Today we’d like to introduce you to Emilyann Allen.
Hi Emilyann, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Before I start, thank you Orlando Voyager for asking me to share my story. I truly appreciate the opportunity. It feels strange to share it but I think parts of my story resemble other people’s stories. That being the case, there is opportunity to inspire others and be inspired by others.
My life has been filled with laughter and loss, struggle and perseverance, suffering and hope, and most of all love. Life was an adventure from the start being born in Germany and living in Turkey for a few years because my dad was in the Airforce. After moving to Florida at 5-years old, growing up my life was filled with fun and imagination from playing in our backyard and neighborhood, climbing trees, imagining endless stories, and playing video games to time with family and friends.
Looking over my journey since that time, both hardship and blessings have shaped who I am today. I remember the many things that have inspired me over the years from wonderful friendships and loving family to coloring books, to writing, singing, and much more. And when I look at my life in terms of my story, I want to focus on the positive and uplifting realities. But to appreciate all the good things fully and appreciate how positivity can come from trials, I think it is important that I share some challenges too.
In elementary school, I struggled in my classes. At the time, it was stressful and disheartening. Fortunately, family and teachers inspired me and worked with me. I worked hard to learn the right tools to overcome my challenges. That experience made me determined and helped me think outside the box. In sharing this part of my story, I hope this inspires anyone reading this to work hard and always believe in yourself.
Another difficult time was when my sister passed away at the age of 17. I was in the third grade. She was beautiful, creative, smart, and filled with love. Not only was this a personal loss but it was a loss at our family, school, and church that left a big void behind. My two brothers had gone to college and my heart hurts to think of how the loss impacted them. My father, mother, and I certainly had some dark days after she was gone and as a child, it was very psychologically and emotionally difficult.
High school years fell under times of darkness as well and they were still haunted by loss. My mother battled serious physical and mental health issues as well which was very difficult for our family. Depression caught up to me in high school due to various factors. I remember living in such a dark place for such a long time through so much of my youth. I didn’t want any of those things, but those situations certainly build character and compassion. Again, I share these impactful challenges in the hopes that others who may be facing these things might view them differently. We all have our challenges and our dark times, so I hope to encourage anyone in a time like that. Keep going through the motions. Go through the process of healing. It may be difficult, but there will be happiness on the other side.
Sometimes my family lived in wonderful homes and sometimes we had a lot less and lived with much less. And I want to take a moment to point out that living with less isn’t necessarily all a bad thing. Living without the basics of food, water, and shelter is heartbreaking. But in our case, we lived simply but still had the basics. And we made many wonderful and happy memories during those times. Living simply can even be a lifestyle choice and be a wonderful thing. So, we were still so richly blessed in so many ways and I discovered situations are what you make of them.
College years and early adulthood were much happier, but there has been some challenges, losses, and deep heartbreak too.
That said, when you step in a puddle, that means there’s higher ground all around you… you just need to step onto it.
Loss and challenges teach me so much about valuing life and people, loving others always, having compassion, working hard, and much more. To be transparent, I’d much rather never speak of any of the challenges and dark things (ever to anyone) for various reasons. But, like so many people, I share my story because I am inspired when I hear other people’s stories. All of us have trials. We all have setbacks in one form or another. From the poorest to the richest of all ethnicities, career paths, colors, and more… every single person’s story is meaningful and impactful. We are social creatures… and our stories help us connect, inspire each other, and grow.
On the note of inspiration, my journey has been filled with so many blessings. I’m so grateful for everything from family, friends and creativity, to sunny days, yoga, and tasty food. It’s amazing to consider the wonderful adventures I’ve had in my life like being born in Turkey to writing fantasy books.
What has all this led me to? Who am I and what am I doing now? Ultimately, my journey ignited in me a vision of a world filled with compassion and happiness for all. I know – I sound like a flower child. That’s alright. I do think I fit that bill, plus I do love flowers.
Mine is the story of a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, an aunt, a scared young girl, a goofy young lady, a singer, a fighter, a lover, a writer, an artist, a businesswoman, a yogi, a dancer, a dreamer, a typical flawed human, a woman doing her best, and ultimately a grateful, loving, and hopeful soul. It is ironic that I’m sure there are a plethora of other descriptions I can include. It’s amazing that all of us are so complex. And that is one of the main points I want to make as I share my story… the reality that we are all so much more than one thing and we can be anything we want to be in life. The choices we make every day help us to embody who we wish to be.
If I had to choose the top words I hope to embody and strive to live by, I would choose love, kindness, joy, peace, and authenticity. Truly, I could go on with more words like hard work, purpose, and hope. Or if I had to narrow it down to one word – I would pick love. No matter what this world throws at us, to me, love is what heals, inspires, and is the vessel to deliver all other growth, happiness, and goodness in the world. I strive to be love. Giving and receiving love makes life full.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have certainly been unexpected obstacles and challenges personally and professionally. On the flip side, there have been some times of smooth sailing too. I will focus on the professional side.
The big main challenge that comes to mind off the top of my head is work-life balance. There was a long period of time I was working non-stop and on my worst few days, I even worked twenty-one hours. It was in a crunch time pushing for big book launches. It was just too much. Hard work and prioritizing work can be fruitful and needed at times. But, reaching a burnout stage taught me the importance of keeping balance.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I find it hard to compact my work and interests down to one title, so in a general sense I’m a businesswoman and creative. Some of my titles and specialties include editorial and marketing director, business owner, author, artist, graphic designer, web designer, and publishing specialist.
Where I am professionally is a true blessing and I have never been happier. As the Editorial and Marketing Director for Protective Enclosures Company (you may know PEC by the brand, The TV Shield), I work with amazing people and am blessed to handle and be part of so many things I love from writing, communications, strategy, and graphic design, to web development, and more.
As an author and artist, I enjoy working on many projects. I write and design my own books and have worked on other titles over the years as well. Publications and projects I am best known for are creating Coloring Novels™ and the Obsidian Series YA fantasy books.
Regarding what I’m working on currently, the latest update for the Obsidian Series books is that the first book in the Obsidian Series, The Labyrinth Wall, is available on audiobook. In addition, I have been working on some informational and some humanitarian online publishing projects, for which I am not able to reveal any specifics at this time. And lastly, I have been writing many poems for quite a while. Poetry was my first love as writer and I’ve written many over the years. Some day they are meant to become books.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I just want to send a message of happiness and love out to the world. These days one of my favorite mottos live by is “love big, live happy.” I hope you’re all loving big and living happy. Also, I would love to give a shout and gratitude to everyone out there living each day with love and purpose. To everyone out there making the best of every day… you are amazing. And thank you to my friends and family for being true blessings in the world. Again, thank you to Orlando Voyager for speaking with me…. Being given the opportunity to share my story is such a blessing because I can’t share it without highlighting all the wonderful people in my life who make my life so full. You know who you are, friends and family.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@luminouswordspress.com
- Website: https://smart.bio/authoremilyannallen/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authoremilyannallen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoremilyannallen/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/emilyanngirdner
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGpZmq_XQTetp6rflXTvWdA
Image Credits
Luminous Words Press
