Inspiration

Three Years Experience and an Update

It’s been a long long time since I posted anything; essentially February became a lost month. It’s also been almost three years since I started this blog. I never imagined how much evolving would happen in that time – of me, of the blog, and of everything in-between. When I started the blog I was very adrift in the world. I had been rejected from the school of education at UConn, and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. The blog was a way of getting my voice into the world in case I decided to pursue writing as a career. Fast forward three years. I’m still here – in the field of education like I had originally planned – and the blog is still here, joined by another blog that focuses on English and teaching and books exclusively. I never imagined that I would have one blog, let alone two, or that I would be so passionate about them.

This blog has gone through several evolutions since I started it. The first summer I blogged about my internship and what I was doing and just little random happy things. Then I blogged about school and my journalism classes and grad school. And in the grad school stage I got lost in the muck and couldn’t find my way out. I didn’t know why I was continuing with the blog or what direction and purpose I wanted it to have.

Maybe for some people this wouldn’t be a big deal. But I found it increasingly difficult to blog when I had no direction. I didn’t know what I was writing about. I didn’t know what to write about. So February became a lost month.

I couldn’t allow that to continue, not when I knew deep down that I wanted to keep the blog alive and operating. So I brainstormed mood words (empowerment, encouragement, inspiration, kindness, love), and I brainstormed the types of things I wanted to be sharing (quotes, things I love, books, Gilmore Girls, etc.). I feel like there’s a plan and a vision now; I feel like I can successfully move forward with the blog without losing focus or direction. And that’s good, and I’m happy.

I’m really looking forward to this next chapter of the blog, and I hope all of you are too. I’m really excited to see where it takes me.

BrittanyM

Things That Keep Me Grounded

I thought that it would be nice to talk about some of the things that keep me sane and keep me grounded. My life is certainly not as crazy as some, but at the same time it does have its own level of craziness, and I, like most people, need things to keep me grounded. So, here goes:

  1. My awesome family. They listen to me, support me, tell me when I’m being ridiculous, and make life fun.
  2. My amazing friends. I have some truly awesome, amazing and fabulous friends. They are the family that I have chosen to have in my life, and I wouldn’t be me without them. They make my life so much fun, bring me on fun adventures, come over for TV time, and listen to all my crazy ramblings.
  3. Writing. Writing is a huge part of what keeps me grounded. It allows me to sort out my feelings, reimagine scenarios and it provides me with an amazing creative outlet.

I’m sure that there are other things which keep me grounded, but I think for me these are the top three. There is no way I would be where I am or who I am today without the amazing and wonderful people in my life, both the ones I’m related to and the ones I’m not. And writing is most definitely my touchstone.

What keeps you grounded?

BrittanyM

Love of Images

So in an attempt to add more to this blog, because I’m always working on making this blog better, I’ve declared October the month of images, and I’m hoping to continue including images after October is over. And in keeping with the vein of images, I wanted to write about why I love images so much.

It’s no secret that I write, and write a lot. I’ve written entire posts about that, and I don’t think I need to rehash the past. If you’re interested in learning about my love of writing search my “All About Writing” tag and go to the “All About Writing” page I have on this blog. You can learn all about my love with writing there.

What I want to write about tonight is how I use images in my writing. I love pictures. It’s why I love Pinterest and why I’ve spent hours scouring the internet looking for just the right image. I use images as inspiration for my writing. I’ve planned entire stories around a single image, and I’ve planned other stories around a series of images. Images tell a story all their own, and I like to think of that and run with it when I’m writing. Sometimes I think that my job isn’t to make up a story but to tell a story with words that images are telling all their own.

What about all of you? Do you think that images are inspiring or are images just images? Let me know!

BrittanyM

PS: Because today’s post is entitled “Love of Images” I thought I would (once again) share an (itty bitty) gallery of images. All of these images are from Pinterest. I don’t own them; I just love them.

Baby Panda. Photo Credit to Pinterest.
Adorable Little Bunny Rabbit with a Carrot. Photo Credit to Pinterest.
I think this bunny is hiding from something. We all have days like that, right? Photo Credit to Pinterest.