If you love a bit of Monday morning inspiration – here it is! I wanted to share these books with you as I’ve read all three myself and gained a lot from them. Whether you’re hoping to kickstart your creativity, want to refresh your home or wardrobe, or want to take on the challenge of finding your passion and purpose in life, these authors can help.
By now, many of us have given up on our New Year’s resolutions and have returned to our pre-January routine. But that doesn’t mean you can’t pick up your plans again and give it another go. And these books might be just the thing to inspire you to gete started.
Power Up Your Creativity
Power Up Your Creativity is the newly published book by designer Rachael Taylor, the co-founder of Make It In Design. I’ve personally followed some of her online workshops and I’ve written about her beautiful home for Reloved magazine so, when I heard that she was writing this book, I was so excited to read it when it launched.
The book is designed to ignite that spark of creativity that we all have within us. Don’t worry if you don’t consider yourself to be a creative person – I always thought I had no ideas and nothing to offer creatively – but reading this book has changed all that for me.
It’s a valuable resource that not only helps you to find (and sustain!) your creative inspiration but it provides practical advice to help you develop your artistic practice, clarify your vision and cultivate the courage to share your creativity.
If you’re already a creative practitioner, this book is definitely for you, too. It guides you through ways to take your energy and output to the next level, set your sights on new goals and create with power and intention. If you’ve got big dreams to achieve, Rachael can motivate you to up your game and establish creative longevity.
Passion In The Bones
A book that I’ve had on my bookshelf for a while and have re-read many times is Passion In The Bones by Elaine Howard. This inspirational and motivational book follows the true story of Elaine, who stumbled upon her now lifelong passion for palaeontology in a souvenir shop, and how it completely transformed her life.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that this book is only a tale of dinosaur-hunting and fossil-finding, but it’s SO much more than that. Elaine discusses how discovering your true passion in life can help you to overcome negativity and hopelessness and bring excitement and adventure into your life.
It’s what first got me thinking about what my passion in life could be. I couldn’t list any hobbies or interests, I didn’t participate in any sports or clubs, and all my focus was on my work as a writer (which I absolutely love). But, while reading Elaine’s story, I found it ignited a personal passion in me and I couldn’t resist it any longer. I wanted to dance.
Actually, I needed to dance. For my happiness, for my health, for myself and no one else. So, I started learning to dance straight away. Thankfully, many more virtual classes launched during the pandemic, which has made it possible for me to learn to dance with Strictly Come Dancing stars such as Oti Mabuse, Karen Hauer, Janette Manrara and Aljaž Škorjanec, Graziano Di Prima and Robin Windsor.
YOUR passion doesn’t have to be palaeontology or dancing to enjoy this book – if fact if you have no clue what you might light you up in life, have a read and see if you discover something new too.
A Colourful Dose of Optimism
“The Colour Counsellor” Jules Standish is one of the UK’s leading Colour Experts and she has written this uplifting book to inspire you to choose more colours within your home, wardrobe and life to help you feel good every day. A Colourful Dose of Optimism helped me to refresh my wardrobe and continues to inspire my choices for the thing I wear and the colours I use in my interior.
Published in 2022, this timely book challenges the current climate of uncertainty and anxiety. Jules wants to give us the power to control the things that we CAN change to help us live in a more positive way. It’s all about colour analysis – the meanings and feelings behind the different colours we surround ourselves with.
Once you’ve figured out your own true colours, and how you want to feel within your home or throughout your day, you can begin to use colour in all areas of your life to become happier, more optimistic, look your best and feel energised. I first interviewed Jules about colour for an article on positivity within the home for Reclaim magazine and soon after I read her whole book from cover to cover.
I revisited chapters many times to use Jules Standish’s advice and I’ve even got a photo of my ideal colour palette saved on my phone for reference when I go shopping. I was pretty amazed by how transformative it was just to put on different clothing to my usual greys, navy and black. I don’t think I can ever go back!
I hope you’ll be inspired by reading these books too and I’d love to hear what you think of them in the comments below. Also, please share your own favourite inspirational books so that I can check them out. I’d love to discover more motivational books that I can read myself. Thanks!
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