Find Your Unicorn Space: Reclaim Your Creative Life in a Too-Busy World
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- Create Date：2022-01-06 10:52:02
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Eve Rodsky
- ISBN：0593328019
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Summary
From the New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play and the Marie Kondo of relationships comes an inspirational guide for setting new personal goals， rediscovering your interests， cultivating creativity， and reclaiming your Unicorn Space。
With her acclaimed New York Times bestseller （and Reese's Book Club pick） Fair Play， Eve Rodsky began a national conversation about greater equality on the home front。 But she soon realized that even when the domestic workload becomes more balanced， people still report something missing in their lives--that is， unless they create and prioritize time for activities that not only fill their calendars but also unleash their creativity。
Rodsky calls this vital time Unicorn Space--the active and open pursuit of creative self-expression in any form that makes you uniquely YOU。 To help readers embrace all the unlikely， surprising， and delightful places where their own Unicorn Space may be found， she speaks with trail blazers， thought leaders， academics， and countless real people who have discovered theirs everywhere--from activism to artistic endeavors to second careers。
Rodsky reveals what researchers already know: Creativity is not optional。 It's essential。 Though most of us do need to remind ourselves how （and where） to find it。 With her trademark mix of research based， how-to advice and big-picture inspirational thinking， Rodsky shows you a clear path to reclaim your permission to have fun， manifest your own Unicorn Space in an already too-busy life， and unleash your special gifts and undiscovered talents into the world。
With her acclaimed New York Times bestseller （and Reese's Book Club pick） Fair Play， Eve Rodsky began a national conversation about greater equality on the home front。 But she soon realized that even when the domestic workload becomes more balanced， people still report something missing in their lives--that is， unless they create and prioritize time for activities that not only fill their calendars but also unleash their creativity。
Rodsky calls this vital time Unicorn Space--the active and open pursuit of creative self-expression in any form that makes you uniquely YOU。 To help readers embrace all the unlikely， surprising， and delightful places where their own Unicorn Space may be found， she speaks with trail blazers， thought leaders， academics， and countless real people who have discovered theirs everywhere--from activism to artistic endeavors to second careers。
Rodsky reveals what researchers already know: Creativity is not optional。 It's essential。 Though most of us do need to remind ourselves how （and where） to find it。 With her trademark mix of research based， how-to advice and big-picture inspirational thinking， Rodsky shows you a clear path to reclaim your permission to have fun， manifest your own Unicorn Space in an already too-busy life， and unleash your special gifts and undiscovered talents into the world。
Reviews
Barb
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Ehhhhh not so great。 Now let me clarify。 It’s a good book if you are a mom of young children with a spouse who won’t let you have any time for yourself。 If you are a mom like me with a ROCKSTAR husband， older children and plenty of time to be myself and so what I want to do this is it the book for you。 I wish the author had been more clear about her niche in the description or I never would have bought it。
Brenda
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Who else loved Fair Play by Eve Rodsky？ My husband and I read it together and it was a game changer。 I loved how Eve described the concept of "Unicorn Space，" so I was thrilled to hear she was working on a book devoted solely to that topic。 Then， I was honored to be interviewed for the book （！！）， where I got to talk about how one birthday present from my best friend， Shawn， changed my life。 This book is the perfect book for anyone thinking about New Year’s resolutions— who doesn’t want to be ins Who else loved Fair Play by Eve Rodsky？ My husband and I read it together and it was a game changer。 I loved how Eve described the concept of "Unicorn Space，" so I was thrilled to hear she was working on a book devoted solely to that topic。 Then， I was honored to be interviewed for the book （！！）， where I got to talk about how one birthday present from my best friend， Shawn， changed my life。 This book is the perfect book for anyone thinking about New Year’s resolutions— who doesn’t want to be inspired to find more time to express themselves？！ 。。。more
Kanika Chadda-Gupta
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"The prefix "uni" is found in words like unique， unicorn， unite。 It means one。 This book encourages readers to connect with oneself in the most magical way possible。 Thank you Eve Rodsky for this necessary reminder and irreplaceable gift。 As a busy mom of 3， I often tend to overlook how important cultivating a creative space can be for my mental health， life purpose， and legacy， and this book has rejuvenated me with a new found zeal that has become the perfect start to the new year。 Eternally gr "The prefix "uni" is found in words like unique， unicorn， unite。 It means one。 This book encourages readers to connect with oneself in the most magical way possible。 Thank you Eve Rodsky for this necessary reminder and irreplaceable gift。 As a busy mom of 3， I often tend to overlook how important cultivating a creative space can be for my mental health， life purpose， and legacy， and this book has rejuvenated me with a new found zeal that has become the perfect start to the new year。 Eternally grateful。"-Kanika Chadda-GuptaFounder/Host， That's Total Mom Sense 。。。more
