The writing life is a solitary one. Sitting couped up for hours with only your words, characters, and literary worlds for company, can sometimes feel gloomy. I certainly felt that way as I embarked on my journey to write my book over 5 years ago. I felt lonely, uncertain of myself and prone to bouts of imposter syndrome.
Four years into my journey, I was fortunate enough to be invited to coffee with an amazing group of women who live in my neighborhood and were all artists of some sort. There were three painters, a photographer, a florist and me.
We spent a carefree afternoon getting to know each other and sharing our creative passions, our journeys and where we were with our craft. I left literally walking on air – my creative itch had been well and truly scratched and I felt inspired, motivated, and energized.
Within weeks we had formed a group, Greenhaven Artists, and were on our way to organizing our first artist studio – essentially a showcase of all our work, hosted in our neighborhood on a Sunday afternoon just before Christmas. Even though it rained, we had a huge turnout, and I had the opportunity to read a chapter from my (unpublished) book.
9 months in, we have had another showcase, have a vibrant Instagram and website, and have all sorts of plans of engaging with the creative community locally and beyond.
It really has been a blessing – as a 25-year corporate veteran with closet creative aspirations, I had no “flesh and blood” creative community that I was connected to. Of course, I belong to numerous online groups and forums and follow various writers from a distance on social media, but having a group of women who live locally to collaborate with and to draw strength and support from has been amazing. It has also provided me with so many new connections and contacts – from local media and art festivals to hundreds of art and book lovers – all super beneficial to engage with via my newsletter and as prospective readers if my book gets published.
Sadly, I’ve had to leave this group in the wake of our plans to move back home to the UK. But I will stay virtually connected to, and remain a member of this amazing group – my wonderful fellow Greenhaven Artists.
I believe people come into your life at just the right time – I’m thankful for this amazing group who came into my life just at the right moment and blessed me so richly.
Novice Memoirist 
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