We were lucky to catch up with Bethany Howard recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Bethany thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Self-publishing my book, Permission Granted: Embrace Who You Are, Cultivate Courage, Impact Your World was my pandemic project. This was a life-giving project in the midst of a state of constant overwhelm, but even more important than the bursts of bright in gray, was the fact that I made it happen. I am an enneagram nine and decisions tend to be hard for me and multi-step projects tend to be ones I abandon or don’t begin at all, so to end up with a physical book I could hold in my hand is an amazing accomplishment for me. I still look back at times and marvel that I took on this project. I wasn’t alone in this at all but it was me driving it, writing the poems, I was making the lists, and choosing the format of the book. The most important thing I learned from this project was that I could be in way over my head and have the time of my life at the same time.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My poetry is written to capture a moment, to peel apart the layers of meaning in a specific feeling, to help me know my fierceness. Through my poetry I give others the opportunity to sit in a moment, peel some layers, and know they’re fierce. I do my best to be real, though I don’t let it all hang out, I protect what needs to be protected. I don’t want to be fake and fake words put into zingers of lines don’t help anyone. I want people to read my work and be empowered to take up their space.

I got into poetry and writing as a creative outlet in a season of intense, hands-on mothering and it became a lifeline for me. I encourage those who are mothers in an intense season to prioritize that which satisfies their needs, desires, and passions in some way. It’s not a break, it’s not self-care, to pursue your creative pursuits, it is integral to being a whole human.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Although I believe everyone is creative in their own ways, I think that some people believe that creating art, whether that’s writing, music, sculpture, or quilts, is an ‘easy’ process, mainly because it’s something you love to do. I would want people to understand that to create requires so much dedication, energy, and strength. It is work and yes, it costs us something to create. We have to show up to the work just like any other job. I have struggled recently to show up to the work for numerous reasons and in part, it’s because of what is required of me in order to put words on the page – my resources have been needed elsewhere.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is when I get a message that someone was moved by something I wrote. It’s like being paid in gold. Words have power and when someone reads a piece I wrote and is challenged to take up their space, whether that’s to say something that needs to be said, pursue a dream, or to choose to stay alive, for once I am speechless. This? Makes me want to write. It is this that drives me to the page.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bethanyhoward.com
• Instagram: @bethanypermissiongranted https://www.instagram.com/bethanypermissiongranted/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/permissiongrantedfriend

Image Credits
Lyric Lewin