We've all been experiencing the quarantine life in one way or another. We've had our jobs modified, kids are doing school at home, we've had to stay inside waiting for test results or because our test results came back positive. Everyone has handled their own quarantine time in a different way. Some have made bread, started and finished house renovations, exercised more, and some have finished multiple shows on Netflix (and that was just in the first week).
When quarantine began I had to finish teaching before I could start any "fun" projects. Once school ended I renovated my studio/office and spent time purging all the stuff I didn't need or want anymore. Then, all of sudden it's like people were just done with quarantine. Some people really hadn't left their homes and fell prey to cabin fever, while others were just done with the novelty of it all and wanted things to go back to "normal". I missed life before March 16th for sure, though the slower pace suited me better, but it was becoming hard not to feel comfortable to just go wherever whenever. That's when quarantine hit our house in a new way.
My sister tested positive in the middle of July. My mom and I had just spent the evening with her so we were tested, and though we tested negative we experienced all the symptoms, leading us to believe it was a false negative. Those were hard days. I feared for my sister and my mother and myself.
That's when I decided to try writing again.
That's when I created Adelyn's Amazing Adventures.
I had toyed with the Adelyn character earlier in the year but couldn't land on a story or how I wanted to draw her. Then one day in July I sat at my new desk in my new office and started typing. Before I knew what happened I had a story, a good story. I had long given up being able to write fiction, I felt like with every attempt the story fell flat or I didn't know where to take the characters, or even how to create good, solid characters. Yet, here was a story before me that I loved, felt proud of, and couldn't wait to share it with someone.
My sister was the first to read the story. Her reaction gave me the encouragement and support I needed to take the book further and go down the scary road of self-publishing. The next day, I wrote another Adelyn story and a week later another one flowed from my fingertips. I felt like God was opening my mind, sparking the creativity I thought I had lost. It all just felt right, like this was what I was supposed to be doing, whether anyone ever read them I was having an AMAZING time writing the these stories. It's fun for me to create something that will inspire others. After a loss I experienced in May, this new life in front of me was giving me hope.
God has allowed me to fulfill many of my dreams in my 25 years of life. I've worked for Disney, performed on a Broadway stage, written for a newspaper, and traveled by myself. Now, I truly believe He's allowing me to see this dream of writing and publishing a book, a dream I gave up long ago. I want these books to spark the imaginations of kids. I feel like with all of the technology we have now that imagination isn't as prevalent. I hope these books will cause little readers to dream of going on their own adventures, even if it's just in their own backyard. Adventure can be found anywhere, and I believe, we've all learned that through quarantine.
Creativity has seen many through these rough times. I pray that when traveling is safer, when we can hug each other and sit in large crowds once again, that we don't stop creating and finding adventures all around us. One thing we should take away from this, is that creativity happens best when we slow down and experience the world around us- even if it's just the little world of our neighborhood.