We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jenni Welsch. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jenni below.
Hi Jenni , thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
Since I was a teenager, I’ve turned to writing as a means to process my life. Back then it was in journal after journal, filled to the brim with my daily experiences as well as my hopes and dreams. Even though I knew I didn’t intend to share those journals with anyone, I always felt like I was writing to an audience; this is probably what made blogging feel so natural when I started writing in a public platform during the early years of my motherhood (and why I’ve kept at it for over a dozen years now). I knew the blog entries were my own experiences, but I also understood that there is a universal connection that can come from sharing our authentic selves; I experienced this phenomenon numerous times when people would read a post and comment or message to say, “Me, too.” My writing may have been a solitary act but I was never alone in it. This last year I took on a completely different challenge by writing my first novel which I completed as part of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in November. This was a giant shift from the personal, memoir-style writing that I’ve done throughout my adult life. As I started out, I had no idea if I would be successful or if I’d even produce enough content to make a short story, much less 50,000 words of a whole book in 30 short days. And then, somehow, I did. Of course “somehow” was the product of a lot of planning, guidance from other writers, support and space from my family to do the actual writing, and so many take-out oat milk lattes delivered by friends to my doorstep during those four wild weeks.
Utilizing writing as a means to understand and share my own life has picked me up more times than I can count, but what I learned in my NaNoWriMo experience is that creative writing can do the exact same thing and there can be such joy found in exploring a world you’ve created, not just the one in which you live. And even though it is okay to write something that is just for you, almost everything you write has the potential to bring you closer to someone else, be it a known reader or some anonymous person who happens to come across your writing.
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 name is Jenni Welsch and I have been a college writing instructor for 18 years. I’m also a mom to five school-aged children, and, as of 10 years ago, a certified yoga teacher. While these different roles in my life may not seem obviously connected, each one has informed the other(s) at some point or another. Writing is all about process and trying again (and again) until you reach a point where you feel satisfied with the work. Parenting is much the same. For as many books and resources exist out there to tell parents how to do it, so much of what works for you and your family can’t be known until you try something, tweak it, and try again. And whether you have one child or an entire handful, the world is forever changing, so there will always need to be new approaches and ideas to navigate the next stage. The flexibility this requires in mind and spirit echoes that of a yoga practice in which you learn to both move and quiet the body. Doing so allows you to create space for your thoughts and emotions so you can move through them, not get stuck in them. I end most yoga practices by reminding folks to thank themselves for taking time for themselves because in doing so, we are better able to show up for those around us. Many parents find it hard to get away, even for an hour-long class, but when they invest in their own well-being, even for just 60 minutes, they find it easier to be resilient and calm with the chaos that waits them at work and at home. In the midst of these various careers, I have also carved out time for my own writing via my blog, The Modern Maiasaura, and drafting my first novel in 2023. I am proud that I have been able to cobble my different loves and interests into a life that reflects my values back to me: love, authenticity, and integrity being among the top of that list.
Perhaps most people assume all you can do with an English major in college is teach, but the skills I learned in reading and writing critically in my undergraduate and graduate careers have applied beyond the classrooms I’ve managed over the years. Because of my love for the written word, I’ve been able to share in numerous groups and projects in my community, from the Parent/Teacher Organization at my kids’ elementary school to serving a local musical nonprofit as a board member. My yoga teaching helps me tap into another creative side through pose sequencing, creating themed-classes and playlists, and helping people of all ages find more peace and relaxation in their lives.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Showing up as yourself, the full self that you know yourself to be in this moment, will always serve you well. Any time I’ve been most honest about myself and my life in my writing, the more it resonates with a wider audience. It may seem counterintuitive that being so personal would result in universal connections, but none of us are operating in a vacuum. What unites us as humans is our both our flaws and our desire to be seen (and loved) despite them. When you tap into your creative side, you help shine light on those flaws by highlighting the wide spectrum of emotions that we all experience. Everything is not, nor should it ever be, all sunshine and rainbows. This doesn’t mean we have to swing to the other end of the spectrum and stay there, but showing our full range will always bring more love into our lives. And giving ourselves permission to be weird is one of the greatest gifts we can offer, to ourselves and to others because it means we’re sharing our authentic selves, no shame included. My mission is to keep showing up, keep sharing who I am, and keep it real (weird).
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
When I wrote my first book, I learned that it is okay to ask people for help to support your creativity. Reaching out and expressing need has never been in my wheelhouse, but to ask for that help when I wasn’t sick or had a new baby? That seemed extra unheard of to my brain. However, unlearning that asking for help is selfish was key to my writing success, and took on several forms. First, I put the onus on my family to step up their game around the house with meal and chore duties; as a mom of five who works from home, I carry a lot of that load, so this had to be managed in advance so I could focus on writing. Keeping a clear schedule of when I was and wasn’t available worked wonders to balance my work, my writing, and my calendar. If I had already blocked off a chunk of time for writing, it stayed that way. Lastly, the strangest ask I made was requesting that my friends sign up for coffee deliveries in which they’d bring me an oat milk latte from their favorite coffee place so I could have a caffeine boost, see their sweet faces for three minutes, and have a little treat as I logged long days and hours at the computer. Writing is so solitary and my friends knew they couldn’t sit and do that with me, but were happy to get in on the action just a little bit during these brief check-ins that we set up for twice a week during my 30 days of NaNoWriMo. It can feel awkward to tell people you don’t have time for them but still expect them to be part of your world, but this is a gift we can offer the creatives in our lives – the space to do what they do and to not take it personally when that means time and effort away from us.
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Jenni Welsch