Yes, that is borrowed from The Croods for anyone who watches as many kids movies as we do 😉

What can be a long sucky journey? Pretty much anything that requires developing a talent!

My sister and I were chatting the other day and talking about where we both started out with what were at the time “hobbies.” Me with writing, Kass with photography. I started writing as a teen and my sister is one of the few people on the planet who read part of the first novel I ever wrote. My sister got into photography, I believe, in her early 20s-ish. Don’t hold me to that. She was also doing modeling at the time, which was more her focus.

What brought up how dreadfully painful it can be to try to develop a talent and turn it into something more?

My sister has gotten back into photography recently and was awesome enough to find some models who were willing to pose for several book covers I was having a difficult time finding stock art for. I haven’t had time to figure out what to do with Memory’s Edge yet, so while that cover is done, it’s not up for anyone to see it anywhere yet.

I am getting ready to publish The Ghost Host though and the pics Kassondra took for me turned out awesome! This is what spawned the conversation.

(PS, this is the lovely model who will be on the cover of The Ghost Host)

That first book I wrote that I let me sister read part of was…horrible. I still have a paper copy of it somewhere in a box, and that’s where it will stay. I seriously gag thinking about it now because it just sucked. Bleh.

Now, I won’t say my sister’s pictures sucked when she started out, because they didn’t, but the more she’s been out there clicking away with her camera, the more awesome she’s gotten! I’m really blown away by what she can do. She says the same thing about me, because she’s my sister 😉 but we got into a discussion about how much both of us have improved and how much we’ve accomplished since first starting out.

Both of us started and stopped working on our favorite hobbies multiple times over the years. Family, work, marriages, etc. It’s not always the right time. Sometimes you’re too drained or stressed out to even think about picking up a keyboard or camera. Sometimes you do everything you can and it’s still not working out. Sometimes you think everything you do is crap and it will never get better. Sometimes people tell you you’re stuff is awful! It happens to all of us, but instead of giving up we take in what criticism is helpful, improve, and go back to work.

Sometimes your stuff really isn’t very good. And that’s okay. It will get better.

For me, starting out at sixteen years old writing about stuff I had no clue about and mostly just venting, it’s a small wonder I now have 16 published books with a few more in the lineup for this year and 2016. I look back at my first writing attempts and cringe, but that’s what it took to get me to where I am now. It’s been years of comments from critique partners, my husband going over books with me, and lots of work with editors to develop my writing skills. I’ve learned a ton over the last almost fifteen years and I think it shows in my writing.

I’m super proud of the fact that over the next few months my sister is having something like 18 of her photos published in different arts and photography magazines, too!

No matter where your are on your possibly long, sucky journey, keep going. The journey doesn’t really ever end, but that’s kinda how it’s supposed to work. Keep learning and growing.

And just in case you want to see some of the awesome photos my sis has been taking lately, check her out on Facebook. And look for her skills being put to use on the cover art for Memory’s Edge and The Ghost Host!

Mystereah Photography