One evening this last winter, I was taking my dog Finn out to potty, as we must do many times a day due to his tiny body and bladder. I looked to the sky (being all dramatic) and noticed how the sun seemed to rest on top of our empress tree in the back yard. I don’t quite remember what my thoughts were, but it was beautiful and picture-worthy. The sun seems to be a splash of colour.
It would be cheesy to say I look for the beauty in everything, but I look for the beauty in everything. I’m not an avid picture taker, but I occasionally get creative visual inspiration. Usually my inspiration expresses itself through words. Lately I’ve been pretty poetic (if I do say so myself), but I also write fiction as well as some creative non-fiction. I’ve been writing since about middle school, when one of my teachers has us write a short story. I wrote and wrote and wrote and haven’t stopped since (until this last summer, when I got literally no writing done).
I love literature. It allows us to remove ourselves from the mess that is all of our lives. I cannot thank the authors I read enough for providing this escape, and this is what I hope to do. I want my writing to allow an escape for others. Overall, I guess I just try my best to be a splash of colour in a pretty bland world.
Josh Oliver 