“Mom, can I make things?”  Yeah, that was me at five years of age, and my mom would come from the back closet of our small apartment with a stack of blank paper she’d scored from a local book bindery.  With my head filled with endless ideas, I was always “making things.”

In elementary school, there were few days that passed where I didn’t come home with something I’d made for my mom.

My third-grade teacher noticed my affinity for writing stories, so she had my friend and me turn our stories into actual “books”, where we drew our own pictures on every page, hand-sewed the pages together, and wrapped the covers in cardboard and fabric. We made books.

I was about as introverted as they come and spent every Friday evening at the public library while my mother did the grocery shopping across the street. The Chronicles of Narnia, A Wrinkle in Time, and later, the Shannara series—those were my favorites.

But it wasn’t just about books.  Over the years, I made jewelry, refrigerator magnets, and Christmas tree decorations. I tried knitting, crocheting, sewing, and even macrame! I baked. I did renovation projects and decorating, painting and wood projects. I tried gardening and graphic design, and I still want to learn about surface patterns. And then there was soap. I still love to make soap. And yes, I have a soap shed out back.

So, with all this crazy creative stuff busting out of me, it’s only natural that I’d find a career in… payroll.  Wait, what?

Apparently, one can find satisfaction in both brain hemispheres and both avenues led me to finally experience the pinnacle of creativity:

I created a world!

So, as you explore this fantasy world in the late-night hours, know that I’m probably sitting in my living room on my laptop, with my dog’s head on my lap, thinking about my next project, and looking forward to the day that my two cute grandbabies will someday enjoy my world as much as I have.