I’m Mary, The Grateful Scribe

Hi, I’m Mary, and I’ve been writing since I was able to pick up a pen, starting with my first epic poem at age six (“My mom is very nice. She’s been that way more than twice.”) But as time went on, my childlike love of words was drowned out by “practical advice” from others who told me that writing was a great hobby, but not something that you make a living at (unless you enjoy starving).

Over the years, I proceeded to work a variety of jobs that involved anything but writing. They all paid the bills, but none of them filled my heart. (They did, however, fill my creative reservoir with more characters and you-can’t-make-this-stuff-up moments than I’ll ever be able to use.)

But I just couldn’t let go of my dream of making a career out of doing work that I loved. So, in my off hours, I took on freelance writing projects as often as I could, developed screenplays and danced endlessly around writing a novel that had haunted me for decades.

But my fears still had a hold on me. And various co-workers were only too happy to tell me of the aspirations they had sacrificed in the name of being supposedly realistic. They were painters. Interior designers. Musicians. Even a perfumer.

But as each day passed, I saw myself in them more and more: a discouraged creative, rubber stamping my dreams as idealistic at best and unachievable at worst.

Why can’t you just be content? Who are you to break away from the pack?

And then I remembered something Steve Jobs said to his team during a creative meltdown over their wildly unfocused product line after his return to Apple in the late 90s:

Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.

He eliminated all the extraneous products, cut the line down to four computer models and saved the company.

He decided what not to do. And it was time for me to make the same decision.

Since then, I have been happily working on everything from corporate video scripts, blogs and web content to editing jobs and marketing pieces. I also began writing and producing short films and authoring both fiction and nonfiction books.

I’ve always been a big believer in the power of gratitude to transform. But having received the gift of trading an inauthentic existence for one that is genuine has deepened my capacity to appreciate beyond measure. To devote myself to doing what I love. To be who I really am.

And that is, The Grateful Scribe.

Whether you work with me as a client or simply peruse my books and films, I am here to support you in your own creative journey. By encouraging you, I encourage myself. Word by word. And I thank you for giving me that opportunity.

With blessings,

Mary