Clay-Writer Turned Creativity Evangelist

May 16, 2023 | By Women Writers Women Books | Reply More

Clay-Writer Turned Creativity Evangelist

Several years ago, my husband dubbed me a “clay-writer”. “You sculpt with words and write in clay,” he elaborated. His description referenced the fact I was a potter and enjoyed sculpting vignettes out of polymer clay (think Sculpey or Fimo vinyl plastic clay which can be baked in the oven.) At the time, I had just created a journal illustrated with images of my sculptures. The mantra of my Be Brave. Lose the Beige journal was:

Running from meeting to meeting, checking off the to-do list – that isn’t really living. Discovering the playful side of life. Spreading joy. Being colorful…clever…creative.

Now, that’s living!

The pages were designed to encourage upside down, sideways, off the margins writing, and encouraged Baby Boomer women (Lady Boomers as I like to call us since I most assuredly fall into this age demographic) to find their colorful spirits in this aging adventure into their post-middle age years. The humorous, even tongue-in-cheek descriptions of the whimsical clay art pieces were designed to address serious subjects such as: “The Power of the Purse”. A red and white polka-dotted purse, biceps flexed, paid homage to Rosie the Riveter’s, “We can do it” mantra.

Readers were asked, “Do you feel you have power over your purse? What can you do that feels empowering? To what can you say, “Yes, I can!” Another vignette entitled, “Om…for the Holidays” depicted a Santa Clause seated in a lotus position on his yoga mat, reminding readers (can we say women?) to kick back and breathe through the frenzy of the holiday festivities.

Women are particularly prone to feeling responsible for holidays. We shop for the perfect gifts, make endless trips to the grocery store buying food for feasts, and then spend hours in the kitchen preparing the feast. A Psychology Today article noted that women’s stress levels skyrocket during the holidays because they are charged with the task of maintaining traditions (December 2022).

Naively thinking a publisher might be interested in my journal, I traveled to Austin Texas for a writers’ conference to pitch the concept to prospective book editors and agents. Alas, the cost-prohibitive, color-heavy illustrations were not appealing to members of the publishing industry. But the creative path often takes a circuitous route. A chance remark by a social media expert caused the proverbial lightbulb to illuminate in my head. “Your work might be better suited to a digital platform,” she counseled.

“Ding, ding ding! I loved writing the text for my journal. A blog would allow me to continue writing.” And thus, in 2009, my Be Brave. Lose the Beige! blogsite was born.

In the ensuing years, Be Brave. Lose the Beige! evolved into a philosophy focused on women’s empowerment. Creativity and creative thinking are at the heart of the BBLB philosophy, and color is used as a metaphor to access tough issues we face as we age. The blog posts chronicled how creative thinking helped me cope with Empty Nest Syndrome, navigate sex over sixty, and transition from being “outtasight” (as girls were referenced in the 1960s) to being literally out of sight.

Somehow, over the past fourteen years I accumulated groupies! The comments and kind words of my faithful blog subscribers made me realize Be Brave. Lose the Beige! had something worthwhile to offer women of the Baby Boomer generation. My blog posts formed the nucleus of my new book, Be Brave. Lose the Beige! Finding Your Sass After Sixty. Beige is anthropomorphized in my book and has been set up in a life contest with the other anthropomorphized color, Magenta.

Magenta lightly teases, even taunts, Beige for its reluctance to defy conventional norms or break a few pesky fine print rules. Be Brave. Lose the Beige! is sassy and pokes fun at societal rules and norms. It says yes, when the world around us keeps saying no, especially when it comes to aging issues. Beige represents the antithesis of creative thinking, and as an avowed creativity evangelist, I know creative thinking is critical in navigating what’s next for Lady Boomers.

A funny thing happened to me during the process of writing of my book. I began the book preaching the importance of creativity and creative thinking. I thought I knew what it meant to be brave and poke fun at certain societal rules and expectations. But I underestimated how owning these qualities in myself might further evolve. The writing taught me that. It started out on a linear path, but it dipped and curved, just like a creative path, and I felt my writing grow braver with each chapter revision.

So, readers, this is the story of my thirty-plus year journey from potter to illustrator and blogger to author. The creativity train often travels a convoluted course but try to remain open to where it stops. You might be surprised to realize you wanted to go there all along.

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Be Brave. Lose the Beige!: Finding Your Sass After Sixty

Meet Beige. Beige is reliable, practical, sensible, and safe. Beige doesn’t put up a fuss; it follows the rules, blends in, doesn’t want to stand out. Now meet Magenta. Magenta is rich, dynamic, loud, sometimes garish, and not easily overlooked.

Society has decidedly beige expectations when it comes to aging, and the intrinsic danger of beige and its many practical aspects is that it precludes creative thinking. Creative thinking is critical in avoiding a beige aging journey. Be Brave. Lose the Beige! Finding Your Sass after Sixty encourages women to trot out their inner magenta and defy those beige expectations.

Be Brave. Lose the Beige! started as a blog and morphed into a movement. This movement gently pokes fun at ageist rules and expectations. It says “yes” when the rest of the world keeps saying “no.” In these pages, Liz Kitchens chronicles how creative thinking helped her cope with empty nest syndrome, navigate sex over sixty, transition from being outtasight to literally being out-of-sight . . . and so much more.

The stories and creative techniques outlined in this book are guaranteed to introduce color, sass, and a lightness of spirit into your later years. Are you ready to start coloring outside the lines, even if a few pesky rules get trampled in the process?

BUY HERE

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Liz Kitchens conducts workshops and seminars on creativity and directed a creative arts program for teens in underserved communities. She has also been a market researcher for thirty-five years and is the founder of What’s Next Boomer? a website dedicated to helping Baby Boomers navigate retirement options; and of the blog, Be Brave. Lose the Beige!, which focuses on issues facing Lady Boomers (women of the Baby Boomer generation). She is a contributing writer for the online magazine, Sixty and Me, and has been published in various online and print publications. Be Brave. Lose the Beige: Finding Your Sass After Sixty is Liz’s first book publication. She is married, the mother of three adult children, and the grandmother of three grandchildren.