As we enter middle age, health problems arise, relationships suffer setbacks, and creative motivation falls by the wayside.… Popular illustrator beat uses heartfelt illustrations and prose to record a journey of healing from the darkness. Accepting oneself and one’s vulnerability are the start of a new life.

The Days I Wasted My Talent lays bare the difficulties of midlife, telling a journey of self-healing with heartfelt illustrations and prose. In clean, straightforward prose, the author shares zir pain and zir epiphanies: It’s okay to waste your talent. There’s no such thing as falling behind in life. You can allow yourself to fall, and even if you hit rock bottom, life will naturally catch you. Sensitivity isn’t a burden; it’s the gift of being able to feel, waiting to be reclaimed.

This book chronicles the author’s long struggle with extreme sensitivity, physical and mental health, a breakup, and a long, dark period of being in a creative slump. It explores how alternative therapies allowed zir to get back in touch with zir body and accept life’s challenges, and describes the support yoga and counseling provided, as well as the companionship of cats and friends. During this journey of midlife healing, the author slowly regained a sense of security and meaning in the midst of life’s many rough spots. The book’s narrative is simple yet profound, while the generous white space in the illustrations creates a breathing space that offers those struggling a moment of respite.

Emotional burnout and self-healing are common themes of our time. This illustrated book for adults reminds us that simply to exist and breathe is valuable. We can allow ourselves to drop the ball, to lag behind, and to fall, all of which require time for recovery and enjoyment of life’s beautiful imperfections.