by Felicia Day
I’ve read a lot of theoretical physics recently, because if I read things that have no tension and lean toward the snore-worthy, I’m able to sleep better. (Although reading that our universe is guaranteed to implode in, oh, 300 billion years kept me nice and awake for several days.) Something I found eye-opening is that everything that exists now will ALWAYS exist. We are literally all made of stardust. (And not just because that Joni Mitchell song told us so.) Everything on our planet comes directly from the heart of a star, created after the Big Bang. And whatever exists now, on an atomic level, will always exist. Meaning that the atoms we’re made up of will pass into something else after we’re gone. It’s just science. Therefore, we never TRULY die. It’s maybe not reincarnation exactly, but a continuance of a sort? Yes. That fact reassured me.
Kind of.
Except then I realized, I won’t be aware of becoming part of a worm or a tree or the lettuce inside someone’s burrito, so I’d better make the most of my sentience now. (Take it from a seasoned neurotic, trying to head off regret is pretty good motivation.)
The hard truth is, we are finite. And our lives COULD be summarized in a single spreadsheet with tabs like “Number of times we drove our car. Number of TV shows we watched. Number of dinners we had with our friends. Number of bills we forgot to pay that helped ruin our credit ratings.” (Thank goodness no one’s job is death actuary. Oh wait, it is? Ugh.) We all need to make sure our theoretical spreadsheets include columns for everything important that we want to accomplish in our lifetimes. And that includes creativity.
* * *
Write your dream obituary. What do you want to have accomplished by the time you die? Continue on another sheet of paper if you run out of room.
Does anything you write scream out with urgency, “Start me now!”?
* * *
Personally, I’d be disappointed if my own obituary didn’t include the amount of time I helped other people, whether through charity or building community. I’d be sad if I never learned another language or wrote a novel or learned how to swim at some point in my life. (I know, I know. Stop nagging me!) We should always think about how we could add numbers to our spreadsheet columns that in the end we would regret never having added. (To be clear: our end.)
I know what everyone’s thinking. “Gee, thanks for ending this uplifting book on creativity with dire thoughts of mortality.” Sorry, but sometimes tough love is motivating!
Seriously, I’m sorry! Here’s a picture of a puppy! ON YOUR GRAVE. BUT STILL—A PUPPY!
It’s so hard to be persistent when we invest in things that are intangible. If we spend a ton of effort on our careers? We get bonuses. We get compliments. We get money and validation. Spend effort on things like family, children, self-care, or creativity? We may get ups in the long term. But they come with a lot of downs, especially in the short term. And rarely do we get any financial or external rewards for them. But in the very end… these are the things we will treasure most. And reap the most rewards from.
We don’t have a RIGHT to succeed in life. But we do have every right to TRY. So prioritize creativity. Make it a habit. And keep going.
No one is going to rescue us in this world. We have to insist on how awesome we are and keep trying to show people until they frickin’ listen! With effort and time, who knows what each of us could accomplish?
But we have to start in order to find out.
GOOD LUCK! GO FORTH! MAKE THINGS! BYEEE!
Group huddle! I’m about to say some stuff that’s too earnest, so hold your butts.
We’ve traveled together a great distance. And discovered that our differences are our greatest assets. We’ve built ourselves anew as creative, beautiful creatures. However you want to picture that. (Mine has rainbow wings and a laser horn.) We have creative goals we’d like to achieve. We can see them on the horizon and are ready to set out in pursuit of them. Big or small, we have our shoes on and are ready to walk the walk. BONUS: We have the tools to persist, even when buffeted by crappy little winds of strife.
All right, baby birds.
Safe journeys.
It’s time to fly.
Every day we have a choice about how to approach the act of living. Whether to take the creative path. Or let our Hero-Selves shine. Or choose play rather than grind.
There are so many wondrous ways to show our weird to the world.
There is no right or wrong.
Except not to choose.
So…
What we’ve uncovered in this book is just the start. We are like a clam with a new kernel of sand. Yum, gritty! Now we can work on making that sand into a pearl using focus, dedication, and our entire souls. (That’s all.) We may not be rewarded in any way but with the gratification of the work itself. That is enough. To spend our minutes, hours, and years on something that absorbs us is a gift that is irreplaceable. Priceless. Just like that credit card ad. Except there’s no stupid interest.