Georgia I。
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Unicorn Space made me laugh out loud while getting inspired and absorbing real-life tools to make my life and ME -- WHOLE again。 Thank goodness there was this really important follow up to Fair Play -- so that once you have finally reclaimed some of your diamond-like TIME， you have some tools to reclaim your JOY & HAPPINESS。
Nneka
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As a woman of color， it's challenging to find a book that feels like it is speaking to you， but Find Your Unicorn Space comes at just the right time。 Women do and carry so much both professionally and personally。 This one goes beyond self-care and really digs into the need for creativity in our lives and how to find it again。 There will always be a storm and the best way to weather it is to find time to dance in the rain。 To connect with the real you in the midst of it。 Backed by research and pa As a woman of color， it's challenging to find a book that feels like it is speaking to you， but Find Your Unicorn Space comes at just the right time。 Women do and carry so much both professionally and personally。 This one goes beyond self-care and really digs into the need for creativity in our lives and how to find it again。 There will always be a storm and the best way to weather it is to find time to dance in the rain。 To connect with the real you in the midst of it。 Backed by research and packed with relatable， authentic stories Find Your Unicorn Space is a great read to shift your mindset and jumpstart your journey in 2022。 。。。more
Ryan Caravella
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Unicorn Space awakens the awareness and motivation for unleashing your unique gifts and talents with the world so you can reconnect with yourself outside of the roles you may play （parent， partner， professional， etc。）。 Once again， Eve provides research-backed practical tips and steps to make Unicorn Space a reality。 Highly recommend this book for anyone suffering from burnout， reflecting on what really matters to them， or looking to reconnect with their true self。
The Lexington Bookie
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I will expand my review at a later date but definitely enjoyed this read and the advice the author had to offer。
Julia
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Eve Rodsky has done it again！ Reading Find Your Unicorn Space feels like the perfect way to start the year！ With a sense of humor and so much research， this book is an inspiring guide to intentionally finding time to be creative and identifying the passions that make me happier and ultimately more productive。 Especially after nearly two years of work-from-home pandemic-ing， I appreciate the push to listen to myself and connect to my community。 A thoughtful and inspiring read！
Vanessa Ya Lopez
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“Creative time is not optional” and research shows that creativity increases longevity。 My librarian friend recommended this the day the book came out。 So glad she did！ I enjoyed this book and actually had to purchase hardback in addition to audiobook because there was so much to highlight and remember。 This book was just what I needed for inspiration to keep up with pursuing creativity in all walks of life。 I love that the author references so many diverse backgrounds and mentions a lot of grea “Creative time is not optional” and research shows that creativity increases longevity。 My librarian friend recommended this the day the book came out。 So glad she did！ I enjoyed this book and actually had to purchase hardback in addition to audiobook because there was so much to highlight and remember。 This book was just what I needed for inspiration to keep up with pursuing creativity in all walks of life。 I love that the author references so many diverse backgrounds and mentions a lot of great research。 I do think that these recommendations could be potentially challenging for very low resource families and I wish she’d speak more to that， ie many families couldn’t afford to leave their family for a few weeks because it’s not practical or affordable。 I realize that there are other ways to incorporate creativity practices but I think there’s definitely more room for sone examples 。。。more
Johanna
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This is the first book that I've consumed by the author。 Based on the title and subtitle， I had really high hopes for this book that it would inspire me in my own pursuit of creativity。 Sadly it did not。 It was more a review of a lot of familiar concepts。 I listened to the Audible version on 2。3 speed。 I enjoyed the author's storytelling and real-life examples。 But as other reviewers have commented I can see where it does not align with certain populations。 I've read a lot of personal developmen This is the first book that I've consumed by the author。 Based on the title and subtitle， I had really high hopes for this book that it would inspire me in my own pursuit of creativity。 Sadly it did not。 It was more a review of a lot of familiar concepts。 I listened to the Audible version on 2。3 speed。 I enjoyed the author's storytelling and real-life examples。 But as other reviewers have commented I can see where it does not align with certain populations。 I've read a lot of personal development books and I have to admit that in Unicorn Space， I didn't find the concepts particularly new。 I would classify the book as a compilation of best practices that touch on creativity。 A lot of points were rephrased from other authors。 I found that the book has some overlapping themes with Julia Cameron's concept of Artist Dates。 。。。more
