My Writing Journey
My love for writing began early. In fourth grade, I won a poetry contest that led to my work being published in A Celebration of Ohio’s Young Poets, a statewide collection that gave me the confidence that maybe I had a way of weaving words together to tell a story or to express my feelings in an artistic way. That moment sparked something in me, and writing stayed with me throughout high school and college as a constant creative outlet.
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During college, my writing naturally evolved into songwriting when a close friend and I formed an electro-pop duo called GinaHatesJohnny. We recorded a five-song EP, made music videos, and performed at local venues. It was an exciting, creative season that taught me so much about collaboration, song composition, and bringing ideas to life, and it probably kept me out of some trouble too 😜. We never had our big break, and eventually life moved forward. I got married, and my creative path shifted into a new season.​
photos taken by Captured With Love Photography
Music never fully left my life. I sang on the worship team at church for a while, and then found out a week after I auditioned that I was pregnant! God's timing is funny 🙃. I became a mom—first to my son, and then 26 months later to my daughter. I continued to write here and there, but during that time I also poured my energy (aside from being a mom!) into building my small business, Healthy Little Vittles, where I create & share gluten-free, vegan recipes.
With the growth of my business and my online presence in the food world, I had the opportunity to write in a different way. I wrote 3 published cookbooks!
Then one day, I sat down at my piano—with no formal training other than learning alongside my kids during their piano lessons—and I wrote a song. In the past, I would write lyrics and bring the vocals, while my insanely talented friend would compose/engineer the music. This time, the melody and lyrics flowed out of me so naturally, almost effortlessly. That moment re-ignited my songwriting in a way I hadn’t experienced or expected. That song was Chasing Me. I spent the next two years working on it, trying to engineer and shape it into a full song on my own using only the limited skills I had from my GinaHatesJohnny days. It just wasn't clicking.
​​​Everything changed when AI tools became available. I write all of my lyrics myself and use AI to help create the music, vocals, and artwork that bring the vision in my head to life. This process has been incredibly fun and deeply therapeutic—a way for me to express what’s on my heart in a tangible, meaningful way.
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I see this project as an audio diary. It’s not about becoming a recording artist or even making money with my songs. It’s about sharing my story honestly through music; sharing my journey in faith, and in loss, and often sharing my flaws and insecurities in hopes that it resonates with others, encourages them, and reminds them that they’re not alone.
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Thank you for listening & sharing a piece of my heart! 🩷
