Spilling Open

Spilling Open: The art of becoming yourself
Sabrina Ward Harrison
Published by Villard, 2000; ISBN 0375756485
Recommended reading age: teen, adult

Summary:
Basically, Spilling Open is Sabrina Ward Harrison’s journal—albeit a highly artistic and beautiful one. She combines old photographs, bits of ephemera (like lace and sequins), paint and writing to express her emotions and thoughts. Some of the writing is original, and some comes from Walt Whitman, Rainer Maria Rilke, and other famous writers. Sabrina was in her early twenties when she finished Spilling Open, and many of her issues ring true with readers around that age.

Review:
I fell in love with this book when I was 17. Sabrina’s writing sounds like my own head, my own heart. Her painting and drawings are incredibly beautiful, and her handwriting is equally artistic (I have some now as a tattoo). Spilling Open really resonated with me when I was 17, and it still feels honest and relatable at 26. Sabrina writes about body issues, about being an authentic self, about love, and about dealing with the realities of adulthood. I highly recommend this book to any young woman, to artists, and to anyone who loves authentically honest writing.