Vintage Gypsy with Shannon Kelly

Here are the highlights of my interview with Shannon Kelly: Vintage Gypsy on Women Developing Brilliance.Who is Shannon Kelly?Shannon Kelly is the founder and editor of the Women’s Magazine “Vintage Gypsy” based out of Prince Albert, SK. She works one-on-one with writers and facilitates the “Write Your Way Home” 6-week intensive writing workshop that she created.She is a storyteller, a community builder and a humanitarian. She believes that we all have a story to tell and that each story is unique and important. Lightbulb momentAfter raising her kids, like many women, she was looking for something more. Journalling and writing had been an outlet for healing for her in the past and an idea for the blog was born initially. The paper never says anything bad to you. You can say whatever you want to the paper and the paper always listens. Shining a bright lightShannon spends a lot of her time helping other writers develop and deepen their craft.She teaches “The Rule of 5” in her workshops. The principal is to write 5 things every day - it could be 5 pages, 5 paragraphs, 5 sentences, or 5 minutes.  Her added words of wisdom about the rule of 5 is don’t overthink it!When asked her thoughts on reading past journal entries, she said, “You have to look back to know how far you’ve come. It’s an important part of your journey.”BIG TRUTHAs with many creatives, putting anything new out in the world can be intimidating and it’s easy for fear to arise or the thoughts that “it’s already been done before” to creep in. Shannon was no different when she was ready to birth her 6-week writing program called Writing Your Way Home.She took a leap and knew it was time to step out of her comfort zone and amazing things happened!Balance in a chaotic worldShannon cultivates personal sacred space on a daily basis. She dedicates a power hour in the morning to light some candles, burn incense, read mantras, do a little yoga, and put pen to paper in her leather-bound journal. That, plus an afternoon workout keeps her balanced.Overcoming darknessShannon shared that social media has been a business challenge for her. Not being of a generation that just innately "gets it" has, at times, been a struggle.She overcomes the snag by asking for help and has learned the power of consistency when it comes to an online presence. You just figure it out and there's always someone along the way that can help you.  I loved my time with Shannon becauseShe’s a dearheart soul. Her bravery and fearless persistence is beyond inspiring. I feel the world would be a better place if there were more women building community like Shannon. She offers support and a platform for aspiring writers. Everybody has a story. All women get to have a voice. If you have a story to tell, I’m gonna publish it for you. Connect with Shannon:  www.thevintagegypsy.ca