Honored by Artful Blogging

Last week, something very special arrived in my mail.

Back in October, while I was going through an extremely difficult time here at home, I received an email that truly lit my heart up with honor. Jennifer Jackson, one of the editors of Stampington & Company's Artful Blogging, invited me to write a piece for an upcoming issue of what I consider to be one of my most favorite publications ever. I have been devouring the deliciousness this magazine has to offer for years now and I couldn't believe that my snippet of the cyber world was being asked to take part.

I remember the afternoon I set to writing my contribution. Knowing what wonderful words other contributors share in their articles, I levied some pretty heavy pressure on myself. I stared at a blank screen for countless moments that easily became an hour. I would start typing and quickly hit the backspace button. I would have a flash of a sentence and then it would be gone. I just couldn't put my finger on how I was going to take all my love and affection for my blog and translate it into a written piece for the masses. No simple what-blogging-means-to-me-thing would do. I knew from the beginning what I wanted to write about, though. Over the years, through writing and sharing here on this blog, I think I have been able to get to know and understand myself in a way that wouldn't have otherwise happened without it. I wanted to write about discovering the multiple sides to my personality that I have been given a voice outside my head in posts here. Namely, Kerry & Carrie. Finally, I took a deep breath and decided to tell a story.

Though I remember the day being bright and crisp, I got completely lost in the story I wrote about a rainy day in my basement studio. The hour I spent writing about a full day left me feeling like that full day had actually just passed. Exhausted, but proud, I sent the finished piece off to Jennifer and have been waiting to see the pages in print ever since. Last week, it arrived and it is beautiful.

Slowly, I am reading my way through the other pieces. I find myself in such fine company. I do have to laugh at myself a bit. I find it all rather ironic. The piece I wrote is about my home studio, and as I mentioned, it was written in October. Just a month and a half later, I had a million and one reasons why I wanted to more out of that place and into my new studio. I talk in the article about how my home studio was "mine all mine" and how it made me feel to be in it. And it truly made me feel that, but oh, there was the flip side too. You can be sure, I will keep my Artful Blogging article as a remembrance of the old place.

If you are new to my blog after finding me in Artful Blogging... welcome! If you aren't... thanks for visiting again and sharing so many posts with me. Now it is time to venture down to the basement for another reason... I need to go for a run.