As only you can.

I'm over at Milk + Crown today with my shop, and one of the things Kristyn asked me was my favorite quote that I live and work by.  I realized I'd never blogged about my favorite quote, so today seemed like a good time to do so!

I fell in love with Neil Gaiman's writing in college.  

What, you don't fall in love with books? 

This is my favorite thing he's ever said, and this is my favorite part of my favorite thing he's ever said:  

"Don't forget to make some art: write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can."

As only you can. 

You. 

I love that he includes life in his explanation of art.  Because living your life is just as much art as writing or drawing is.  And just like no two people can paint the same, no two people can live the same. 

My life is pretty normal.  There's nothing extraordinarily spectacular about it. 

I'm a wife. 

I like to write. 

I'm an office assistant. 

I have an etsy shop. 

Anyone can be a wife.  Anyone can put words down on a page, can organize receipts, can make paper flowers.  But this is the life that I have, and only I can live it. 

And when I live it, as only I can, it becomes something beautiful.  It becomes extraordinarily spectacular art. 

Whatever life God has given you may not seem like anything exciting to you. 

You may think that everything you do, someone else could do. 

But that's just not true. 

No one can live your life for you.  Only you can live your life the way it was meant to be lived. 

When you view it that way, you can't help but view it as something special.  As a gift.  As something spectacular. 

Going to work or being a friend or cleaning a house or driving a car or answering a phone. All of it.  Spectacular. 

So do it. 

Live as only you can. 

And if you do that, I promise you, you will surprise yourself. 

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