Franco and Lisa

Franco and Lisa Esile

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May 13, 2015

The All-Time Best Book on How to Overcome Creative Blocks and Tell Your Inner Critic To Go Jump In A Polluted Lake

For the past month Franco and I have been holed up in Julian writing a book—working title, WHOSE MIND IS IT ANYWAY.

It’s no exaggeration to say we are somewhat over the moon about this.

Book deal with PenguinDo you have something you love to do more than anything?

This is it for me.

But it’s still challenging right? Not just stringing 176 pages together to be printed for all time, or whatever your deal is.

But wrestling with the creative spark. Knowing when to wait. When to push. And when to drive to California’s largest lake/toxic waste dump that is the Salton Sea because you’ve hit a wall (Sunday’s road trip.)

Dead Fish at the Salton SeaaWhat better time to read Steven Pressfield’s, THE WAR OF ART.

A warm, funny and wise kick in the pants for whatever stage of the creative process you’re in.

The best book I’ve come across on how to overcome creative blocks.

(He doesn’t go into dead fish.)

Here’s a favorite passage of mine (there are so many others!)

Steven Pressfield The War of ArtHe talks about Resistance—the sneaky things your mind does to try to stop you.

And offers generous solutions for beating it.

I made a “thank you, Steven,” card.

Steven PressfieldWe left our little mountain town (Julian, CA) yesterday, and are back in LA, organizing our little apartment into a book writing, image creating factory.

I was going to go into detail about what furniture we moved where, but instead, here are some pics of our month stay in the mountains.

Until next week,

With love
XX
Lisa

Where to start … all the roads into town were amazing. And all were different. This is one:

IMG_0167

Here’s anotherIMG_0560

And another …

IMG_0565On a drive into town for stationery supplies we came round the corner and found this.

On the road to El CahonAnd this …

El Cahon, CaliforniaThe view from our beloved deck IMG_0120

The Anza Borrego Desert was a 30–minute drive away.

IMG_0416Which was 360 beautiful.

IMG_0470With the Salton Sea on the other side.

The Salton Sea, CaliforniaThe Salton Sea is fascinating. If you’re interested in the California water wars and/or ecology and the human condition (think Dr Seuss’s, THE LORAX) check it out.

Those are dead fish. And the wee shells that look like sand are ground up bones of millions of dead fish.

Too grim?

Here are some horses that wandered past every Sunday.

Horses in Julian, CaAnd our two bird friends who visited every day.

They spent the day flapping about the car, trying to get in.

Our bird friends who visited every dayThen there was the day it snowed!!

In California!

Snow!But most of the time we worked.

This is a self portrait Franco took to help him practice perspective drawing.

(Sexy legs, Love.)

Learning to draw perspectiveMy desk!

IMG_9611

Action shot of desk.

IMG_9762Thanks for reading this article!

LandF

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