The truth is, we have uncovered our creative POWER. Yes, it’s POWER! It is strong. It is formidable. Probably illegal on some planets. And it is entirely UNIQUE TO US AND THEREFORE SPECIAL. We can own that one hundred percent. (We can also automatically tell haters to “Suck it!” We can own that one hundred percent too.)
Locked. Loaded. Let’s do this!
Except one last thing wait sorry.
* * *
Let’s close the oovy-groovy circle with one last exercise and write, “I am the greatest thing since Swiss cheese!” over and over again on this page.
* * *
Did that feel different compared to when you wrote it in the beginning of the book? Did you wince less before diving in? Do you now truly believe you are cheesy in new and weirdly wonderful ways?
I believe you are. And hope you do too.
xoxox
Felicia
Oh wait! I figured out how to make those cards from page 92. Clip this out and put it in your wallet. You’re welcome!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Copious thanks to the myriad of people who made this book possible. To my fabulous editor, Lauren Spiegel, who filled our phone calls with as many Game of Thrones discussions as actual work. To Paul Nielsen, Emily Armstrong, and Spencer Fuller at Faceout Studios, who made the pictures in my head come to life in ways I couldn’t imagine. To my copyeditor, Peg Haller, who made me LOL with her Urban Dictionary references in the edit comments. To everyone at S&S, including Jen Bergstrom, Aimée Bell, Jen Long, Jen Robinson, Jessica Roth, Rebecca Strobel, Caroline Pallotta, Sherry Wasserman, Mike Kwan, Jaime Putorti, Abby Zidle, and LJ Jackson, who ensured that this book would be made beautifully and reach the right audience’s hands. To my fabulous agent, Erin Malone, without whom I wouldn’t bother writing books, I’d just stay home and play video games and be sad about my laziness. To my mom; my dad; my brother, Ryon; my work-wife Ryan Copple. To Amy Phillips, who takes such good care of my baby that I can feel less guilty about working so much. To my partner who, after reading a draft of this book, said, “This is so helpful. You really need to read your own book!” To the fans on my Discord and Twitch channels, who keep me company in the online world. And, finally, to everyone who read my memoir and told me it inspired them to create something: this book wouldn’t exist without you. You showed me the joy of helping people through art. You inspired me to create. I can’t wait to see what you make yourselves!
MORE BOOKS FOR YOUR CREATIVE JOURNEY
If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland
Syllabus by Lynda Barry
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
How to Be an Explorer of the World by Keri Smith
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
And lastly… go create!
More from the Author
You're Never Weird on…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Felicia
Day is the New York Times bestselling author of You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) and a professional actor. She has appeared in numerous films and television shows, such as Supernatural, The Magicians, and Mystery Science Theater 3000. Felicia is best known for her work in the web video world, behind and in front of the camera. She costarred in Joss Whedon’s internet musical Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, which won an Emmy in 2009. She also created and starred in the seminal web series The Guild, which ran for six seasons and won numerous awards for web video excellence. She expanded the brand into numerous merchandising opportunities, including a hit comic book series with Dark Horse Comics. Costumes and props from the show are in the Smithsonian American History collection as examples of early web media pioneering.
In 2012 Felicia created a digital production company called Geek & Sundry. Since its launch, the channel has garnered more than two million subscribers on YouTube and spawned such hit series as Tabletop and Critical Role. In 2015, the company was sold to Legendary Entertainment. Felicia currently works on her own writing, acting, and producing projects. She streams video games on Twitch weekly and has a podcast called Felicitations. And while doing all that, she tries to be the best mother she can be.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR:
SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Felicia-Day
SimonandSchuster.com
Facebook.com/GalleryBooks
@GalleryBooks
Also by Felicia Day
You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)
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Interior design by Faceout Studio
Cover design by Derek Thornton/Faceout Studio
Author photo by Christina Ganolfo
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
ISBN 978-1-9821-1322-3
ISBN 978-1-9821-1574-6 (ebook)