Alchemy! 🔮

Gratitude as a state of being, inspiration as an alchemical gift

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I received my pre-ordered piece of magic on the day it was released- April 22. Or maybe it was a day later. But it was Friday, April 25 when I dove into my commitment to my own alchemical journey for 100 days, thanks to the wisdom and brilliance of the incomparable Suleika Jaouad (click to read a NYT review of the book.)

I need to preface this with a confession about the 100 Day Project, which is a concept/practice I’ve toyed with and been awed by for years. But—you guessed it— toying with something and actually committing to it are quite different. As an artist, I’ve seen lots of 100 Day Project challenges all over Instagram and FaceBook, and the idea of actually committing to a creative practice for 100 days alongside other artists was exciting, but daunting. Daunting, because I’m not habitual: I tend to slack off on things, I don’t follow through. Basically I was too embarrassed to join in and say “Hey, yeah, count me in!” because I just knew I wouldn’t keep up my end of the bargain to make a piece of art and share it alongside dozens of others for 100 days in a row.

Now I am gifted with this extraordinary book, The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life (my 72nd birthday present to myself!) and the wisdom, knowledge, and inspiration it holds. This 100 Day Challenge, set forth by Suleika and the amazing writers she has convened for this book, is different. In Suleika’s introduction she states:

“It provides tools to engage with discomfort, to peel back the layers, to uncover your truest, most laid-bare self— and in doing so, to distill kernels of insight, to dream daringly, to learn to hold the brutal and beautiful facts of life in the same palm.”

The Book of Alchemy is a gift I’m giving to myself, through journaling. And while I’m doing it alone, I know there are hundreds (thousands!) of you out there who have accepted this challenge too, and are bravely diving in. ¹ I am choosing to make this commitment to myself. Thank you, Suleika Jaouad. I am deep in gratitude. You inspire and bring magic into the lives of millions, and we are all so grateful. 🙏

Truth be told, I have always kept journals, long before The Artist’s Way morning pages were a thing. So I know the value of journaling, and now I have another way of utilizing it.

1. Are you diving into Suleika’s The Book of Alchemy too? If so, are you as sparked as I am about transformational possibilities? Leave a comment!

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