Speak Your Truth
Speak Your Truth: Welcome to My Craft I have struggled with "compartmentalizing" my "interests" for far too long. As a person who generally speaks my truth, I have been feeling lopsided, incomplete, and self-silenced to a degree when it comes to my "platforms" including this blog. You see, I am a person of many loves: art, reading, writing, poetry, activism, crafting, family, culture . . . and old suitcases ;)I have read countless blogs, self-help books, DIY tutorials, and attended conference panels with very helpful advice, encouraging me to narrow and specialize, to cater to my niche. In an attempt to "do things right," I have been trying to fit a mold for success by following the formula of experts who I truly do admire. In spite of all that, I'm going to have to follow my gut and, quite frankly, their example to a degree by doing what I love in the sanest way I know how. Honestly, I might even be following their advice at it's core, even though it feels like I'm totally jumping into the "what not to do" realm.I believe in authenticity, and by that, I mean in being your authentic and true self: living and breathing inspiration, finding your yellow brick road and thriving in it, making a living quilt out of those threads of life that bring YOU joy. Some might say I'm overly-optimistic, not practical, and maybe a little deluded. But, guess what? I've also been called overly-pessimistic, too practical for my own good, and grounded. And, I have also been on the super practical paved path and that left me broke, semi-depressed, living in my parents' house with a husband and three kids, and in a job that sucked the life out of me.So, where does that leave me now? It leaves me at that space of having arrived at that point in my path where I can sit with a little more confidence. A lover of quotes, I came across this as I contemplated what to do with my epiphany:"It is that holy poetry and singing we are after. ... It is the wild singing we are after, our chance to use the wild language we are learning by heart under the sea. When a woman speaks her truth, fires up her intention and feeling, staying tight with the instinctive nature, she is singing, she is living in the wild breath-stream of the soul. To live this way is a cycle in itself, one meant to go on, go on, go on." ~ Clarissa Pinkola EstesYeah. Take a minute. Let that one absorb.Really absorb. I don't believe in accidents when it comes to this kind of stuff. When I received that beautiful nugget of wisdom from the universe, I felt the validation - not from the quote itself, but from my own song. I had just written a poem entitled "beautiful soul speak" and the web of connections instantly fell into place. As a fan of Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes' work, there is a symphony of context that also factored in, as her work has been a constant reference point of where I am with myself (more on that later - totally separate post).Back to the here and now: I am at the realization that I can't compartmentalize the pieces of me that are the core of who I am! So, allow me to introduce you to my language --it is colorful, visual, and articulate; it is my art expressed in various mediums with writing as my craft and activism as my passion. I am a person who loves to make things (lots and lots of things), I sparkle in the creative process, and I love to share. I have also had the great privilege of meeting several like-minded souls throughout my journey, and to you I say "Welcome, buckle your seat belts, and enjoy the ride. It's going to be one heck of a journey!"