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September 12, 2024 57 mins

According to her media package, Laura Bray is a creative non-fiction writer who focuses on her memories and the challenges many GenX women face as they enter their 50s and beyond. But in our discussion today, you'll find that there is much more to Laura.

Laura is a non-fiction creative writer who finds herself at the end of that fiction cliff, with some great stories in mind, including one that features a sturgeon who frequents the waters near her Pacific Northwest home. She's also a fibre artist and well-known craft designer (think embroidery, crewel work and similar) and owner of the Substack, The Cozy Library, as well as author of The Bisquick Diaries.

Our discussion today covered a broad range of topics. From creative injury and how results from children (or adults) being told by a perceived expert, that they have no talent in a given area. In fact, those kinds of conversations may squash a person's sense of adventure when it comes to creativity. The result? They never try to do anything creative because they fear failure.

For Laura, that squashed passion was art. And that conversation resulted in her looking elsewhere for a degree in literature and a career in finance. Thankfully, that original passion kept poking at her, and after completing Julia Cameron's 12-week program The Artist's Way, she leaped to become a very successful craft designer. We laughed over how inspiration and creativity can be found in unexpected places, like when you come across a really good obituary. We both hope in the end, we'll have lived a life worthy of a great one.

We talk about how people can be afraid to try their hand at being creative, and we both agreed, there is no wrong to creativity. 

Laura is proud of her Substack, The Cozy Library, and is a huge fan and supporter of libraries in general. She invites anyone who is a reader or a writer, to visit her site to learn the art of reading, to get inspiration for their next read, or to provide a new perspective for writers. I know many of my listeners are readers writers and artists, so I am confident you'll enjoy our discussion and feel that itch to start a new project, or get back to one you've let sit for a bit too long!

#creative #needlework #artist #loveyourlibrary #substack #CozyLibrary #LiveYouurUniqueLife #CreativityofChildren #GenX #InspiringArtists #CreatativeNonFiction #LauraBray #DoCreative #BeCreative

Important Links The Cozy Library (Tell Laura It's All Creative Sent You!)

The Bisquick Diaries

Design Transfers, a Sample of Laura's Work

Laura's Pinterest Design Page

Instagram @laurakbray

Youtube laurabray

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