An uplifting, positive, and powerful book that explores how to break through fear and find joy through creativity, from best-selling author Holly Ringland.

The House That Joy Built is about how to give ourselves permission to be creative. It explores all the big fears that can block our creativity and the permission we can meet those fears with—to not simply create but to revel in the life-changing wonder and joy of doing so. It offers a jump-start for the nervous heart of anyone whose desire to create is ruled by fear. It is a book for those people who yearn to write, as well as people who find their creativity in other ways: gardeners, carpenters, sculptors, jewelry makers, florists, songwriters, dancers, cooks, painters. It is for anyone who wants to make something but doesn’t because they’re afraid—afraid of feeling vulnerable, of criticism and judgment from others, of not being good enough, of not having enough, of having “bad ideas,” of being “too much.” It is for everyone who has ever felt stuck creatively, for those who don’t know how to begin, for those who feel they have so much welling up inside and are just trying to find a way into themselves.

In lyrical, inspirational prose, Holly examines her own sometimes difficult journey to a successful writing career and offers a wealth of encouragement for anyone who wants to unlock their information and find happiness. The book is divided into seven chapters, each addressing an obstruction to creativity with a suggested remedy, including gently challenging “provocations” and generous, conversational advice. This book is all you need to overcome doubt and start off on your own creative journey. It is an exhilarating, empowering clarion call to experience the joy and freedom of creating.

About The Author

Holly Ringland is the author of the international bestseller The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, which has been translated into thirty languages and adapted into a seven-part TV series starring Sigourney Weaver. In 2021, Holly cohosted a TV series, Back to Nature, aired on ABC TV in Australia. After living between Australia and the UK for ten years, Holly is now based in the Yugambeh region of southeast Queensland, where she wrote her second novel, The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding, another bestseller, in her “office,” a vintage caravan named Frenchie. She also has a popular Substack newsletter, The Joy Rise. The House That Joy Built is her first nonfiction book.