“Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)”
—Walt Whitman
I often find myself in this quote when I am lost. I am many things— contradictory things, much of the time. I am still in the process of becoming, which means I’ll only continue to grow more and more contradictory—
—and that is okay.
I am, first and foremost, a Writer—yes, even before I am a mother. I have my BA in Creative Writing from the University of Redlands and my MFA in Creative Writing/MA in English from Chapman University—degrees that helped me to hone my craft, to be sure, but I have been a Writer since I was five years old. I wrote a story then—a novella of a kind, illustrated in glittery fingerpaint—about a crocodile going to the big city.
I am still that child, writing stories. Only now I have a child to tell some of those stories to, in between all the responsibilities I have collected over the years.
I’m also an Educator and a Spiritualist. These roles are deeply connected: Educating an individual elevates their soul, while exploring spiritual questions via tarot or other means ultimately leads to a better understanding of the self.
I’m other things, too—a mother and a wife, a friend and a daughter, a homebody and an adventurer. I create content for various brands, manage social media channels, wrangle complicated schedules, handle customer service duties, edit other people’s manuscripts, and tutor individuals of all ages. I’m also available as a consultant, whether you need to talk through your next writing project or decide on a study plan.
I am many things—a work in progress, always becoming. I’ll be something else yet, come tomorrow—just watch and see.