Today is the release day for Elizabeth Jarrett Andrew’s new book, The Release: Creativity and Freedom After the Writing Is Done. Yes, we’re celebrating the release of a work that is about releasing work! Why is that topic necessary to write about? Well, as I have discovered myself, the process is not always easy, comfortable, or unmixed celebration and fulfillment. Often there are feelings of anxiety, insecurity, conflict, and disappointment when a book or other creative work is released to the public. And there can also be difficult feelings surrounding work that can’t be released for some reason. What to do with these emotions, in a healthy creative process?
I’ve been on the release team for this book and got to have a preview, and I have already found it making a difference in my own writing process. Andrew invites us to reframe writing as a gift and to consider ways the gift needs to move — whether it’s out into the world, or into and through the soul of the writer. She asserts that creativity does not end when the writing is done, but enters a new phase that can nourish and stimulate us just as much as the process of generating and revising work does. And she offers a wealth of practical suggestions as to how to encourage that to happen.
I hope to share a longer review soon, but for now here are a few favorite quotes from the book and an invitation to learn more. You can find more information and purchase links on Elizabeth’s website. Here’s to a great launch!
