wait to get my very own copy, and as soon as I did, I inhaled her every word.
There was one part of her book, deep into Chapter 4, that I’ve always been intrigued by:
“I never wanted to burden my writing with the responsibility of paying for my life… over the years, I have watched so many other people murder their creativity by demanding that their art pay the bills. I’ve seen artists drive themselves broke and crazy because of this insistence that they are not legitimate creators unless they can exclusively live off their creativity…”
“to yell at your creativity, saying, ‘You must earn money for me!’ is sort of like yelling at a cat; it has no idea what you’re talking about, and all you’re doing is scaring it away…”
When I first read these pages, I was so confused. Frustrated, even! I was just a few years into spending every waking minute building the creative business of my dreams. I wanted my passion to be my job.
And, by some miracle, after a ton of hard work, that dream came true.
But now, standing on the other side, after building - and subsequently closing - the business that became my life’s purpose (Sexy Sobriety), I have a much deeper understanding of Elizabeth’s words.
When you’re under obligation to constantly feed the content machine - when your dinner, and the roof over your head, rely on your ability to push yourself creatively - you may find yourself where Dom and I eventually did - firmly in Burnout Land.
So… where to from here?
What do you do (and who do you become!) when everything changes?
After months of uncertainty, and with a whole new corporate career underway (more on that soon!), I’m looking forward to finding out.
I’m excited to invite my creativity to come back to life. I’m hopeful that this marks a whole new season of creative expansion. Not with the intention of building into a business someday, but simply to be an author; a writer. Simply for the joy of it.
Without the pressure to write solely about sobriety, I want to explore all kinds of topics that fascinate me. Don’t get me wrong, I love writing about addiction and the human condition. I can’t imagine that part will ever go away. But I’m also excited to share other topics I’m deeply into lately, including:
Knowing when it’s time to let go
What a CO₂ monitor has taught me about sleep hygiene solutions
How I’m combining the Declutter Game with the 5 Item Challenge
In the meantime, I have a couple of gifts for you!
I’ve received a heap of messages lately about how to calm sugar cravings (especially in early sobriety!).
In celebration of the new year, here are my all-time favourite tips. I hope they help you too!
Scared of socialising sober? I feel you!
If you've read 'A Happier Hour' you know that in my previous life, I was the ultimate party girl. And that in my first week of sobriety I went to not only a Hen's Party, but also a WEDDING! Hosted at a cocktail bar! 🙈
I had so much fun chatting with the incredible Alcohol Tipping Point Podcast Host, Deb Masner, about the practical steps we can all take to steady our nerves (without the booze!), overcome social anxiety, and protect our sober momentum. 🙌
Come join us! Click the button below (or search ‘Alcohol Tipping Point' on your favourite podcast platform) to tune in.
As always, thank you or being here, and I hope you’ll choose to stay with me now that I’ve moved to creating a free publication on Substack. This platform has some really fun features that I look forward to exploring with you in the future!
Also, we now have a comment section! I’ll see you there. 👇
With love,
Bex
P.S. No longer want to stay in touch? No hard feelings! Simply hit the ‘Unsubscribe’ link below.
Dear Bex,
Congratulations on your continued success in life! Your ability to connect with, listen to and cheerlead the women of the world is a feat not accomplished by many. And here you go again! Your talents are endless. Cheers (with apple juice)!
Good bless you and Dom
Daphne Hurley - Ocean City, Maryland USA
"Burnout Land." I can identify as I'm sure so many others can. And I can't wait to read what you'll be writing about knowing when it's time to let go. Both are topics I'm interested in!