Monday Muse

Kitchens, Therapists, and Octopi

Welcome to June, friends! It’s hard to believe we’re already half way through this strange year.

Saturday I installed a backsplash in my kitchen. This is another project I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Because I used peel and stick tile, the process went really quickly and now my kitchen looks more polished. I love it.

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of presenting my Promises and Payoffs in Fiction workshop to the Ottowa Romance Writers group. It’s my favorite workshop to teach and I always learn something new when I present to a group. If you’re a paid subscriber, you’ll receive the next section of the Promises and Payoffs draft this week.

In a few weeks, I head to Pennsylvania for the Seton Hill MFA program residency. That means I have a two books to read and short stories to critique. I also have to prep for a workshop I’ll be presenting on Point of View. Residency is always so fun because it feels like writer camp and I get to see all of my colleagues and students in person.

Muse Links

Book. You Are the One You’ve Been Waiting For by Richard C. Schwartz. A friend of mine is in Internal Family Systems therapy and recommended this book for an overview of the therapeutic approach. It’s fascinating to learn about the different selves we bring to our relationships and how they impact our dynamics with people. Definitely worth a read if you’re a psychology nerd, which I’ve found most writers are because we want to understand people (and ourselves) better.

Show. Speaking of therapy, I’m a fan of the show Couple’s Therapy (Paramount+) and spent a couple of days watching the new season last week. It’s a fascinating look into the real world dynamics of romantic couples. It’s also interesting to watch the therapist, Dr. Orna Guralnik, grapple with how to help couples and her conversations with other therapists about her cases. Definitely worth a watch.

Tiles. If you’re interested in the peel and stick tiles I used in my kitchen, you can find them here. There are a lot of great options for this type of tile, but I found these easy to work with and realistic in appearance. It’s an easy way to give a facelift to your space and it was cheaper than real tile. I will say if I were redoing a kitchen in a forever home, I’d probably hire someone to install the real thing, but this works for me at the moment.

Today’s Tarot Prompt

Today I decided to do something a little different and draw an oracle card. This comes from the Wing, Hoof and Paw Oracle deck written by Angi Sullins with Art by Stephanie Roberts. It’s a precious little deck with beautiful purple foiled edges and adorable animal friends.

Octopus: Creative Problem Solving

From the deck booklet:

“Your genius is much greater than you know. Just like Octopus has millions of ways to problem solve and uses her eight tentacles in endlessly creative ways, you too have access to a genius that far surpasses logical understanding. If you’ve ever watched Ocotpus, you know she can use her tantacles as legs to walk across the ocean floor. She can disguise herself to distract predators. She can even shape-shift into a tiny box to hide, and then unlock herself and crawl back out. Her unique approach to problem solving and creative thinking is here to encourage you not to be limited by your own thoughts of ‘can’ or ‘can’t.’ The little one inside knows they are limitless; they acted like it before the adults of the world (and eventually their own thoughts) told them what they can and can’t do. Yet, just like Octopus, the little one within has connection to thhe original genius that will allow you to surpass your preconceived limitations. Go ahead. Think outside the box. Surprise yourself.”

First, I find it interesting that this card came out when I was just talking about Internal Family Systems, which requires a lot of inner child work. Second, I love Octopus as the symbol of creative problem solving. Who doesn’t love an octopus?

Today, think about ways you might be stuck in creative ruts. What worn out, tired processes do you follow out of habit? Is there a new technique or approach you can take to your creative projects right now? Even if they seem silly—actually, especially if they seem silly.

Sometimes you have to get a little bit weird. You might look ridiculous. That’s okay, Octopus looks bizarre. Do we think, “she looks ridiculous so we can’t love her?” Absolutely not. Indeed, her ridiculousness is part of the reason we love her.

So get a little bizarre today. Try something new. Let me know in comments just how ridiculous you got in your pursuit of getting out of your rut.

Have a great week, friends!

-The Messy Muse