Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to A. Erin Walker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, A. Erin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

My mission is to provide space for readers to disconnect from reality, to inspire connection by expressing vulnerability through my art, and encourage fellow artists, especially writers, to share their stories.

As a novelist, I find it important to transport readers into new worlds as well as give them something to take away: maybe a new perspective, a feeling of relatability toward characters they can see themselves in, or simply pure entertainment.

As a poet, I express real emotions inspired by real life and the mission is the discovery of strength in vulnerability and inspiring connection through authenticity. Sometimes it can feel lonely as we have our personal human experiences that come with their own ups and downs. And while we are all on separate journeys, I want my poetry to help alleviate some of that loneliness by serving as a reminder that we are all traveling through life together, enduring our own versions of all the ebbs and flows simultaneously.

As a creative consultant, I find it important to share the knowledge I’ve obtained to help fellow writers bring their projects to life. I have been approached many times over the years for advice when it comes to writing books. So many people want to, but have trouble getting started or become overwhelmed and lose motivation during the process. In being a self-published author since 2016, I have experience turning an idea into a finished project in more ways than one. Everyone deserves to tell their stories, so my mission in consulting is to provide resources, tools, and encouragement for my clients to do just that.

A. Erin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Andee Walker (A. Erin Walker), and I am a writer and creative consultant.

I grew up as an only-child with a very active imagination, and my love of writing began when I was younger. My mother has always been creative, from fashion to drawing to photography, she pretty much does it all. My father is also into music, once being in a singing group and always ready to share his amazing vocals. Anytime I would express interest in any endeavor, both artistic and inartistic, my parents encouraged my exploration. I’ve played piano, danced, taken acting classes, Tae Kwon Do, and more. While many of those interests came and went, one that remained solid was my love of books. My mom would be impressed by my ability as a child to finish large novels in one day, and supported regular trips to the bookstore to add more to my collection. As an only-child, I had plenty of space and opportunity to immerse myself in a good story from sun up to sun down with minimal interruption, and that’s what I would do.

I began to write my own variations of short stories and even sketch comic strips (with stick-figures, drawing is not my strong suit!) inspired by my favorite books. This became a creative outlet I used to connect myself to the stories I enjoyed the most, and eventually unlocked a route where I began to create whole new worlds inspired entirely from my own imagination. I have been a writer since I was a child, but I became a published author as an adult, releasing my debut novel in 2016.

I have since released several novels, poetry books, and short stories, and began my consulting business to also help fellow writers bring their story ideas to fruition. As I grew older, writing became a form of therapy for me, and unbeknownst to me before, a practice of visualization as I placed myself within the worlds and empathized with the characters being created. Upon releasing my first novel, AWAY, I began to receive feedback from readers expressing how this fictional story so greatly impacted their very real lives. Some readers shared how the book inspired them to relocate to new places in which they’d always dreamt of living, some were inspired to try new interests and explore new passions, and some expressed desires of writing books as well, but admittedly not knowing where to start. This is where I discovered the purpose of my art: to meet readers where they are in their life’s journey, giving them exactly what they need right when they need it, and to create space for connection that can be both external and internal.

For the many people that have contacted me for assistance in their desire to write a book, I have discovered another piece of my purpose as an artist: to use what I have learned over the years to ease the paths of others. Before I wrote my first book, I didn’t know anyone who had done it before and turned to extensive research online. There are two sides to this process: the writing side and the business side. There is brainstorming, outlining, writing, developmental and line editing, revising, revising, and more revising, etc. Then there is publishing, formatting and design requirements, copyright, marketing, networking, etc. While writing a book can already be easier said than done, there is so much more to the process of writing a book than just writing the book, and that can be intimidating. To this day, I still find myself overwhelmed with the list of things that need to be done to ensure a project I am working on is complete and all areas of the process are covered. But, through all the research I have done over the years, I have saved resources, created notes, and drafted documents that help keep me organized and on track. It’s no longer starting a new project from nothing, but starting new projects from the experience and knowledge obtained and retained from the previous ones. Now, when people contact me for assistance, whether it is on the writing side or the business side, I share all my resources and tools with them. I create plans of action customized to their needs, as well as checklists and guides to ensure they reach their goals. They no longer need to start their projects from nothing either and that intimidation by the process is alleviated. This is the service I provide to my clients, and it is such a blessing for me to be able to help others tell their stories because we all deserve to do so.

I am most proud of the ability to provide something purposeful to the world through my writing. I used to be so nervous about sharing my art – scared of negative reviews, misunderstandings, or even allowing people to know so much about me through the words I express and choose to share. It feels good to be released from that fear and discover the strength in vulnerability. In the freedom I have found in sharing my writing, I have inspired, created space for, and helped others on their personal journeys toward their own passions. In doing what I love and helping others, I am living my purpose and I am so grateful for that.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the ability to alchemize my emotions. I can turn the least favorable experiences I go through into something beautiful by using them as inspiration. When I’m not feeling my best, creating gives me a healthy release. And when I choose to share what I have created, it welcomes the opportunity for my art to cross paths with someone that can also relate and potentially find it helpful.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn is the idea of perfection.

My closest friends would always call me a perfectionist. I could be quite meticulous and tend to obsess over the details of things. However, writing has taught me how to relax. You cannot aim for perfection when you are creating. You will never finish if you aim for perfection because perfection, in this definitive context, does not exist.

In writing a novel, it can be so easy to overthink things, from faults in dialogue to whether or not you should veer off the beaten path to properly illustrate your writing voice. Those dialogue faults are what makes the story realistic. Unfollowing and detaching from “rules” is how you create your own path – it is what makes your art unique to you. You can see the difference in my writing from my debut novel to the most recent releases, because I went from cleaning up my art to fit a non-existent idea of perfection to understanding that my art, the way I naturally feel called to make it, is already perfect.

You have to give yourself grace, period, but especially as a creative. Art is subjective – you express yourself through it, then share it with the world for everyone to receive it in their own way. Everyone has their own idea of perfection, so what is perfect to you may not be perfect to others. This is why that definitive context of perfection does not exist – it is different for everyone.

I unlearned the act of being obsessed with the details and refining every flaw, and realized simply putting my true self and all that she embodies in any given moment into what I create is all that is needed. Showing up in authenticity and loving what you do is what matters most.

Contact Info:

• Website: aerinwalker.com
• Instagram: a.erinw
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aerinwalkerwrites
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AErinWalker
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/aerinwalkerwrites Apple Music and Spotify: A. Erin Walker

Image Credits
Personal photo: Angela Ledyard Photography