A Beautiful Mess Podcast

This week we're talking about the books that genuinely shifted how we see the world — not just 5 star reads, but the ones that rewired our thinking and books we still find ourselves talking about years later.
 
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Elsie's books:
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Station Eleven by Emily Sr. John Mandel
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
 
Emma's books:
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
 
Nonfiction Bonus:
Elsie: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg
Emma: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
 
Book Report:
Elsie: The Astral Library by Kate Quinn
Emma: One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
 
You can support us by leaving us a couple of 5 star recipe reviews this week at abeautifulmess.com
Have a topic idea for the podcast? Write in to us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 417-893-0011.

This week we're entering a world in which there are no iPhones, no internet, no apps, no online shopping, no social media no steaming and no smart tech of any kind. Yes: We're traveling to a land where you get advice from magazines, information from encylopedias and to speak to someone you must pick up the phone and dial numbers.
 
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Things we miss:
magazines (specifically at Borders bookstore)
malls in the 1900s
AOL chat
maps
phone books
phone calls on land lines
listening to an album start to finish on the day it came out
scheduling your entire life around your favorite tv show
no one being about to reach you
Toys R Us (is an amazon childhood)
computer lab
 
GUILTY PLEASURE TREASURE
Elsie: Traitors
Emma: Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies
 
You can support us by leaving us a couple of 5 star recipe reviews this week at abeautifulmess.com
Have a topic idea for the podcast? Write in to us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 417-893-0011.

This week we're talking about how to develop your creative palette and style without being derivative. This is a subject that applies across different creative practices from art to writing and even how you dress or decorate your home.
 
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Steal like an Artist by Austin Kleon
 
Steps to develop your creative palette:
Step one: Develop your taste (Be a fan! Appreciate art!)
Step two: MAKE DERIVITIVE WORK (keep doing so until your own style emerges)
Step three: Keep developing, keep growing, keep making (to infinity & beyond)
 
BOOK REPORT
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
 
You can support us by leaving us a couple of 5 star recipe reviews this week at abeautifulmess.com
Have a topic idea for the podcast? Write in to us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 417-893-0011.

In this week's episode we're diving into how to make vision boards and 5 year plans. If you're in the mood to think about your goals and dreams, you're in the right place. We're also answering some listener questions and engaging in a Hot Take Debate about whether romantic comedies are actually the worst.
How to make a vision board:
Create different categories for your goals (family, work, fitness, etc)
Write in present tense
Get pictures from the internet or magazines
"We overestimate what we can do in a day, but we underestimate what we can do in a year."
Check out Remit Sethi's books:
I Will Teach you to be Rich
Money for Couples
You can support us by leaving us a couple of 5 star recipe reviews this week at abeautifulmess.com
Have a topic idea for the podcast? Write in to us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 417-893-0011.

In this week's episode we're sharing our Spring Bucket List since it's officially the first week of Spring. It's still pretty cold where we live, so a lot of this is wishful thinking, but it's fun to plan things to look forward to. We're also sharing an extra hot Hot Take Debate about kids and iPads.
Thank you to this week's sponsor:
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Elsie:
Get new hair & general glow up for the joy of it
Read all the Brontë novels
Start buying fresh flowers & practicing making little arrangements
Paint all the time
Finish our Mouse Mansion!
Emma:
Easter baskets
Decorate entry way
Refresh fairy garden
Start walking outside again
Wallpaper the kitchen
You can support us by leaving us a couple of 5 star recipe reviews this week at abeautifulmess.com
Have a topic idea for the podcast? Write in to us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 417-893-0011.