A philosophy I live by, which ties into the founding philosophy of the Creative Fridays blog you’re reading, is this:
Don’t wait for someone to give you permission.
You make your own rules.
You create your life.
(Start with Fridays.)
I started this blog over 4 years ago on a Friday because I was tired of living by someone else’s rules. I wanted to be an artist, a writer. I wanted to dance. I wanted dance to have a more significant role in my life. And I didn’t want to wait until I had saved up money for a 6-month sabbatical, or until I was ready to audition for some kind of dance company, or until I got the stamp of approval of an M.F.A.
I wanted to change my life and career.
So I started writing and sharing it, as I continued to dance and make dance videos.
Fast forward a few years later, and my life had gradually and then fully changed.
But there was still a holding pattern at work beneath the surface.
You see, somewhere throughout the last couple of years I pieced together my writing in the form of a book. I knew the title, had the vision of what it would look like, would even tell people about it here and there.
But I didn’t do anything with this book for 2 YEARS.
I was waiting for the “right” time to release it.
I was waiting til my email list was 5 times the size it is now.
I was waiting til I had the time to create a proper proposal so that I could get a real book deal.
All of these reasons are totally valid.
But then I stopped waiting.
And I decided to put it out there. Self-published. Today. On my 33rd birthday, on a Friday the 13th.
I share this with you for 2 reasons.
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Because you might really love this book - ok, you WILL really love this book - and there’s a way for you get the first chapter for free today AND to pre-order the entire thing.
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Because I hope you’ll use it as inspiration to stop waiting on whatever YOUR excuses are. Whether it’s a book, a movie script, or a trip to Marrakech, stop waiting and just do it. Take the first step. Be bold. The world needs to hear it if your desire to make it is there.
So, back to this book.
I wrote this book for the artists trapped inside someone else’s expectations.
I wrote this book for the dancers who stopped prematurely or never let themselves start.
I wrote this book for you if you want to bring dance back into your life - literally or figuratively.
The name of this book is quite simple:
DANCE WITH THIS BOOK.
Because that’s really what it’s about.
It’s not rocket-science. It’s not based on a thesis project or years of research.
It is practical, packed with inspirational punch, and designed to get you up off your butt and dancing.
It’s designed to be that book that you pick up off the shelf at Barnes & Noble while you’re shopping for a birthday card for your friend’s kid, and it catches your eye and you end up reading it cover to cover as you stand there in the aisle, bursting inside with YES! because it’s exactly what you needed to hear on that day. And you leave Barnes & Noble with a skip in your step, smiling at strangers as you dance with them in your head - or in reality. Because it makes you remember. Who you are. That you are here to dance.
You can grab the first chapter and pre-order this book here.
$5 gets you the e-book.
$13 gets you the print book.
$33 gets you 3 print books.
The prices will go up after today - these are birthday prices on 5/13! - so lock it in if you want it.
Bottom line: this book is about reclaiming dance and reclaiming life in YOUR OWN WAY. It’s not about trying to fit into the mold that someone or something else wants you to be.
You don’t have to be a “dancer” in the traditional sense to read this and benefit from it. You just have to want something more, a way to express yourself in this world and connect to your body.
You might be drawn to specific styles of dance, or you might be drawn to discovering your natural movement.
You might want to get back in shape, or maybe you just want to reshape your life and you don’t know where else to start.
Perhaps you just want to be more active and feel more joy on a daily basis.
Whatever your reasons, you’re here to dance with this book, right?
Let’s do it.
Get your copy/copies here and I’ll send you your book in August or as soon as it’s ready.
to life beyond waiting,
Jess
p.s. Although I've been sitting on this book for 2 years, the whole process of deciding to get it out there today happened pretty spontaneously. I don't have a marketing plan, I don't have a fancy new website, I barely even told the people in my life I was doing this until today. If the book excites you, or if you've been getting value from my weekly Creative Fridays notes, please feel free to share this with people in your life and let's spread the love and accessibility of dance to the people who need to hear it.
Link to share: http://eepurl.com/b1xXTP
