Happy 2nd birthday troublemakers and superpowers!
Troublemakers and Superpowers has the same birthday as Showgirl?!
Flipping through the pages today, I realized that I wrote this book for me just as much as I wrote it for my kids and all of the other kids out there who have felt misunderstood.
This morning, one of my dear classmates told me that my book helped her through her first semester at VCFA. It took me off guard. My book? Another classmate told me to be kind to myself. I wasn’t sure if I could. If I can.
Between running my studio, the federal helicopters circling Portland every night attempting to stoke fear, and feeling like my ADHD is hugely disrupting my critical writing. I’ve been heavy and full of doubt in all aspects of life.
Both of my classmates’ words stayed with me all day. I questioned them. And then tonight, I pulled my book off its shelf. It just so happens that today is her birthday! Looking through the different profiles, I remembered the time of day and which songs I was listening to when I wrote each one. I especially remember the feelings that surged through my body as I wrote each of these inspiring stories.
When I sent in my manuscript, I had no idea how Ragon would use the quotes. I was in awe the first time I saw how they fit them in with their illustrations and my text. Tonight, these quotes jumped off the page and slapped me in the face as if to say, “WAKE UP!” I can’t count how many times I’ve used the word “dumb” on myself or how many times I’ve been frustrated with my learning differences these last several weeks. Normally, I see my differences as superpowers, but not lately. Unfortunately, you just don’t grow out of how your brain is wired.
I remembered how painful it was to write and edit this book. But I did it. I did it because my learning differences help me see and feel the world differently. My differences help me to be creative. My differences are my superpowers, and they are also my troublemakers. Both are true. I’m not going to let the fear of literally everything prevent me from reaching my dreams. My path might look a little different, and how I do it might be a little different, but I’m going to get there just like everyone in my book did. Fortunately, you don’t just grow out of how your brain is wired!
<3 Keely
To my dear friends and family, thank you for saving me from #thefateofophelia
