free to be me.

I often joke that I can dress however I want, get a tattoo & let my hair go wild because

"I'm an artist"

someone asked me recently, "when did you turn into such a wannabe hippie"

well, if you want to call me that at least call me a

hippie jesus girl

I'm nothing who I used to be.

I'm FREE.
I'm me. 

{thank you pinterest!}

I wish that someone had told me in high school (and college for that matter)

that it was OK to just be me.

to not be who everyone else wanted me to be, or thought I was...

to not have to dress like/act like/be involved in things that everyone else was, simply because everyone else was.

If they told me, I wish I had listened better.

I wish I would have realized a little sooner, that i'm NOT an athlete.

and that's ok!

just because all my friends were, didn't mean I had to be.

I am not/was not any good.

{now, team sports taught me invaluable lessons that I'll always be thankful for & I LOVED it, but it just wasn't ever my "thing"}

I wish I would have embraced my creativity more.

I ALWAYS knew I was creative.

I just never knew how to "get it out of my head" as I always say.

I can't draw, or paint so I brushed it off

but once I found photography, everything clicked.

I think about this & talk about this a lot

it's a huge part of WHO I am

and it's helped me be comfortable in my own skin

to be my own person

to not dress like everyone else

to not care what people think about my tattoo or my nose piercing

to not speculate if they are going to pass judgement on me for having those things

I am who I am

and I'm beginning to love that person

and I wish, oh I wish that I could go back to a younger me

and tell her that it didn't matter if you wear designer clothes or not, or make the "A" team, or drive a brand new car.  those things don't define you.

god made each of us in his image.

but we are all unique.

I want to embrace that

in hopes that OTHERS will embrace their uniqueness too.  

SO.....what makes you, YOU?

ps- my friend Lauren wrote a good post (here)  that reminds me of what's been on my mind too.  she's been encouraging her high school girls in her bible study to be WHO THEY ARE!