I Made This
Question:
Hi Tanner! I have been writing a lot recently and just really yearning to put stuff out there to encourage others! Do you have any advice as I begin this journey?
Response:
Do you remember when you were young and you’d spend your time creating at the kitchen table or in the classroom?
You’d get out the crayons and paint brushes and washable markers and colorful construction paper and glue and scissors and bring to life the world that was inside your head.
You’d make something, like a painting or drawing or poem, and when finished you’d joyfully say, “I made this!”
You’d hold up your creation with a big smile.
You’d hand it to your mom or dad or teacher with humility and happiness.
You’d ask for your work to be put on the fridge or be hung on the classroom wall.
You were young and proud.
You were free and unashamed.
You were vulnerable and happy.
You were not concerned with what others thought because this was before you knew others were experts and critics and fun suckers.
You weren’t trying to be someone else while creating, you were just being you.
How beautiful it is to just be you.
You had not yet traded wonder for fear or given yourself over to the enticing hands of comparison.
You had not yet entertained the idea of perfectionism or wondered if what you were creating mattered.
You had not yet felt the loneliness of rejection or the pain of judgment.
You simply created because something in you knew that you were created to create.
You loved the colors and the words and the way it felt to turn a thought into a masterpiece.
You were an artist and a writer and a sculptor and a poet and a painter before you believed the lie that you had to prove yourself and earn the title of artist or writer or sculptor or poet or painter.
You showed up and let your imagination run and jump and play and come alive.
You didn’t worry about what they thought or what they would think.
You created.
You simply created.
You gave what you had.
You shared what you knew.
You opened up and said, “I made this!”
Do that.
Give what you have and give it with joy.
About the Author
Tanner Olson is an author, poet, speaker, and podcaster living in Nashville, Tennessee.
He is the author of I’m All Over the Place, As You Go, Walk A Little Slower, and Continue: Poems and Prayers of Hope.
You can find Tanner Olson’s books on Amazon.
His podcast is The Walk A Little Slower Podcast with Tanner Olson and can be found wherever you listen to podcasts.
Tanner Olson travels around the country sharing poetry, telling stories, and delivering messages of hope.
You can follow Tanner Olson on Instagram (@writtentospeak) and Facebook where you’ll daily find encouraging words of faith and hope.
Tanner Olson wearing a Written to Wear t-shirt. grab one here: writtentowear.com