The Weekend Files

For whatever reason I’ve been drawn to all things about creativity recently – books, podcast episodes, articles, blog posts. There are so many helpful and inspiring pieces of advice in my head that I’m having a hard time to put them into practice. But I know that I’ll get there, sooner or later. Yesterday, for example, when I was stuck while working on a blog post about expat kids, I remembered this: Do something completely different and creativity and inspiration will come back to you. So I did not only make dinner, listened to podcasts, but I also made these chocolate muffins. And after that I decided to dedicate this edition of The Weekend Files to creativity. The next creative thing I want to try is taking a hand-lettering class!

1 – Just finished Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. I know that I repeat myself here, but really, it was so good. Listen to her interview on The Lively Show podcast or her own podcast series.

2 – I’m also reading Rising Strong by Brené Brown, but I’m considering to take a break from this book and read her first and second book first. She has great advice for the (blog) writing process, too: only write about a topic when you don’t feel vulnerable anymore, when your well-being does not depend on your reader’s reaction. You can listen to her interview on the Being Boss podcast and you can also check out her very popular TED-talk (which I still haven’t watched yet!).

3 – I listened to another podcast episode on creativity, while I was baking the muffins: the TED Radio Hour. There is a lot of good stuff in there, such as the section on how schools kill creativity. All kids are born creatives, but that stops once they learn the concept of mistakes.

4 – Dear Readers: Do not only read social media. Write it!

5 – This is what I’m going to be this Halloween. Now I’m off to Goodwill to find a yellow dress!

And finally I’m really excited to share a new expat interview with you next week! Have a great weekend!