Sunday Candy Issue #3

Lessons From An Old Friend & Something For Your Ears

Apr 25, 2022

Hi friends,

Last week, you guys sent me some dope playlists and song recommendations for working out, and I’m loving them so far! Thank you.

I’m thinking about compiling my favorite songs into a playlist and sharing it with you all. I dunno yet, we’ll see!

By the way, I love receiving recommendations for cool stuff, so don’t be a stranger. You’re always welcome to send recs on music, movies, things to read, etc. my way.

Lessons From An Old Friend

For the past month, I’ve been slowly rereading Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, which I haven’t read since 2017.

Since I’m now embracing being online, and putting myself out there with this newsletter, Gilbert has reentered my life at the most perfect moment.

Big Magic is truly the antidote to all the dumb doubts, and familiar fears that plague us all, and I’m kicking myself for waiting this long to revisit it!

While my brain marinates in all of Gilbert’s wisdom, I’d like to share a few of her nuggets on creative living with you:

Be Stupendously Imperfect

This quote from Gilbert reminds me of how unproductive a perfectionist mindset can be:

“The only reason I was able to persist in completing my first novel was that I allowed it to be stupendously imperfect.”

Yes, we all want to achieve greatness, but realistically, a lot of what we do is going to suck, especially in the beginning.

And let’s not forget that our best looks different every day!

That means to keep our momentum going, it helps to focus on getting shit done over making it as perfect as it can possibly be.

May we all learn to be stupendously imperfect.

Roman Emperors, They’re Just Like Us!

I love the moment when Gilbert highlights how even Marcus Aurelius had to reassure himself not to be tied to the results when writing.

“Do what nature demands. Get a move on—if you have it in you—and don’t worry whether anyone will give you credit for it.
And don’t go expecting Plato’s Republic; be satisfied with even the smallest progress, and treat the outcome of it all as unimportant.”
-Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Sometimes, we have a tendency to overestimate others and underestimate ourselves.

I know I do.

This reminds me that even people who appear greater than me are chock-full of their own insecurities and demons to battle.

It’s more useful to me to focus on my own progress than to compare myself to other people.

Fear is Boring

My favorite part of the book is when Gilbert describes the extremely mundane nature of fear.

“But my fear was not original in the least. My fear wasn’t some kind of rare artisanal object; it was just a mass-produced item, available on the shelves of any generic box store.
And that’s the thing I wanted to build my entire identity around? The most boring instinct I possessed?
The panic reflex of my dumbest inner tadpole? No.”

Whether it’s fighting perfectionism, or learning to put people in their place, it’s all part of conquering our dumbest inner tadpole.

I come back to this section of the book the moment I sense fear trying to steer the wheel.

Her perspective on fear helps me see how we often let the most boring part of ourselves keep us small.

And that’s not what I want. I refuse to let fear hold me back.

I hope you do the same.

If you’ve read Big Magic, I’d love to know your favorite parts, things you dislike or disagree with and why! Shoot me a reply.

Something For Your Ears

Last week, the sky was full of gloom here in the Bay Area, so I’ve been turning to feel good music to lift my spirits.

Koffee’s “Lockdown” is 3 minutes of pure sunshine and vibes.

Give it a listen.

Last month, she dropped her debut album Gifted, which you should check out, too.

That’s all for this week’s issue of Sunday Candy!

Thanks for reading, friends.

Until next week!

-Sandra

P.S. What’d you think of this week’s issue? Reply or leave a comment to let me know what you liked, what resonated, any suggestions, or just take a second to say hi!