Dare to Go There...

In each facet of our life we can usually name someone who has had great impact on us; a person we admire, someone who has inspired us more than any other. I mentioned who those people were in regards to photography just the other day. Now I'm going to tell you who most inspires me in another area of my life.

I have always been a writer...Creative Writing class was an easy "A" throughout my school years, my teen years, and all the turmoil one experiences through them, were eased by hours of writing poetry and journaling. And as an adult I fell in love with telling the stories of my life through words and photos combined. Scrapbooking.

As a scrapbook teacher, I spent many hours trying to motivate others to journal in their photo albums. I wrote a poem about it that I shared with students in my Beginner 101 class that often moved them to tears. Years later I dedicated an entire class syllabus to writing, when I taught The Gift of Gab: How to Journal. It has been a passion of mine since as far back as I can remember.

Who most inspires me to write? Besides my maternal grandmother (as well known for her humorous letter writing as her picture taking), one other person captivated me years ago. Her book still holds the title as my all-time favorite craft book ever! For those that know me well it isn't hard to guess the answer. The book is Scrapbooking Life's Little Treasures and the author is Rebbecca Sower. Her ability to express herself, her memories, and her dreams throughout her scrapbooks and projects has served as the ultimate example and inspiration to me.

I was excited to meet and be photographed with Rebbecca many years ago while she was promoting her product line with EK Success. She was surprising normal for a woman living so high up on my pedestal! LOL! She was sweet, chatty, and seemingly shocked at her new celebrity status. She was every bit a genuine person...a wife, a mom, a scrapbooker. Her pedestal rose even higher in my eyes.

Now ready to author a book of my own, I pulled out my old, tattered copy of Rebecca's book and smiled. I'd come full circle if I could showcase her studio in my book! So I found a way to contact her and I went for it.

You don't get what you don't ask for.

Take a leap.

Believe it and you can achieve it.

All of my favorite quotes whizzed through my head as I typed off a letter to her. And while she had a previous commitment making it impossible for her studio to be featured in Creative Spaces, I was given the opportunity to chat with her once again. And rest assured you'll find Rebbecca within the pages of my book somehow. For inspiration and influence, while not always seen, can be felt.

It felt good to do something I was a bit apprehensive about. Even if it didn't turn out the way I first thought, there are possibilities of something even greater happening. With positive thoughts and extra effort we can sometimes even climb higher than we first attempted to go! Stay tuned...

enjoy the mountains you choose to climb this weekend!

-dw

The failure is not falling down, it is not attempting to get back up.