Felicia Day - Embrace Your Weird: Face Your Fears and Unleash Creativity

To Calliope catbird.

I love you just the way you are.

Ive been plagued with anxiety my whole life. It wasnt until I started creating that I finally felt free enough to show off my weird-self. I want to help you show off your weird-self too.

A few years ago I wrote a memoir called Youre Never Weird on the Internet (Almost). It was a New York Times bestseller, which made my mom really proud. She even got out of a fender-bender situation right after it came out by dropping my name. Im Felicia Days mom! she said to the person shed just rear-ended. Luckily, the victim had read my book and was mildly impressed, so they let my mother off scot-free without calling the insurance company. (By the way, I heard this story from the fan, not my mother. Anyway!)

Since I wrote that book, Ive heard over and over again how my story helped some people not feel so alone about mental health issues, especially anxiety. And how that book made it possible for others to overcome their fears and start creating things! What kind of things? Well, Ive heard from people who were inspired to:

• Start a nonprofit ferret rescue group.
• Go to animation design school instead of medical school like their dad wanted. (Sorry not sorry, that persons dad!)
• Draw a web comic about smart-ass bees.
• Build a custom Batmobile. Fully driveable!
• Write a fantasy trilogy, which they completed in the time I wrote HALF a book, so I got intimidated and asked for THEIR autograph at my own book signing. (It was awkward.)
• Form a steampunk band that was NOT named Clockblockers but hey, its a good name, go ahead and take it.
• Name their hedgehog after me. (I end with this because its probably the coolest. Have fun eating carrots, Felicia Bae!)

In short, I made X because of you! became the most gratifying thing Id ever heard. And I realized that expressing our weirdness is a baked-in superpower we all have, but for some reason, many are afraid of using it! Life is so much easier when we conform and stay silent, right? Easier, but one of the greatest disservices we can do to ourselves. Aside from wearing high-waisted pants. (Seriously, they dont look good on anyone. I will fight you over this!)

Helping other people accept their weirdness and use it to create is something Ive become super passionate about. Its top three behind playing video games and eating high-quality croissants. I now consider it one of my missions in life to give people a power-up to overcome destructive voices that keep their creativity silent. Its personal. Because Ive been plagued by similar voices all my life.

Destructive thoughts kept me afraid to pursue writing for many yearsand discouraged me when I finally tried. I thought they were realistic. That those voices knew better. It was an amazing feeling to realize one day, HEY, HERES A CRAZY IDEA! I DONT ACTUALLY HAVE TO BELIEVE THESE THOUGHTS! IN FACT, THEY CAN SUCK IT!

When I finally made an effort to work on my issues, I started making things. In fact, I found a career through creating. Whoda thought?

Aside from (over)sharing a lot of my opinions, I have filled this book with exercises designed to uncover the joy of creativity. To help people beat back the fear that keeps them from trying new things. And to inspire everyone to embrace how truly awesome and unique they are. (Yes, Im pointing to you with these words. Imagine my 3-D holographic finger sticking straight up out of this page. If I accidentally poked anyones eye out, sorry!)

Most of the exercises in this book are joyful. Some are silly. Some dive into the ugly. But all are designed to help uncork the creative voice. Theyre techniques Ive cobbled together over the years from therapy, motivational posters, and trying to answer the simple, desperate question, I want to say things. Why cant I be brave enough to just say them?

We dont need lofty goals going into this process. Im not here to guilt anyone into upending their life and becoming a professional macram artist or something. (Although if you do, Im excited for you and would like to order a plant holder.) If the only thing anyone takes away from this experience is Gosh, I forgot how much I liked to sing heavy metal tunes in the shower! thats okay! Rock on, fellow cool person! Ill sing show tunes in support!

Simply put, this book is about uncovering, unblocking, and letting loose FEELING. And then activating ways to SHARE THAT FEELING. That is the most basic description of a creative urge I can think of.

Ready?! Lets hold hands and skip down creativity lane together!

Or not. We dont have to hold hands, its cool. Lets go!

oxox

Felicia

1 HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Obviously the goal is to turn the pages and read and write. But I want to offer advice on how to approach the work so you can get the most out of this experience. (Or Im just a control freak and cant stop micromanaging. Either/or.)

I hate throwing parties. Its just ahead of GOING to parties on my top-ten least favorite weekend activity list. (Other items include bikini waxing, doing my taxes, getting my car serviced, and cleaning out the fridge. Okay, Ill finish the list: awkward family brunches, visiting theme parks, bra shopping, and taking stock of where my life is headed before crying myself to sleep.) When Im in charge of a party, I take the responsibility way too seriously. I hyper-curate my invite list so there wont be too many people. But later I panic because there might not be enough, so then I invite more, praying that everyone WONT actually come but hoping that 75 to 80 percent do. Actually, 73 percent works Baby Bear perfect. THEN I get super worried that there wont be enough food. So I get double the snacks and triple the number of drinks. I order so much food that Im basically eating leftover veggie platters for the rest of the month. When people dont show up precisely at the start time, I get crushed and log on to Instagram, convinced Ill see my feed filled with other parties my friends are attending instead of mine. And finally, when people DO show up, I flit from person to person with the speed of a caffeinated hummingbird, desperate to provide each person with the perfect party experience while not giving them a chance to experience any time with me whatsoever.

No wonder my last house party was in 2005.

ANYWAY that neurosis is why I wanted to start this journey off with some best practices of using this book. Ill be here the whole time, sharing my very awkward personal experiences along the way, but this journey is about YOU, dear reader. (Ripped that off Jane Austen, youre welcome!) By the end we all want to walk away feeling empowered and enthusiastic about getting our voices out in the world. If that doesnt happen, well, no one gets their money back, so I guess use this as a doorstop or something. Lets get started!