Special Edition Guest Feature: Emily Grove

This is my 300th post and I am so excited to be able to share something extra special with everyone!  My first guest post/feature, with a Sacramento local blogger at that!

There is something relevant about Miss Emily Grove, the creator and writer at the blog Emmie's Playground at Emginsight.com.  Her writing is fiercely evident of the fact that she means every word she writes and she doesn't give a fuck who dares to criticize because she writes from her soul, and it doesn't get more real or honest than that... and she is a comic genius on top of it all!

www.keithsellephotography.com

Censorship is an issue in the world of writing and some writers, such as myself, will catch themselves self-censoring.  Well, the world is absolutely not censored.  Life is not censored.  Emily gives it all and I think people that read her work can easily be touched by it, relate to it on a raw human level as well as be shocked by it.

I found Emily on facebook and added her, honestly, because she was smokin' hot!  I looked at her info and saw the link to her blog and though to myself, WOW, smokin hot, not blonde and a blogger!  Definitely had to "friend" her, and from then on I was hooked and waited patiently for every new post.

On top of everything, she is a mom!  A young mom, like myself, with a gorgeous little girl.  As much as I love to write about fashion and clothes, being a mom is the best, most important thing in my life and I think Emily feels the same way.

Here is my interview with the fabulous Miss Grove:

I really admire the fact that you are so frank with your writing.  Your art and paintings are both to-the-point and deep in the same moment.   Where does your inspiration and creativity come from? 

 

Creativity?  Well I would have never considered myself creative until about 2 years ago, when I decided to give up alcohol and drugs and live a healthy lifestyle.  With a clear mind, and healthy body, creativity is possible for anyone. 

My first thought was experience, but on a second thought, it’s not just the experience alone.  I had “experienced” since the time I was born, but it wasn’t until I started learning from my experience that I started experiencing inspiration.  Once I became willing to learn from my experience, I was able to integrate the lessons from those experiences into my life.   It was then that I became open to change.   Life is in a constant state of change. You can either fight it, or go with it.  But what I’ve learned is, if you spend all your time trying to fight change, you will be too busy to even notice the inspiration.  I believe my inspiration comes from some outside source, something higher than myself, but something which is too complex for the human mind to fully grasp.  I believe that I was able to finally use my inspiration when I became willing to change no matter if at that time, the change was in my favor. 

I know you have a beautiful little girl.  I am not particularly a “kid person” but I believe that some people are meant to have children at a certain time in their lives.  I am a mom too and I love hearing/reading other mom’s stories of how their precious one came into their lives… could you tell me your story?

Outside looking in, no one would have thought I was ready to be a mother, and at that time I wouldn’t have thought I was ready either.   I was deep in  a heavy addiction to alcohol.  I was in a physically and mentally abusive relationship.  I did not have a stable income and I was a college dropout.   I was able to stay sober during my pregnancy and for about 6 months after she was born, but it wasn’t long before I picked it back up.  It wasn’t that she wasn’t enough for me to stay stopped, but I was too busy fighting the change that needed to take place to see what needed to be done.  However, it wasn’t until she was born that I realized that what I was doing and how I was living wasn’t just affecting me.  It was affecting her and all the others around me.   She sparked something in me, unexplainable, but it forced me to look outside myself.  I realized how selfish I had been living.  It was the first time in my life I became willing to change and not only that, but willing to accept the help I needed.  Now looking back, she was my angel sent from God, and she arrived right on time.

You have some amazing and awe-inspiring stories on your blog.  You talk about sex from both a fun-horny-sexual point of view as well as a realistic-medical-practical perspective.  Are you going to be as open and honest with your daughter about sex as you are with your readers when she is old enough to read and understand? 

Yes, definitely.  Somewhere along the way in history, sex became taboo-- for what reason I cannot explain.  Over the years, it has gotten a lot better.   I believe it’s very important to be honest with your   children about sex.  Sex is normal.  Sex is healthy.  Of course, it can be abused just like anything else.  I also believe it is important to talk about the dangers of abusing sex and unsafe sex.  Advocate and educate them about safe sex.  Bottom line, you’re not going to be able to stop your kids from doing what they want.  So it is best to be honest, educate them and hope they make the right decision.  If you are honest with your children, they are more likely to be honest with you.  So when that time comes that they don’t make the right decision, which at some point they won’t, you will be able to be there for them and guide them. 

What are your favorite things to do with your daughter?  What is a typical day like for Maya and Mommy?

