I’m here to build a creative community

Connecting minds and hearts to inspire more creativity in the world

Pennie Nichols, creator of eclectic things

When I was a child, my family moved every one to three years. Without a grounded community, I turned to interior stories.

In Spain, my tiny Juliet bedroom balcony in our three-story house inspired imaginary tales in which I was the heroine and my rich environment was the setting.

My own imaginary world swept me away, across the moors of Lorna Doone and up the mountains with David and his phoenix.

I began using a typewriter in Spain. When we returned to the US, I filled notebooks with poems and stories.

My cluttered creative impulses followed me to college. I started as an art major (painting), transferred to another university as a creative writing major, transferred again, changing majors with the seasons, from Spanish to English, until my advisor stopped me and decided I was a liberal arts major.

I was indecisive. I wanted to do everything.

Ultimately, I fell into teaching Spanish when I was accidentally recruited into a grad school program at LSU. The master’s behind me and still indecisive, I headed west to collect a Ph.D. at UT Austin. By the time I was done attending classes and writing papers for other people, I was married with two kids, soon to be followed by a third, and teaching and working as a freelance editor in educational publishing.

I kept thinking, “OK, NOW can I write?”

Sometimes, I did. But mostly, life was busy. I worked 15+ hour days with seemingly endless carpool duties.

For decades.

One afternoon in 2019, when COVID-19 was brewing in other countries, I read Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art. Pressfield parses out and names the factions that do battle on creative impulses. His words opened a magic door for me, and that same day I began writing, really writing.

During the pandemic, I decided to put my creative work first. I set aside the mornings for writing and began checking in for work and errands in the afternoon.

Thanks to that shift, I finished my first novel in six months. In the next year, I finished the second and began a third. I also continued writing my blog and my newsletter and dabbling in other projects you see here.

My journey may sound familiar, as many of us have dream projects and bucket lists with “NOW can I do my thing?” repeating in our minds at every turn.

And I want you to know that your time is now. It can be done. And it must be done!

We get there through community

My family moved around a lot and I learned to move easily in and out of diverse circles.

I’m known for throwing parties (to this day) where I bring people from vastly different walks of life together, forging surprising connections and friendships where there are no obvious overlaps.

I’d love to see y’all get together here!

There is no one else like you. You have a unique connection to the source of all life and love and inspiration. All of humanity will be missing out if you don’t put it first.