Susan
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Setting aside time and energy to allow yourself to be creative often seems frivolous and not necessary especially following the two years of the global pandemic。 But after reading Eve Rodsky's Unicorn Space， I was reminded why doing so is vitally important to our success both personally and professionally。 Looking ahead at a new year， I'm excited to take nuggets of knowledge from this read and apply them to my life and my business as well as actually take the steps to stake out boundaries to cre Setting aside time and energy to allow yourself to be creative often seems frivolous and not necessary especially following the two years of the global pandemic。 But after reading Eve Rodsky's Unicorn Space， I was reminded why doing so is vitally important to our success both personally and professionally。 Looking ahead at a new year， I'm excited to take nuggets of knowledge from this read and apply them to my life and my business as well as actually take the steps to stake out boundaries to create that time for myself。 Thank you for writing this book！ 。。。more
Amy
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I really enjoyed this examination of how and why creative pursuits-and sharing them-is so essential to living a fulfilling life。 The main tenets of living a creative life， according to the author， are: embracing curiosity， making connections， and completion of something at some point （I struggle with that one）—and most importantly， giving yourself permission to unapologetically spend time on hobbies， which is something I struggle with。 “Go beyond parenting， partnering， and professionalism。 Add t I really enjoyed this examination of how and why creative pursuits-and sharing them-is so essential to living a fulfilling life。 The main tenets of living a creative life， according to the author， are: embracing curiosity， making connections， and completion of something at some point （I struggle with that one）—and most importantly， giving yourself permission to unapologetically spend time on hobbies， which is something I struggle with。 “Go beyond parenting， partnering， and professionalism。 Add the 4th P of pursuing the creative life。” 。。。more
Amanda Farrand
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Read this in one sitting！ Provides much-needed practical tips to overcoming the pressures we women face as parents， partners and professionals， how to actually carve out space and time for what we are interested in and why that matters。 We all deserve to live a life full of interests and creativity beyond our to do lists 🙌
Diana Puckett
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Unicorn Space by @everodsky A book about finding your creative outlet and forging time to pursue your dreams and interests。 This novel is so relevant in a time when self care is more important than ever。 Insightful and full of exercises to help reflect and structure your Unicorn Space
Amanda
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I loved Fair Play and was excited to see a new book going further with some of the ideas addressed there。 In Find Your Unicorn Space， Rodsky takes the reader through the why's of having a creative outlet and has exercises to consider your values and other ways to help arrive at what a good creative outlet/unicorn space is for you individually。 I really enjoyed these exercises/questions/quizzes as they got me thinking in specific ways。 Other parts of the book I enjoyed were all the personal stori I loved Fair Play and was excited to see a new book going further with some of the ideas addressed there。 In Find Your Unicorn Space， Rodsky takes the reader through the why's of having a creative outlet and has exercises to consider your values and other ways to help arrive at what a good creative outlet/unicorn space is for you individually。 I really enjoyed these exercises/questions/quizzes as they got me thinking in specific ways。 Other parts of the book I enjoyed were all the personal stories and examples from her friends and research interviews she conducted。 I highlighted a lot of quotes and good advice。 I think my main takeaway came near the end of the book， regarding perfectionism （staying purposely vague so as not to give away the message）。 I would recommend this as a good read to start the new year or for someone wanting to find or reconnect with a creative/curiosity pursuit。 。。。more
Lauren loves llamas