My favorite thing to do with Maya would have to be just hanging out with her.  We go to the park and meet new friends and sometimes we stay at home and paint together.   I talk to her.  She talks to me.  We laugh together.  And sometimes she makes fun of me.  The bond we share is a miracle and our relationship continues to change and grow every day.   I wouldn’t ever say we have a typical day; Maya always brings something new to the table, whether it’s a new word, a new dance move, a new cry, or even a new way of throwing a fit.  Maya is very special, and she knows it.  I make sure to tell her every day.  She’s not always happy with me and I might not always be happy with her but I’m always proud of her.

I am not trying to bring up stereotypes or superficial observations, but let me state the obvious: you are young, super hot, and tattooed in awesomeness.  Do you ever deal with other moms’ criticism?  Do you find most moms to be like you, or do you feel like you are the “odd one out” in the mom-circuit?  

I haven’t had to deal with any criticism from other moms.  Maybe because my daughter hasn’t started school or maybe because I am just too busy enjoying my life to even notice…  Although I meet many other moms at the park, and the majority are enjoyable experiences.   I would say,  I’m just like any other mom living in society today, loving their child and  doing the best they can to raise them.

Fun question:  What are your plans for the holidays?  What does Maya want for Christmas (if you celebrate it)?  

Fortunately Maya hasn’t gotten to that stage of wanting everything she might see on the television.  But I know she loves Barbies, books, and coloring.  Santa will have a couple new Barbies, some new coloring books and night time books under the Christmas tree this year.  This is actually going to be the first year I have my own Christmas tree in my own house and I can’t wait to decorate the tree with Maya.  When I was young my mother would leave a Santa hat in the chimney.  I loved believing in Santa.  I will carry on that tradition.  I believe it is important for kids to experience the joy and faith in believing in something.   We will be spending all of the holidays here with me, daddy #2 and little Maya.  Our little happy family together ever after. 

Tell us more about your blog… You write stories, poems, “lessons” and personal sexual advice amongst other topics… What kind of things are you hoping to accomplish by continuing to write your blog?  Any big plans or projects for the future?  

My writing started with poems.  Poetry seems to be a dying art but I can see the true beauty within them.  I started writing the poems as a way to express the way I was feeling.  It was a healing process I discovered for myself as a way to deal with feelings and emotions that I use to cover up and ignore with alcohol use.  Once I got rid of the alcohol, I needed an outlet and writing seemed to be my cure.  I decided to buy a domain and start a blog as a way to organize and save my poems.  Slowly I started sharing my blog posts with others.  As everything else over time, my writing began to grow and change.  I started writing my experiences.  Writing them down really helped me see the lesson within them.  I actually learn a lot from my own writing.  I write because it helps heal me, and I enjoy it.  Over the past year, my fan base began to grow and others started sharing their experiences with me.  They started asking me for advice. This was truly a blessing.  Not only do others inspire me to write, but I cannot express the true joy I receive from helping others.  I believe the best advice comes from experience.  I can learn from others and others can learn from me. There is nothing more beautiful than people coming together ,sharing their experiences and learning from each other.  

As far as the future goes, all I know is that I will continue to write.  I have found that if I worry too much about what I will write in the future or try to force it, the inspiration is hard to find.  Inspiration comes on its own time, and I believe that as long as you have faith that it will come, it will.  I try to stay in the now, not worrying about the past or the future. I’ve spent most of my life looking too far ahead and missing out on the now right in front of me.  I’m still discovering who I am and that's ok. I don’t believe I am here to tell people what they do is immoral. I don’t believe I’m here to tell people that what they believe is unhealthy. I don’t believe I’m here to tell people that the way they live is wrong.  I believe I’m here to share my experience and how I changed my life.  

Do you read many other blogs?  Do you hope to see more of anything in the blogosphere?

Occasionally I will stumble across a blog I enjoy, yours being one but great blogs are hard to come by these days.  I believe what is lacking in blogs today is originality and experience.  That is what I’d love to see more of.

I just want to thank Emily so much for giving me the opportunity to feature her on my blog.  She is so talented and I look forward constantly to seeing more from her.  Her work has truly encouraged me to be more myself in my work and writing... whether it be the fact that I am a sexual person, an artistic person, a mom, a partner and a friend.

Check out her blog where you can find her poems, blogs, art, photos and videos.

EMMIE's PLAYGROUND

EMMIE's PLAYGROUND

xoxo...

Vanessa