West Hills Blues

Song Writing has always been my forte.  

...Even if I had a prof in college (true story) who gave me a B+ in BASIC WRITING. :)

Since I was born....

Writing songs is the way to learn more, not only about yourself... but about where you were in that time.

It takes you back.... and write now. I'm angry.  I want to break something.


I am a good song writer.

ahahehm:

They say it was his time, tell me "Sister, it's fine"
They will run their mouths until the end of it all
They say silence is weak and they want us to break
 I WILL STAND MY GROUND UNTIL THE EARTH SHAKES.

They say Griffin is here, but it's not real to me
And I'm watching my family wander until they find peace
Up the mountains we go, to the valley in woe
Like feathers and beads we walk until we overcome

And we shall
And we shall
We shall overcome like the Great Dr. King
and We SHALL
and WE SHALL
whether or not they come with us, we'll march to this dream

Hand in hand, arm in arm
we are walking in the Light and its not about the in between

Just in time, for it all, we will save this sad nation and right on the brink of it all
in hindsight...
           we have the LIGHT.

Leave Britney Alone!

Leave Britney Alone!

When I was in the first grade, my dad bought me the new Britney Spears album and told me to keep it a secret from my mom.  It was only a few weeks until my mom found me listening to my CD player and threw the CD away.  I blame it all on that day.  Ever since then, something inside me longed to be apart of this thing that I wasn’t supposed to be listening to.  Anyone who knows me knows that I will defend Britney at all costs.  Not only is her story intriguing, it’s a good representation of how fame can dim the once sparkling light in someone’s eyes. 

Britney is not just an example of what not to do when you are famous; she is the perfect example of what happens when you are just human.  Maybe you haven’t taken an umbrella to a car or shaved your head… but you’ve probably done something and been glad there weren’t cameras following you for it.

This is me pretending to be Britney

This relates to Bluehaven Grace on a few levels.

When something is forbidden, you want it all the more.

When you put yourself out there, you risk being used and abused.

When you try to grow up too fast… you end up hurting yourself.

I haven’t talked much about the characters of the book at all, but I will tell you a little bit about the narrator, Dahlia.

Dahlia’s curiosity gets her into trouble.  The fourteen-year-old girl tries to figure everything out on her own and there are some pretty steep consequences.  Dahlia is obsessive in her love interests, stubborn in her relationships, and mischievous in her actions.  This character is persistent and sacrificial but she is also quite the rebellious problem child.

My grandmother is currently reading what I have of the book so far… and it’s funny a few days ago she goes, “Chelsea, I think that you are Dahlia…” and I laughed.  But its true that there are characters in the book that I want to be more like… and some that pull out the not-so-good qualities in myself.

All in all, Britney had that something that made everyone want to know more.  Although her story is sad... I’m looking forward to developing a character that puts herself in similar situations. 

Thanks for staying in tune with my crazy life,

Chelsea Smith

Content is King

Content is King

I recently started a job at a Cause Marketing firm and it is one exciting ride.  I wanted to highlight the importance of this type of marketing and explain (to the best of my ability) what it is.  

Working here at CafeGive Social I realized quickly that it is all about content.  Whether it’s a white paper, case study, or blurb for Facebook… it’s all about content.  I never understood what content marketing was until I started working on projects for CafeGive.  Taking meaningful data and turn it in to something the public understands, identifying and showcasing the most important success stories of the company, and sharing useful, enriching information with people; this is content marketing.  Getting views and likes is not about how popular you are- it’s about the depth of your content.  Being a successful business in your online endeavors is all about connecting, communicating, and expanding the strength of your information.

Cause Marketing is an all around great practice.  By tying your business to a cause and helping support the cause you can extend your reach and strengthen your company.  For example, with CafeGive Social- apps are created (for Facebook and such) to make it easy to do things like donate to the cause.  Not only does it help the brand of the company get out there in a positive way, it helps raise money for the cause!

Switching gears here (but not completely).

I want to connect cause marketing to how individual pieces of work carry weight in social media.  When I look at photos that are successful on Facebook or Flickr, when I see posts that are shared hundreds of times, and even when a meme pops up in your feed and you chuckle… the content always holds an element of truth. 

When I post a photo (as a photographer)- I never know which ones will reach people and get to them—but I’m starting to figure it out.  When a photo has an authentic story, no matter what that story says… it affects people.  Real stories are what truly move people. 

Something that I am struggling with right now in Bluehaven Grace is making the story real, organic, and transparent.  I want there to be an honest story that comes to the surface.  It’s hard, especially when I never lived in the 1800’s.  It’s really been a challenge to channel the feelings and trials of someone living in a completely different reality.  BUT the thing that I know ties us all together is that we all experience love, fear, joy, pain, and failure. 

