Never Broken

Always one of my favorite female singer songwriters. Jewels Autobiography, "Never Broken" is not disappointing. This morning I read a paragraph that resonates with where I am at right now in breaking away from social media for awhile. Here is the excerpt...

"Eventually I made it back to Alaska for the rest of the summer, and I got a small cabin at my aunt Mossy's. I wrote feverishly, spending two weeks in silence. I cannot overstate the importance of silence to young artists, or anyone seeking a creative voice. It takes great influences to find your way to unique self expression. You must stand on the shoulders of artists who have gone before you. Read great works. See great arts. Listen to great voices. This sets a bar for your spirit and psyche to work toward. Then you must dive inward into silence. Stand on the rippling edges of the expansive universe within your own being and create from there. Don't compare yourself with what's popular. Doing so is like one child comparing himself to another. Greatness is never achieved by trying to imitate the greatness of another. Greatness is chipping away at all that does not belong to you and then expressing yourself so truly that others cannot help but recognize it. It is in silence that we discover ourselves. The silence and the unknown can be frightening, but with time it stops feeling like there is nothing there. The darkness and silence will begin to feel like a void in a positive sense-the womb of creation. It is the magical nothing that something is birthed from. Feed yourself a diet of great work, no then go away by yourself and listen alone to your soul speak to you. Silence will be your greatest teacher." 

Such great words of advice. Especially with an online community that is so easily "inspired" by other people's work. So much so that the lines of originality are often blurred. 

I have an even greater appreciation of Jewel Kilcher. What an adventure ridden and often sad trying life. Great book so far and I'm only half done.