I have had the unbelievable privilege of living in some awesome places. Born and bred in the south, I have come to love certain aspects of the culture (food, music, hospitality - while strongly eschewing other traits that are historically associated with the south and also acknowledging their existence and significance, and lasting impact). Knoxville (TN), Charleston (SC), Lexington (KY), and even Norfolk, Virginia (which took me a bit to warm up to) have their own flavor and excitement. I eventually moved to a little town in New York named Saratoga Springs, and I don’t think I’ll ever live in a more idyllic setting. Serious, Google it right now. You’ll see what I’m talking about. I miss the places I’ve lived with a very real ache.

From L to R: Sunset in Norfolk, VA; row houses in Charleston, SC; some of the beautiful homes I saw on my first autumn walk in Saratoga Springs, NY; and the Great Smoky Mountains, TN (my home).

The point is that I loved, or came to love in the case of Norfolk, the places I have lived so much. That is, until recently. Life has a way of forcing you to pick up and head off in places you never thought you would end up, and that is currently where I find myself - in a town I never thought I would be in. It’s just…blah. It is so uninspiring to be in the place that I’m currently at. And maybe I could go somewhere to find my mojo. My current town is just a short drive to a city that vibrates with pizzazz (Nashville, Tennessee), but the reality is that it’s not convenient and I can’t really vibe with it when it involves a nearly two hour drive round trip and I’m trying to figure out parking with kids. Maybe if I lived there and could just step out my front door and all…but I don’t. I live here.

My environment has always been the thing that seems to drive my creativity. I used to find inspiration everywhere around me. I had so many ideas that I never got anything done because a new one would pop up before I was done with the first one. I might be describing a case of undiagnosed ADD, but that’s OK. It was wonderful to feel that. These days, that river of inspiration is barely a trickle. It is a very serious and real struggle for me at the moment and I have no idea exactly how to get it back besides moving (which I’m very open to, but life is currently dictating that is not in the cards). 

So these next few blog posts are about my attempt to find my groove, my juice, my inspo, my juju, or whatever you want to call it. I need to find that wealth of creativity that I once had in me, because I’m sure it’s still there and I’ve just lost my way to it.