I’m trying to apply this same idea of content being key to my novel writing.  I’m to that point in the story where I’m starting to drift away from the purpose and need to be brought back to what’s important: Telling the Truth.  

Thanks for listening,

Chelsea Smith

A Bucket List That Walks

A Bucket List That Walks

A couple of days ago I sat up in bed around 5am writing a pivotal part of Bluehaven Grace- spoiler alert- someone important dies somewhere in here.  As I started to finish the chapter I started balling uncontrollably… I couldn’t stop it.  I didn’t want this person to die.  It was almost as if it was natural and necessary for the wholeness of the story.  I ran to the bathroom and the tissues were soaked through in seconds.  I never thought I could be so attached to a fictional character.

I’ve always been disturbed by how we associate crying with weakness.  When are those times that you are moved enough to cry? When you walk your daughter down the aisle and you flash back to when she was just a girl…?  When your best friend is taken by cancer and she was just too young… ?  Or maybe you might cry when you see someone change, when you see grace alive, or when you see suffering that is real.  These do not seem like weak moments.  They seem like moments that truly reveal your strength.

 I think that one of the most admirable characteristics in a person is his/her ambition.  When you can see the light bulb go off above their head and a fire in their eyes, something beautiful sparks in my heart.  I love to see people pursue big dreams with the right intentions. 

One way that I stay ambitious is that every year I try to knock something off of my Bucket List—people always ask me what’s on it and I won’t tell them.  Mainly because even I don’t know.  I make it up as I go, that’s the whole point!  If I had a Bucket List of things that I HAD to do no matter how I changed or grew… it would seem more like a list of chores.  When something intrigues me or I’m compelled to do something… it becomes my new item to check off.

Someone will always think you are not qualified.

Someone will always tell you you’re too young.

Someone will always be a hater.

BUT

Something will always work out.

Even if 10 people come to your concert—you changed the world, you did.  Even if no one ever reads your poems or sees your painting—you created amazing art, you did.  It’s not about showing everyone that you’ve completed your bucket list… it’s about getting out there and doing it.  Do what moves you and it will move others.

Thanks for reading,
Chelsea Smith

Can People Change?

Can People Change?

Get inspired - Overdo it - Get burnt out- Repeat: The Story of My Life.

Bluehaven Grace has to be different.

I don’t want 80,000 words of fluff.

I don’t want 250 pages of crap.

AND most of all, I don’t want to rush something I care so much about.

You’re probably wondering what this book is even about and if it is worth reading… well, I’ll tell you what I want it to be in the end… and what it has become so far.

Here are a few conceptual issues that I want to touch on in the novel:

1.     Suffering

It intrigues me that everyone has a different framework for suffering—a different reality.  I separate suffering into two different categories; nature and nurture.  If you’ve ever heard the expression—they were asking for it—you know what nurturing suffering looks like. From times when you choose to get drunk and do something illegal in public to moments where you tell a white lie and it comes back to bite you, sometimes we choose suffering.  But then there is a dimension where a tornado sweeps in and destroys your home or a car crash takes a dear friend of yours—the kind of suffering we cannot control.

Whether it’s the 1800’s and you are stricken with the latest plague or 2013, you’re late, and you can’t find a parking for your dentist appointment- you’ll have some degree of hurt in your life.

2.     Grace

As I was in Life of Christ for May term at George Fox we were reading all of these great stories and learning so much about narrative.  It inspired me to write.  One thing that my prof Steve Sherwood helped us realize was how gracious God was throughout the whole Old Testament.  God constantly forgave.  God’s people still suffered, but He was always gracious.  In Bluehaven Grace I wanted there to be an aspect of unfailing grace.  Hesed.  The steadfast love of God.  

3.     Change

People Change… but they don’t change much.  At first I wanted a story of transformation… and I did.  BUT—time and time again I feel that even when people try and try to be someone different, their personality brings them back to where they started.  If you have an addictive personality, alcohol may not be good for you… so you avoid it.  But you can still become obsessed with playing video games or having stamping parties… you never know!?  You can go through therapy trying to become a less jealous or paranoid person… but it’s hard to completely rid yourself of… yourself.  I want to highlight this in the story.  The main character gets herself into a round of trouble just from being her curious, stubborn self.

If this book does anything—I want it to stir some questions up.  Can people change? Did God change when Jesus came? How can I embrace suffering?

When I feel like I know what the heck the book is talking about… I will post more about the plot.  Until then... thanks for staying updated with me and thank you for the support!

Peace!

Chelsea Smith