This blog post is a quickkie. I’m technically on retreat, but I couldn’t resist the wireless access in one corner of the dining hall.
You see, I’m infinitely grateful the Wreck This Journal women. And today is the final day of our summer experience. What a wild, zany, luscious, creative, insightful, unconventional group to play with for the summer.
Not the least of which is the power of ecstatic following!
Lately I’ve been thinking that our culture places too much emphasis on leadership. Now, don’t get me wrong — I’m infinitely grateful for Jamie Ridler’s leadership. Without her vision and initiative, we wouldn’t be here.
But Jamie’s leadership needed a flock of willing followers. Not just willing. Ecstatic!! And we rose to the occasion. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you check out what all the other women have been doing with their journals this summer.
Plus, check out my piece on Ecstatic Following on the Virtual Friday Morning InterPlay Blog. I’m proud that InterPlay co-founder Cynthia Winton-Henry trusted me with a guest post. And I’m curious whether the idea of “ecstatic following” resonates with the other Wreckers.
Off to the retreat now. Big squishy, messy hugs to all my readers, but especially the Wreck This Journal gals!
It’s been a great time of wreckage. Hope your retreat is awesome.
Wrecking in the group has been awesome! I have enjoyed visiting each post and seeing all takes on the creative side of other wreckers lives! Thanks for sharing.
Yes, it does resonate. I love the idea and will have to check out your other piece about the subject.
I am stealing mercilessly from your great artistic ideas while you are away. Just so you know 😉
Drums awaken spirit.
You’re right that this group is really great! Full of whimsical energy … and thank you for sharing this journey with us! You’re a wreck star! 🙂
it was really great to share the wrecking journey with you!
We did rise to the occasion and then some I think. I didn’t think it would be so much fun…. Glad to be on the journey with you.
Kate
I agree there is as much honor and importance in being an esctatic follower (I love that term) as in being a leader. I so enjoyed wrecking with you! Hope you are enjoying your retreat.
That’s true that there has to be some followers in order to make a flock 🙂 what a cool way to think about it. I’ve truly enjoyed meeting this whole new group of bloggers that I never knew existed before the journal, The Next Chapter group, or anything. Thanks for stepping out of your retreat real quick to post.
It was nice meeting you!
Kristin – The Goat
Yes, it’s been a tremendous, beautiful, wildly creative group of fabulous woman. Here’s to creative ecstasy!
Ecstatic following even helps those on the fringes. I would not say that I was an exstatic follower of Wreck-this-journal. Definitely a passive follower. But because of your ecstatic following, Gretchen, I experienced some benefits along the way.
The most recent example is that while on the airplane to the East Coast, juice from my canteloupe leaked out of the tupperware and the edges of my book that I am reading got juice-damaged. They are a little stained and a little wrinkled. The first thought that came to mind when I pulled the novel out of my backpack was, “Hey–it’s kinda like Gretchen’s journal!”