Just seriously skip this one

On being a writer and getting a terrible review

It is so so tender to be human. Can we all just crawl into a cozy blanket fort or a nourishing cocoon, take a couple-year replenishing nap, and start again being kind and generous to each other? Can we go underground and sit in a dark cave of rebirth until we arise brimming with courage and compassion?

This morning I found out that my new book, Wild, Willing, and Wise has arrived in the warehouse and is beginning the journey of spreading itself throughout bookstores and venues throughout North America for its birthday on July 30th. I felt ecstatic with the news, and also stripped bare and gawkily trying to wave hello among strangers.

As my writing coach, Dan Blank, said: “Ah, this is the middle school years of publishing a book.”

There are times when I feel expansive, on purpose, and immensely grateful for the life of being an artist and sculptor of words.

And there are times when I feel like I did in sixth grade when I had to present a science project to my class. As I created my fake volcano I felt exceedingly proud and delighted with my creation. But the moment I carried it into the classroom all I wanted to do was hide.

So, in honor of being vulnerable and doing the shit you love no matter what, here is my early morning pre-coffee dramatic reading of Tina’s one-star review:

If we are creative, we are going to be criticized. That is all there is to it.

And in fact, if we are living our life fully, that is as it should be. Because if everyone loves you and everyone thinks your creations are brilliant you are only showing them to your closest family and friends. Who probably aren’t being totally honest with you.

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Not everyone needs to like your work. It is okay to feel naked and vulnerable.

Keep creating.

I really love Wild, Willing, and Wise and believe it is a most precious and profound medicine-for-these-times book flavored with a dose of cherry-flavored humor for easy digestion. I’m proud of what I’m calling the triplets: wild, willing, and wise and know that the book will help and nourish many, many people.

Side note: If you don’t like cussing definitely don’t read Wild, Willing, and Wise. As someone wrote me last month about my substack article called More F*cking Miracles:

I thought Heather Ash Amara was great when I started following her

Look today how

VULGAR 

her email is today

How does one relate the word “Miracle” 

Right after the F word 

I try to delete the F word as Mother did not approve

Shame on you as our Leader

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I unsubscribed her, with love.

Bye bye! I’m not the Leader for you, dear one.

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You don’t know how anything you create is going to be received. And just being you is going to delight some and infuriate others.

Keep being you.

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Here’s a fun fact:

From a Wikipedia “List of Music Considered the Worst”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_music_considered_the_worst

"Don't Worry, Be Happy", Bobby McFerrin (1988)

This song was named by Village Voice critic Michael Musto as the worst of all time^[88] and topped Q100 DJ Bert Weiss's list of tracks he would forever ban from radio.^[97] In its "50 Worst Songs Ever", Blender said that "it's difficult to think of a song more likely to plunge you into suicidal despondency than this" and lambasted its "appalling" lyrics.^[94]

Thanks Bobby for being you so impeccably.

Here is a three-minute video of Bobby doing a Circlesong with 60,000 people, recorded live in Ruhr, Germany on June 6, 2010 at Day of Song, an annual choral festival.

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And here is a cheery song from Madilyn Bailey, who used hate comments from her youtube channel as her raw material:

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Keep singing your unique song, dear ones. No matter what. Someone needs your voice, even when others want you to stop sharing.

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And you are invited to a pay-what-you-can workshop I’m doing on July 13th:

WILD, WILLING WISDOM: When to Paddle, When to Rest, and When to Jump Naked into the River of Life

Saturday, July 13, 2024
9 am Los Angeles / 12 pm New York / 5 pm London

https://warriorgoddess.com/workshop

Pay any amount from $1 to $197.

In Wild, Willing, and Wise I use the metaphor of a river as a guide to self-understanding, compassion, and conscious transformation. We need maps to help us navigate both the rough waters and the smooth float times of our days. And we also need good guides.

That is why I’m super excited to share this one-day workshop inspired by the teachings in my upcoming Wild, Willing, and Wise book. 

This workshop is offered on a sliding scale, so you can pay depending on your means. I want this work to be accessible to everyone, and these workshops are a deep dive into the teachings in a way everyone can connect with.

The full cost for a one-day workshop is $197, but no matter what you pay you are so welcome to participate.    

Join me for a deeply impactful and supportive workshop where you will be led by a compassionate, skilled guide who is paddling the river with you, rather than standing on the sidelines telling you what you are doing wrong, or pretending that it is easy if you just think the right way.

Learn more or register here: https://warriorgoddess.com/workshop

Blessings and be vulnerable, be courageous, be wild.