Hi. I’m Fran Sorin. I’m the resident writer here.
I’m the author of Digging Deep: Unearthing Your Creative Roots Through Gardening.
It’s a gardening/creativity/spirituality book.
Professionally I do a few things. Besides being an author, I’m a CBS Radio News Contributor. I’m the creator of a new blog about re-awakening your creativity, Awake Create. And I keep the group blog, Gardening Gone Wild, under control.
I’ve also been a Garden Contributor on several TV networks and shows including The Today Show, Regis and Kelly, HGTV, The Discovery Channel, DIY, and Comcast. I’ve been a Gardening Talk Show Radio Host at a CBS affiliate in Philadelphia. I’ve written several dozen articles as a Gardening Contributor for USA Weekend and Radius Magazine and for several other publications.
My garden of 25 years is where I became a real gardener.
When I moved into a newly built home with no landscaping, I became passionate about it. I threw myself into learning as much as I could. I apprenticed with 2 top gardeners in Philadelphia, took several courses, and studied and read endlessly.
And I gardened. All of the time. I couldn’t get enough of it.
I experimented and discovered. I had several failures and successes. And I created.
Before I knew it, people were asking for my help with their gardens. By word of mouth, I built up a small garden design practice.
My garden was written about in magazines and newspapers. It was on several horticultural tours. And I taught courses there. (All of my students loved my chocolate chip walnut muffins!)
It was pure pleasure.
But life is constantly changing. And that’s a good thing.
A few years ago, I moved to Israel because both of my kids living here. Because we saw each other a few times a year, I felt like I was missing out on precious time with them.
I left family and friends. I said good bye to my dear garden. And I left the comfort of the city where I had lived for the past 25 plus years.
For a homebody like me, it was a real risk. But I knew it was time to do it.
The move shook me to the core. My life changed overnight. From a large suburban family home with a magnificent garden, I moved into an apartment in the center of Tel Aviv….with a rooftop where I garden.
Moving half way around the world has been a huge gift on several levels. One gift is that it has allowed me to re-assess what I want to do in the next phase of my life.
I’ve always been interested in creativity and the creative process.
But it was about 25 years ago when I started working on it seriously
I was the mother of a new born and a toddler living in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
And I was unhappy. I didn’t know why. And I didn’t know what to do about it.
I had just quit a job as a TV Broadcasting Executive where all of my friends were guys. And back then, I didn’t have any girlfriends. How about that?
I was lost. Until gardening came into my life. When I got my hands in the soil, I was filled with a passion that I hadn’t experienced since playing the piano.
When I was gardening, I was more me than at any other time.
It changed my life. I became more patient with myself and others, more at peace, happier …a whole host of good stuff.
Like everyone else, I’ve had my good times and difficult times. I’ve experienced sadness, joy, and a wide range of other emotions.
I’m still working at being creative every day. Not creativity with a big C. Like being a composer, sculptor, artist, or choreographer.
I’m talking about everyday creativity. Moments or interludes during the day when you’re in a zone. A place outside of your normal consciousness.
It can be a conversation with your bank teller, the new chicken recipe you whipped up for dinner, or how you practiced the scales at the piano.
It doesn’t matter what you do. It’s how you do it.
There’s one problem.
Most of you don’t think we’re creative. You think it’s limited to the domain of artists. Not true.
You are creative. It is your birthright. Yes, it’s been squelched over the years.
But it can be re-awakened.
And that’s where I come in.
This site is still going to be about gardening. All the stuff I’ve written about and love…design, plants, and my philosophy on nature and people.
But I’m also expanding this site to include articles on being creative every day.
I want to help you re-awaken your creativity so that you can lead a joyful, healthy, and meaningful life.
As I told you, I’m still working on living creatively. I’m not close to being a master at it.
What I have to offer you is my experience, some thoughts, and my desire to see you flourish.
I hope you’ll comment, participate, ask, and make suggestions about how I can give you more of what you want.
I would love for you to connect with me on:
Community Facebook page for Awake Create
Facebook page for Gardening Gone Wild
Check out my blog on creativity, Awake Create
And my gardening blog, Gardening Gone Wild
Feel free to write me at: fran@awakecreate.com. I answer every e-mail.