Blog Hop

I almost said “Thank you, but No Thank you” when my very inspiring, creative, soulful, writer friend, Lynne, from Two Poppies invited me to take part in a blog hop.  Life feels crazy right now, I didn’t need one more thing.  Who does, really?

But then there was this tiny voice–the voice that has been drowned out by so much noise lately–the voice that said, “say yes”.  That was really all it took.  I knew I needed this.  I needed a chance to dive back into Running Chatter.  To reconnect with my ‘first love’.  A chance to process something besides pictures. 

It’s simple, really.  I answer four questions and then I invite a few of my blogging friends who will answer the same questions. 

So here goes. . .

1.  What am I working on/writing?
I am not a writer.  To say “blogger” sounds less formal, less official.  “Blogger” feels like less pressure.  I am a blogger who writes. 

Writing takes time.  It takes quiet.  It takes mental space.  Did I mention time?  While I have stacks of journals dating back to my single-digit years, currently, most of my “work” time is spent with my pictures.  I observe life, capture moments, and tell stories through pictures. 

I spend time capturing moments for others, and for our family.  I’ve found a voice in the art of photography and currently, that voice is the loudest.  On some days, it’s deafening.

But still, writing is my first love.  Words.  Stories.  Thoughts.  Feelings.  So, with three kids and a sort of crazy life I’m working on observing life.  Seeing, processing, feeling, living, and trying to make sense of the chaos around me.  I have so many blog posts half-formulated in my mind and I’m just waiting for the time to write them. 

In order to write one has to live–so I guess you could say I’m working on living.

2.  How does my work/writing differ from others of it’s genre?

This is an area that I struggle with at times.  I often feel like I am straddling two worlds–the blog world and the photography world. 

I am a photographer.
I am a blogger.

I deliberately kept these two identities separate because one is a “business” and one is “personal”.  One is “official” and one is “me”.  But still, both of these roles are big parts of who I am.  I don’t see them as separate, but they are.  The funny thing about this, though, is that I’m quite certain that one would not exist without the other.

I’m not sure how I differ from others in the genre.  Some might call me a “Mommy blogger”.  Other’s a “photography blogger”.  I think the only thing that might make me different is that my writing tends to focus on our life, our story, my thoughts, and my feelings about the world. 

Perhaps the only thing that makes it different is the hands that pound the keyboard to produce the words. 

3. Why do I write what I do?

I write because I believe that our stories matter–all of our stories.  I write because it is how I best figure out what I am thinking and how I am feeling.  I write because it is how I best communicate.  I write because it’s healing for my soul. 

Running Chatter began as I was grappling with the death of my Mom, over four years ago.  Writing about our loss and the truth behind it was healing for me.  I learned to not be ashamed of who I am or the stories that make up my life.  It was through writing, I mean authentically revealing who I am, that I learned to embrace myself as I am. 

Truthfully, writing is therapy.  It is a process that has helped me to feel comfortable in my own skin. 

4.  How does my writing process work?
I don’t really have a conscious writing blogging process.  I tend to be quiet–an observer of life.  I like to take in moments, statements, conversations, and events and I look at them, think about them, process them.  (Some might say over-analyze.)

I can’t blog while my kids are awake, so blogging happens in the late night hours.  It usually must be quiet, except for soft playing of some of my favorite Pandora stations. 

Next, I place my hands on the keyboard and weave pictures and words together to tell a story.  Most often I don’t know what I will write about before I sit down.  Most often, it is the process of pounding the keyboard that aids in the unraveling of my thoughts.  Somehow the cobwebs lift as I sit down and allow for the time.  It is this process that has helped me to discover who I am and, quite frankly, what I believe.

I have just one rule for my writing–be authentic.  I’ve learned not to be afraid to be vulnerable, to express grief, mistakes, silliness, and love.  The process of writing has taught me that if I have nothing to hide, then I have nothing to hide. 

I may not be a writer, but I am deeply in love with the process of writing.

****************************************************

I am excited to introduce you to some lovely blogging, Ladies.  Ladies I admire, appreciate, and who have, in big and small ways, been a part of my journey.

First the Ladies behind Two Poppies. . .

Lynne and Suzee are sisters,
the two youngest of five siblings. They share their “art and soul”, creative
expressions, personal inspirations, thoughts and dreams at Two Poppies.

******************************

Next my dear friend Kylee.  She introduced me to the blogging world and is one of my favorite people.  She blogs over at Two Pretzels. . .

Kylee
is a working-mom and blogger living in Los Cabos, Mexico. Originally from Ohio,
Kylee’s blog, Two Pretzels, is a light and airy space with real-life sprinkled
throughout: infertility, pregnancy, parenting, grief and of course, good
products, good reads and good fashion. She believes in the trifecta: applying
sunscreen, writing and practicing empathy on a daily basis. You can find her on
Instagram and Facebook and occasionally on Twitter.

*************************************

And a most lovely ‘virtual’ friend, Karen, whom I met through this incredible blogging world.  Her heart is as beautiful as she is. . .

Karen is a
forty-something wife to Brian and Mom to Lucy. 
She considers herself a lifelong learner, and currently is enjoying the
challenge of all things photography.   She started her blog, Life with Lucy,
almost five years ago as a way of communicating with her family and friends
about her and Brian’s journey to bring Lucy home from China.   ‘Life
with Lucy’ has evolved into a place where she can document her family’s
journey, practice her latest love of photography and ponder the ups, downs and
in-betweens of life and all of its beautiful challenges.   Although she doesn’t consider herself a
“writer,” she loves the world of blogging, the wonderful people she has ‘met’
through this world, and the creative outlet it provides for a stay at home mom.