my creative story

my creative story

when i was young i read a book about a kid who lived n the big city with a big family and she never felt like she had her own space.  she finally decided to decorate her a window in her apartment, it was her own little space.  she would hang things in it or just gaze out at the people down below.  she had found a place for her in her little world.  she was complete.

at this particular time in my life i needed a story like that.  my young soul yearned to have something of my own and to create something, anything actually. 

i would find little spaces whether it be a window, wall, book, paper, and have my own space.  as i grew i would write long letters and stuff them in old purses in my closet…..i guess i did not like the idea of a diary but in essence that is just what they were.  purses full of diary entries.  i would create every chance i could.  from building forts in the nevada dessert or simply just drawing in a notebook.  creating became a happy place for me.  a place to escape from the world around me.

when i was in high school i took a creative writing class and did very well and discovered a love of writing.  i was a very average student but would excel in creative type settings. an art teacher told me once, “you are a right brain girl” as he would hang my drawings on the "art of the week board". 

later when i married and had my kids we would create all kinds of things and i would chronicle our lives in scrapbooks. 

in 2005, my husband and i decided we were going to move our family from wyoming to alaska.  he had gotten a job in a small bush community in the bristol bay. we were excited for our new adventure.  when we arrived we were humbled by the nature that surrounded us on a daily basis.  for christmas that year my husband bought me a canon rebel xt.  i was in heaven but had no clue how to use it.  i had a full time job at this point and three children to take care of. so i neglected that camera and my creative side. 

in 2007, my husband took a job with the alaska state troopers and dreams of moving from village to village quickly filled our minds.  i spent the next three years as a stay at home mom while my kids finished high school.  during this time i picked up that camera and started to learn to use it.  i would often fill a little guilty but it fed my soul like nothing i had ever experienced before.  one day my oldest son said, "mom, you are a happy person in general but i have never seen you as happy when you are holding that camera."  even he could see it.  it was something that connected the love of my family and my yearning to create something.

this creative journey continues to take me to places i have never dreamed it could.  my soul is full and i am complete.