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As the stay-at-home mom of a couple of young kids， the idea of having any structured time to myself is pretty laughable。 Sure， I read and write reviews， but I do that in a shared space where I’m lucky to not get interrupted every two minutes。 The thought of being able to actually do something creative for more than five minutes at a time sounds like， well， about as real as a magical unicorn。 So while I felt like this book was aimed directly at my demographic， there were also some parts that didn As the stay-at-home mom of a couple of young kids， the idea of having any structured time to myself is pretty laughable。 Sure， I read and write reviews， but I do that in a shared space where I’m lucky to not get interrupted every two minutes。 The thought of being able to actually do something creative for more than five minutes at a time sounds like， well， about as real as a magical unicorn。 So while I felt like this book was aimed directly at my demographic， there were also some parts that didn’t work as well for me。“[A] creative life is not a nice-to-have but a must-have。 It is essential to our sense of self， our physical and mental well-being， the health of our partnerships， and our ability to model what a full and meaningful life looks like to our children， our friends and colleagues， and our communities。” The book is divided into three parts。 The first deals a lot with how the author came up with the idea of unicorn space and why it’s important。 While I found some of this interesting， at times it felt a bit repetitious and， honestly， I just wanted to get to the meat of it。 The second part is about how to find time and space to pursue your own unicorn space， whether that’s negotiating with a partner or with your own guilt。 The author doesn’t shy away from the fact that she’s a white cishet woman， and while she made a point of including a diverse range of viewpoints and situations， this part still read very middle-class and white。 It still feels like the default is a female reader with a male partner who has to convince him to take up the slack。 I assume a lot of this is influenced by the author’s previous book （which I haven’t read） which dealt with the unequal division of housework and childcare in your typical cishet partnership。 The third part was more of what I actually expected from this book， in that it’s an explanation of how to figure out what your unicorn space is and how to connect with others while doing it。 I liked the various anecdotes of how people figured out their unicorn spaces （and what they were） but there was also a lot of rehashing of situations with uncooperative partners。“Creativity redefined as Unicorn Space is the active and open pursuit of self-expression in any form， built on value-based curiosity and purposeful sharing of this pursuit with the world。” I really liked the concept of “unicorn space。” First off， it’s not something that you’re doing to get paid。 Secondly， it’s a creative pursuit that benefits you， not your partner， kids， or any other random family members。 Third， you need to share it， whether that’s just with a group of friends or with the world at large。 It’s not a hobby， it’s more of finding meaning for your life – and from there comes happiness and， hopefully， a better world。 It sounds a bit lofty， but it’s hard to argue that people having an identity outside of work or child-raising would make them happier， and there’s several points from the book that I intend to at least attempt to implement in my life， like setting up solitary time for both myself and my spouse。 However， not all of it worked。 It’s not that I found the information unhelpful， but rather that the author’s tone was a bit too “rah-rah go girl！！！” for me。 There’s something called the “Slay It Forward share” （basically passing on your expertise and love of your unicorn space） and while I find the idea commendable （though not particularly revolutionary）， the cringey name is just one example of the type of non-ironic cheerleading throughout the book。 There’s a lot of assumptions that the reader is financially secure and has a partner that’s willing （and able） to compromise， and the author is relentlessly cheerful about how to work out miscommunications with partners。Overall， while I’m more than ever convinced about the importance of prioritizing creativity in my life， that overall message felt like it would work best for a narrow segment of the population。 So if you’re an overworked mom who’s looking for something outside of being a spouse， worker， and mother， this book might give you the impetus to expand your creative horizons。I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。 。。。more
G
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AMAZING book！！ Making space for creativity in your life is so important。 Learning how to make time for yourself and prioritizing your Unicorn Space should be on everyone's New Year's resolutions。 AMAZING book！！ Making space for creativity in your life is so important。 Learning how to make time for yourself and prioritizing your Unicorn Space should be on everyone's New Year's resolutions。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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Rodsky argues that time and space for overstressed mothers （primarily） to be creative is as important as self care time and a critical element of making life happier。 She's interviewed a wide range of people - across gender， culture， and economics-to illustrate。 Realistically， btw， it helps tremendously to have financial security。 Much of this will be familiar to readers of self help books and popular culture but it's written in an upbeat style。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 I was not familia Rodsky argues that time and space for overstressed mothers （primarily） to be creative is as important as self care time and a critical element of making life happier。 She's interviewed a wide range of people - across gender， culture， and economics-to illustrate。 Realistically， btw， it helps tremendously to have financial security。 Much of this will be familiar to readers of self help books and popular culture but it's written in an upbeat style。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 I was not familiar with Rodsky's work; I suspect her fans have been eagerly awaiting this。 。。。more
Stephanie
