WHAT ARE YOU HIDING?- MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY

Virginia Woolf quote on light green-gray background

As I was reading the names of authors who share some significant life events on January 24th, I noticed it was Virginia Woolf’s birthday. I clicked on the hyperlink to read a few quotes and this quote jumped out at me. I realize that it is more about Jane Austen than Virginia Woolf, but it caused me to question the act of hiding what we are creating. Which, in turn, caused a little searching for information. I finally had to put the self-imposed kibosh on the research before it was no longer Woolf’s birthday, … because, well, that’s generally how I roll - missing the date entirely, but filling my cup with information and more questions to explore. Such is life for those of a curious nature.

The Question

The quote made me ponder:

(i) if Jane Austen did indeed hide her writing, and

(ii) if so, why did she feel the need to hide her work?

The latter question is the one I wanted to delve into. So, let’s break this down a bit.

Did Jane Austen Hide Her Writing?

According to my brief research, this notion apparently stems from a biography written by James Edward Austen-Leigh. Austen-Leigh, as you may have surmised, was Jane Austen’s nephew and penned the bio some 50 years after the author’s death.

Since the publication of “A Memoir of Jane Austen”, the story has been shared and re-shared, embellished and added upon, which is probably why Woolf added these lines in her book.

While this story has not stood up to critical research, it was indeed common for authors (male and female) during this time to publish works without attribution. However, Austen’s work was attributed to her fairly early on in her writing career. Apparently, her family enjoyed sharing her work, so word got out about her writing - which is yet another factor in debunking the theory that she hid her work.

Why Do We Hide Our Work?

The concept of hiding your work fascinates me. As I thought about it, there are many ways we “hide” our work, don’t you think? We refer to our artistic interests as a “hobby” or a “craft”. There is nothing wrong with either of those things, but if it is more than that, you should recognize it as such, or no one else will. Another way we hide our work, we don’t share our work at all. I know. I’m guilty of every kind of hiding my work you can think up.

So, can I tell you something? Create your work. Stop hiding your light under a basket, as the saying goes. There is a reason you have a desire to create in your heart. Write your poem. Write your song. Needlepoint that pillow. Paint that canvas. Cook that recipe you’ve always wanted to master. Whatever it is, do it. Put it out there. The world needs a little more beauty, and if it comes from your heart, it IS beautiful right out of the starting gate.

And, whatever you create, celebrate. Celebrate the “thing”, celebrate your bravery to just take a step… just celebrate. We don’t do enough celebrating. We think it needs to be something “big” to celebrate. And while “big” is fabulous, and I wish that for you, it is those “small” victories, “small” accomplishments that build a life.