June 22, 2026
Personal Reflections
At the beginning of last week, I felt deeply discouraged — my editor told me that he strongly preferred if I only sent him 2 pieces a week rather than my usual 3 moving forward (except maybe 3 on rare occasions). It had nothing to do with what I was covering or the quality of my work, but had to do simply with what is available to me in the context of the rest of the paper.
Admittedly, reading the message from my editor sent me into a panic attack. My mom tried to give me kind and calm words of encouragement and empowerment in the midst of it, and my rattled psyche was not receiving it at first. It took an evening walk to calm me down and help me receive what she was saying. The next day, I had coffee with a friend and without knowing it ahead of time, she said the same thing to me my mom did. Here is the gist of what was said:
I do not have to be limited — I can continue to write for multiple papers and self publish articles on my website. At the time, I do not have to be limited to one lane in my writing. I publish poetry or film reviews on my website, but why not also explore some of the other projects lingering in my mind?
Truthfully, I have had various insecure thoughts like, “what if people don’t like these other things and no one wants to read it?” or “What if I go for it and it’s an utter failure?” Then, I had an epiphany: Its not about any of that…Artists, writers, creatives must create if for nothing else than creativity’s sake. The primary “goal” must always be self expression, and everything else will unfold the way it’s meant to as you work hard and do the best you can.
Last night, I put the film Sister Act 2 on in the background while doing laundry and I got sucked in very quickly as usual. Rita’s (Lauryn Hill) story stood out to me and spoke to me more than ever. Rita is a high school student who is deeply passionate about singing, but her mom tells her she cannot join choir or do anything music related because it will get her nowhere in life and thus waste her time. Sister Mary Clarence (Whoopi Goldberg) steps in and encourages Rita to read the book, Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke as a way of helping her discover her purpose. Sister Clarence’s message is this: “If you wake up in the morning and all you can think about is singing, then you are meant to be a singer.” Rita listens, writing a note to her mom and sneaking onto a school bus for the choir competition. Her mom shows up, hears Rita sing her solo, watches the choir win the competition, and tells Rita how proud she is of her and how sorry she was for doubting her destiny.
Whether or not we get a moment as beautiful and restorative as this in our lives, let this be a story that inspires us to pursue the things we are passionate about. We only get one life and while we cannot control everything that happens to us, we can control what we do and how we respond.
So do it, go pursue your dreams. Keep on doing the things you feel called to, and you will life will be unlimited.
This Week in the Arts
Coming up this week, I will be publishing three pieces in my JOLT Column including:
Review: Olympia Chamber Orchestra’s “Unsung” Concert
Review: Harlequin Production’s “Million Dollar Quartet”
Arts & Pride Month Conversation Series: Heather Matthews
To read my articles as they come out, I invite you to subscribe to the JOLT News and/or follow me on Instagram and Facebook, then invite a friend to do the same! :)
If you read a story that inspires you, I invite you to share it with others and help spread the word about the incredible things happening in the Thurston County Arts Community.
Then, make a donation to The JOLT News so that we can continue to celebrate everything happening in our arts community.
New Content
This week, I introduced two new series. The first article of each of these series were published on my website this week and you can find those links at the bottom of this email. These series are:
Getting in ‘The Zone’: I loved watching The Twilight Zone growing up. The older I have gotten, the more I appreciate Rod Sterling’s writing and creativity. The show is filled with food for thought, deep insight, opportunities for critical thinking, and so much more! For the last couple of years, I have dreamt of doing a written series discussing the nuances found in select episodes of The Twilight Zone canon, and with the world being what it is right now, it felt very timely and appropriate and so I have decided to go for it.
14 Questions for My Community: In 2023, I reached out to various members of my community and asked them ever so simply if they were interested in answering one question a week for the 14 weeks of summer. I was thrilled when many of them gave me a YES! Each question was crafted specifically to discuss one nuance of everyday life that is either over or under discussed. Many of these questions tap into the deeper topics that we either do or do not get advice, or rather “good advice about.” The main goal of this project was to create a sense of community on the page, to help both answerers and askers (aka readers) to feel like they are not alone and feel seen even by the stranger who interacts with this. I wanted the answerer to feel validated in the wisdom they have and remember their special, individualized, unique contribution to this world. In this way, wisdom does not belong to one generation over the other, we all have something the contribute! I wanted the asker to be able to hear as many perspectives as possible so they could “choose their own adventure” with options. May “14 Questions for My Community” speak to your heart, and spark conversation in your own heart and with others.
Introducing the “Tip Jar”
A friend of mine recently suggested that I offer a “tip jar” for anyone who appreciates my work and wants to make a special contribution. I had to say that because having this page on my website feels funny to me, but I also want to give an opportunity for anyone who does feel inspired in this way.
If you would like to add a tip to my “tip jar”, I invite you click here, then on whatever button best matches your giving preferences.
All tips are greatly appreciated!