she found her voice

"she found her voice"

mixed media collage

2nd in the "she" series

(c) 2010 julie king

"she found her voice. for years it had been living inside her head, whispering of hopes and dreams she longed to pursue. like a fledgling bird, it nested in her soul, with furled wings, just a glimmer of creative yearning. tentatively, slowly she let the wings unfurl; the first tender whispers evoked joy and faith. trusting her new-found muse, she let her voice emerge strong and beautiful. soon her voice was flowing from her mind into her fingers and out onto paper, creating magical stories and memorable characters. it spoke of strong women triumphing over life’s battles and woes. in parallel with her own life, her characters were on a quest to find themselves. together, they journeyed into strange lands and uncharted pathways. when she faltered or lost her way, she listened to her voice, her life compass, her soul mate, and it carried her far. she found her voice; it was a symphony of triumph, perseverance and faith."

i wrote this story and created this collage for my best friend, vickie weaver, whose birthday is coming up and who recently lost her mother. mostly i wanted to create something that would be a tribute to the publishing of vickie's first novel, billie girl, and to the joy i've received from vickie finding her voice. back when vickie and i worked together at a small newspaper shop, she wrote a weekly column about her life with two sons and a husband. she had a wonderful sense of humor that always made me smile and she had a way of taking a mundane happening and turning it into a classic small town pass-along tale.  

when she started college in her 40's, she often shared her creative writing with me -- short stories and poetry she'd written as class assignments. i remember one short story she shared that had me sobbing at my desk. you know the kind of sobs where you try to swallow the sound because you know it is just going to blast out and embarrass you? that was me, reading her story and being transported back to the 60's when the vietnam war, peace rallies and young love had me angry and hormonal and confused. did i say transported? that's exactly how it was -- like i could smell the scents, hear the sounds and feel the feelings exactly as i had back then. yes, her writing was that good.

i had the privilege of reading the early drafts of vickie's novels and knowing she was going to be a published author; i never had any doubt. i loved her quirky characters and always the truth and sincerity of what she wrote. fast forward several years and vickie's novel billie girl is being published. due to be released in september, you can pre-order it on amazon!! you've read my book reports here on my blog -- have i ever steered you wrong? you will love this book!!

you can learn more about vickie on her website.

gf, you've inspired me in ways you never even knew. you had my back in good times and in bad. you've made me laugh and held my hand when i cried. and, most of all, YOU DID IT!!!! you found your voice and it has carried you far. you've only just begun, gf, you've only just begun! ((hugs))

prints of this original collage are available in my etsy shop!