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Like Rodsky's previous book， FAIR PLAY， UNICORN SPACE is a mix of helpful， thought-provoking， and hopelessly out of touch。 While Rodsky， in her author's note， shares she sought to be more inclusive of different cultures， ethnicities， family situations， and socio-economic status， the book is still hopelessly mired in privilege when touching on implementation。 Are you financially stable with a partner who believes in equity in home responsibilities， but they just need a little push？ Great。 Do you Like Rodsky's previous book， FAIR PLAY， UNICORN SPACE is a mix of helpful， thought-provoking， and hopelessly out of touch。 While Rodsky， in her author's note， shares she sought to be more inclusive of different cultures， ethnicities， family situations， and socio-economic status， the book is still hopelessly mired in privilege when touching on implementation。 Are you financially stable with a partner who believes in equity in home responsibilities， but they just need a little push？ Great。 Do you shoulder the lion's share of work in your home， with a partner unwilling or unable to take on more， or who doesn't believe in emotional labor？ Does the carving out of time for yourself *literally* mean something crucial won't be able to happen？ Then， there is little to help you here。 The book is at its best when talking about how to align your values with your creative pursuits， offering guidance on how to ensure the time you do have to spend exploring your curiosity and interests is meaningful。 Reading the second half of the book is far more rewarding than the first。 。。。more
Barbara
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I was very excited to tackle this book as I saw the title while in a creative rut。 Unfortunately what I hoped would be a “Big Magic” style book about carving out space is really an argument for women （especially young mothers ） to find a creative outlet as a companion to self care。 Valuable advice。 However Rodsky’s guide is basic at best and felt a bit like a rehash of her other work。 A lot of time is spent discussing negotiating space。 Not a book for people with empty nests。
Jess Witkins
，
I've read my fair share of self-help books， books on creative living， and books to build better habits。 I keep reading them because I think we can all use reminders from time to time。 It's easy in this world， particularly this country （the U。S。）， to return to expectations that value busy-ness and productivity in our work life and martyrdom for our families。 Creativity for the sake of creating and spending time doing the things that bring us joy， especially when done by women， is deeply undervalu I've read my fair share of self-help books， books on creative living， and books to build better habits。 I keep reading them because I think we can all use reminders from time to time。 It's easy in this world， particularly this country （the U。S。）， to return to expectations that value busy-ness and productivity in our work life and martyrdom for our families。 Creativity for the sake of creating and spending time doing the things that bring us joy， especially when done by women， is deeply undervalued。 Women are sold an impossible goal that to "have it all" you must "do it all，" which is， frankly， unrealistic and exhausting as hell。 Readers， I give you Eve Rodsky's "Find Your Unicorn Space。" Who better to advocate for women following their passion projects than the author who called out unfair balance of "invisible" workloads （Fair Play）？ While I haven't read Rodsky's first book， she builds upon the subject matter clearly in various chapters as partner support and balancing time and workloads are both crucial to granting more time for creative pursuits。 I had concerns， having read so many books in this inspirational， DIY， "be a better you" realm， that the book might be over-simplified or largely based on privileged lifestyles。 There were several privileged examples where the interviewee seemed to have financial security， which certainly helps when re-allocating one's time， but Rodsky tackled this well beyond any other author I've encountered。 She notes in the very beginning she sought out diverse voices in her interviews， representatives of multiple races， ethnicities， genders （including nonbinary）， sexual orientation， and socio-economic status。 I thought her book did do a great job at showcasing a variety of people and examples， and I appreciate her intention to be so inclusive。 Where Rodsky's book really excels is in her real life， relatable examples。 First， she defines "unicorn space" and how it's different from family fun time or self care。 （For example， taking a bath as self care is good for you and nice， but it's not the same as a personally fulfilling act of creative expression。） There's a broad range in her interview subjects and what they like to do。 Some of the book explores finding what you like to do， because it's ok not to know right away。 In addition to sharing examples of individuals who made lifestyle changes to pursue creativity， she also interviewed couples counselors and researchers to help break down communication issues， goal setting and habit processes， and how to tackle fear。 Incredibly timely following a pandemic year+ where how we spend our time and what's important to us was placed under a magnifying glass， Find Your Unicorn Space is a great book for any creative in your life as well as those that may be seeking a necessary and nurturing change。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Candy
，
We all need the time and space to pursue creative thoughts and actions。 Rodsky shows us how to find it。
Jenn
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