Artist quickly tested on her self-help methods
Within minutes of handing in her first selfhelp book to the printers, Charlotte Giblin got to test the methods within it.
As she was in her car thinking ‘‘oh my God, I did it’’ and celebrating the milestone of finishing her book, she received a call to say her mother had died.
‘‘If there was any situation I could have imagined in which to test how my system for emotional reactions and dealing with stress and anxiety worked, this situation was given to me at that point.
‘‘We were very different types of people and she was not able to change.
‘‘She had a lot of mental health issues and anorexia and extreme anxiety, and now this is the story of how I found a way to make real lasting personal change and break the cycle.’’
Giblin spent nine months writing Seeing Clearly – Finding the Courage to Choose a Better Path, which she describes as self-help woven together with an artist’s autobiography including a practical how-to system for understanding negative behaviour patterns and learning how to make better choices.
The idea for the book came to Giblin, who is a professional artist and public speaker, in 2020 when she realised she was feeling the most relaxed she had ever felt.
Her anxiety had gone, her business was going great, her relationship was thriving and she was healthy. And this was all against the backdrop of a global pandemic when the world was filled with uncertainty and fear. ‘‘Realising I got to this point, it did not really make sense.
‘‘But over the years, I have given talks about my emotional development, as told through my painting development, and I was able to see how my paintings were reflecting my self-development and emotional transformation and I knew I had to write the story of how I got to this point of no fear, complete calm, contentment.’’
Giblin said she was able to recognise negative patterns of behaviour within herself and how to change them, and thought if she had the courage to open up about her vulnerabilities she could inspire others to be courageous too.
She self-published 200 copies and sold a third of the first print run in three weeks.
The book has also been sourced for Auckland Library.
As part of the release of the book, Giblin is in residence at Jane’s Gallery in New Plymouth, signing books and displaying her art from 10am to 2pm until next Saturday.
The book can also be purchased from Poppies and through Giblin’s website.
‘‘It is real, relatable, accessible information but it has got that whole creative slant to it, which makes it totally unique, because there are no other self-help books which are illustrated with the pictures.’’