Present State: Middle School

Hello again! It's been months. Literally, months since I've posted on my little blog. I've been in a creative dry spell. Blogging creativity has been pretty low on my list of things to do. This is partially due to the blog posts I've been writing for FOCUS (Three Things You Can Learn From the Spiritual Life from Being an Artist & What the Karate Kid Taught Me About the Rosary) Writing for such a big audience each month has taken a lot out of me. I find myself having to remain determined to be faithful to myself and not try to write or be like someone else. It's exhausting.

Partially, though, I've not written been because I'm in a phase of interior growth and it's been tough to remain creative. I almost feel like I'm in middle school again. I don't quite know where I fit in, I feel socially and physically awkward, and I just can't quite figure out what's coming next. In my experience Middle school environments are not friendly for fostering creativity. It takes all my energy to just function. Thus the title of my post and the creative drought.

Ironically, even though it takes so much effort, writing might actually help with the whole middle school of life thing. It's often by finding our own stories that we are able to fully enter present challenges. By understanding who we are, where we came from, and how to impact the world around us we are able to see the present struggles for more than just the pain they are causing. For me the process of writing draws upon that story, validates it, and shares it with the world. And that's a courageous thing to do in the face of insecurity.

One final note, I am realizing how important it is to take little moments of creativity even in the face of time crunches, soul searching, and fear. I have found time to do a tiny bit of creativity in the form of photography and I'd like to share some of my shots: 

Lake Powell

A photo I caught of the perfectly displayed raspberries at a bridal shower

The Side of Z Cuisine in the Highlands