A Course is Born

This is the story of how I came up with the idea to create my course – Yours Truly: The Lost Art of Connection Through Letter Writing. It’s a story about dreaming and about inspiration. It is about trusting that inner voice, the people in your life that encourage you most, and the universe. And it’s also a story about finding ways to hold space for creativity and genuine connection in a busy world.

Part 1. // One night early into the pandemic, I sat across from my husband Paul by a dwindling fire he had built in our chiminea in the backyard. What began as a simple evening of us reminiscing about the most recent toddler-isms in our lives gently shifted into deeper, heart-centered conversation about our dreams and goals in life. ⁠

⁠I’d had a passion brewing inside me for a long time – a dream not fully envisioned yet. I had spent the better part of the past several years with all of these thoughts and ideas that kept bumping into each other in my brain but I hadn’t been able to sort themselves into any semblance of clarity. I was struggling to figure out what the connecting piece in my creativity was. My “why” – the great AH-HA of how it is all supposed to come together.

I was missing the centering theme.⁠

As I sat by that fire that evening, I poured my heart out into the dark night air that stretched before us. “How can I define my why if I can’t find the anchor to all of these moving parts that make up my passion to create?” I asked Paul. I knew that this piece would really help me define my purpose and I was desperate for more clarity. ⁠

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Paul has always been a champion for my creative aspirations. I was determined to pick his brain about my creative dilemmas. His perspective has always been incredibly valuable to me. I knew there was something tethering all these things to my heart, but I just couldn’t put a finger on it and I hoped he might offer some insight. ⁠

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True to character, he did, pointing out that, from what he could tell, the continuous theme seemed to be right in front of my face! In fact, it turns out that I had been repeating it over and over during our entire conversation!

The connecting piece was… connection.⁠

A Course is Born – Part 2:

In October of 2018 I signed up for a creative online course by Kelle Hampton called Ordinary Magic. During that time of my life, I was really in the thick of it. I had a new baby and a one year old that I was trying to keep alive and thriving (along with my sanity!), while my husband worked rigorous shifts in the ER on a chaotic schedule. I felt like motherhood and marriage were consuming me. We had moved to this place where we didn’t know anyone, with no family support nearby, and I felt like I was losing myself to the everyday demands of my life.

Ordinary Magic was one of the first online courses I had ever taken. I remember being so worried that I wouldn’t have energy or time to commit to the course, but I felt like I needed it SO badly. Something for myself. Some piece of something I could participate in from my own home, in my pjs (possibly even while nursing my baby!) that could help me rediscover myself again.

From the very beginning, I realized that course was destined to change my life.

It was there that my dreams began to unfurl their creative wings – as though I had been given a golden key that unlocked a secret door I had forgotten about that led to the heart of my creativity. That course helped me uncover and begin to embrace a passion that I had ignored for extremely too long. A passion to create. To find myself again. To share my heart. And to find ways to connect with others on this crazy adventure of life.

Through Ordinary Magic I met other creative souls who became lasting friendships for me to this day. I suddenly felt less lonely. And I realized the importance of what I might have to offer the world outside of marriage, motherhood, and medicine. One assignment in the course was to write out a dream narrative (see what I wrote below). I wrote about how I would finally start the blog I had been imagining for many years. The line that I wrote that stands out to me the most is: If even just a handful of people can read something and relate or feel connected that would mean the world to me.

That is a line I have come back to time and time again over the past 2 years.

The coolest part of this story is that I DID start that blog (I’m guessing you already knew that!). Before the Ordinary Magic course ended, I decided I was determined to make that dream a reality by my 40th birthday – so that’s exactly what I did. In a season of my life where I felt like I had been drowning, suddenly I began to see the light again.

Remember how I mentioned earlier that Paul has always been a champion for my creativity? The day I shared with him that I wanted to start a blog by birthday, he went out and bought me a blank journal and wrote the most loving inscription on the first page (see below). That journal turned out to be a major part of the puzzle. From day one I knew there would be more to my creative journey than simply my blog. It wasn’t clear WHAT else there would be, but I knew in my heart that there was more. I’ve spent the last few years trying to discover the answer to that question.

A Course is Born – Part 3:

After my fireside revelations with Paul, I was bursting with creative energy. I called my mama, my sisters, & my closest friends to share my ideas. Each conversation was like another chunk of the puzzle being pieced together!⁠

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This centering theme of connection continued to evolve & expand for me. I began realizing all of the ways it brought clarity to the themes of my life. Connection – to our inner selves, to our past & present, the hurts we carry with us, our dreams and passions. To our untapped potential. Connection to other people in our lives that can light us up with creative energy. Who have shared stories & understand our experiences in unique ways, to help us feel less alone. The people we need & the people who need us.⁠

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We’ve got all kinds of technology working to connect us these days.

The past two years has made that more evident than ever. As the global pandemic forced us apart, technology brought us together. So many people were able to continue to work virtually from their homes. When we couldn’t be present with our loved ones, we spent time with them over computer & phone screens. ⁠

We’ve celebrated birthdays, holidays, and special events. We had book clubs, cooking classes, whole semesters of school, work meetings, baby showers, and game nights. We’ve texted, Marco Polo-ed, and chatted in IG & FB messenger.⁠ Technology became a way of life for us during hard times too. Mothers gave birth to their babies without family in the room. People lay sick in hospital beds without visitors.

It’s heartbreaking to know how many people had to say goodbye to loved ones virtually when they weren’t allowed to be present with them in their final moments.⁠

Technology became a lifeline for us during long months of isolation and remains so to this day. So why, as the world starts to open up again, and despite being literally connected by the touch of a button, do we STILL feel so disconnected? How is it possible to feel lonely & out of touch with other people when we can reach them in an instant? ⁠

I’ve come to realize that technology, for all it is worth, doesn’t offer us the kind of truly genuine connection that we are all so desperate for. As I sifted through the pieces of these realizations, the project that I’d been pouring my creative heart into, was starting to come to life…⁠

A Course is Born – Part 4:

I created Yours Truly: The Lost Art of Connection Through Letter Writing as a 6-week online creative writing experience for anyone who has ever wanted to delve deeper into connection & creativity. There are writing prompts, creative exercises, story sharing, live-group calls, connection, support, & inspiration all designed to help find the creative connection you’ve been longing for.

I created this course after realizing the magnitude of connection that comes from the way letters find their way into our lives. I believe this intentional connection is more meaningful than ever in our current digital age.

I’m a busy mama with a hectic schedule constantly pulling me in different directions. I often find myself at the bottom of my own priority list. I wanted to create a course that was doable for other women like me. Think of it as an opportunity to reconnect with yourself & others on a deeper, more intimate level. A way to hold space for yourself & your creative dreams!

This course is designed for you if you…

• Are feeling uninspired lately & need something fun to boost your creativity.
• Have been wanting to try creative writing but don’t know where to start.
• Ever received a handwritten card or letter that made an impression on you and you want to share that feeling with others.
• Struggle to find the perfect words to express yourself so you never get started.
• Are someone who loves to buy cards or stationery but never seem to know what to write.
• Find yourself living life on autopilot & want to try something new to mix things up!

This course is an invitation to come share your stories and your heart, to cultivate authentic connection with others while also deepening your relationship with yourself, and to spark some much-needed joy and creativity in your life!

We have so much to explore together and a genuine connection to be made. I hope you will join me on this creative journey! (Click HERE for more info!)

Yours truly, 

Eliza B.