Why am I doing this?

I’m staring at a page with all the fancy blogging software and trying to figure out what content to write.  What do I have to say that’s interesting?  Something fresh.  Something mine.  Some perspective I can share that might encourage others.

So I think I’ll write about creativity.

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve looked for ways to make my mark.  A love of reading led me to learning how to write my own stories.  Seeing beautiful pictures led to learning how to draw, which in turn led to learning how to sculpt when two dimensions weren’t enough.  Listening to music led to … listening to more music.  I’ll sing along with the radio, but making music is not one of my talents.  Still won’t stop me from enjoying the music other people create.

See, that’s the thing.  I believe everyone has something they want to say/sing/draw/sculpt/compose/<insert action verb of your choice>, but for whatever reason, we don’t.  We find excuses not to do what we want.  If our initial efforts don’t match the beauty of our dreams, we stop trying.

That’s sad.

Everyone needs passions.  Everyone needs something that fires the imagination and transforms the world from mundane to magical.  Everyone needs wonder.

“Wonder” is such a lovely word.  Wonder is both a question and an answer.  To wonder about something is to explore the nuances, and discover wonders along the way.  Wondering is a process.  Try something, keep going if it works, try something else if it doesn’t.  Every answer spawns new questions.  Every attempt, no matter how abysmal or grand, is another step along the path.

That’s wonderful.

So I’m going to write about my own journey to create.  My first published short story will be released in an anthology this August (stay tuned for more info).  I’ve written several novel manuscripts set in the same fantasy universe, and I’m working on a query letter to send to agents.  I sculpt a menagerie of polymer clay animals, mostly cats, and I’m on a quest to devise a better dragon design.  Then there’s making jewelry, painting Dungeons & Dragons figurines, drawing, and whatever other random wonders take my fancy.

So much to explore.  So much to create.  So much to share.

So many wonders…