‘The Inner Workings of an Untamed Mind’ Centers Self-Care and Healing

With turquoise covers and pink pastel pages – tea stained, burned and bound – The Inner Workings of an Untamed Mind emphasizes the importance of emotional intelligence and creating space and time to heal internally. Through poetry pieces and short monologues, author Danni Little creates a “safe space” with written words to comfort readers in the midst of loneliness. 

Untamed Mind is a lens into Little’s battles with chronic illness, near death experiences, emotional abuse and neglect. At the end of the book, the author inserted blank pages where readers can write notes of reflection, from inspiration gained from the book to personal truths.

“I have a notes section because I love paper and this is the type of paper that someone would want to (use for a) journal,” Little says. “So, I left pages in the back of it so people can write their little notes or if they read something and it resonates, they can write something in the back of the book and just have that frame of reference for themselves.”

Little says with Untamed Mind you’d be adding a piece of art to your library and a conversation piece to your coffee table. An avid reader, she says the inspiration behind the handcrafted aesthetic comes from her love of old books. “The inside of the book is burned while the outside is perfectly fine,” Little says. “It’s a play on how in our heads we have this chaos, turmoil and thoughts just running through, but we still have to show up as our presentable selves when we are out amongst people, other people.”

A photocopied version is also available on Etsy along with her other works, On Sundays We Self Care and Feelings of an Introverted Introvert. Also find buttons and magnets with “quirky, witty” sayings like, “Too Gay to Function” and “Problematic Black Hottie.”

In elementary school Little and her peers were asked to create their own books. Teachers and staff read each book and then selected the cream of the crop. Her book rose to the top and this is what she says affirmed her writing journey. “I want people to be inspired and to know they’re not alone in this world, because I know a lot of times it feels like you are. I hope you enjoy healing from it as much as I have.”