One: Choose Fear

One Saturday, as I sat with a good friend (the Social Media Fairy Godmother) she said two words that really stuck with me: choose fear.

We were sitting at my kitchen table, eating what I consider to be the best Italian pastries in Montreal, and we had just been talking about the direction we were each taking in life. She stopped me and asked why I wasn't jumping into a new challenge, and when she heard my weak reply, she simply said "choose fear."

She then went on to show me a great Ted Talk by Chris Cummins (side note - I really, really love Ted
Talks...) and the message really spoke to me. As the
title suggests, it's about pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone - because this is the place where you learn. This is something that I've always believed in, but I really needed a reminder (or a gentle kick in the butt...)
I have a wonderful job, but I am ready for a new challenge, be it a new project, a lateral move, or even a step up - but I had grown frustrated by what I perceived as a lack of opportunity. I love to cook, bake, knit, and be creative, and I had promised myself that I'd start a blog this year - but I hadn't "made the time." So here was my "godmother" friend, telling me to shake my butt. To look around, and to see the opportunities where I could grow.

So here I am - I started off staring at a blank screen, anxious at how I might fill it. Now, there are a few words, and a snippet of who I am. I'm still nervous by the "newness" of it all, but I am happy - the hardest part of any new challenge is to begin, and so I have!

Before I go, I'll tell you a little bit about myself and the blog that I envision.

• I am a true Type-A personality. I make lists,  I color-code and I love having "a place for everything, and everything in it's place" (however, I recognize that having perfect order and control is not always reality). I research things before I do them (How to write a blog... How to write a first blog post... you get the idea). 
• I always thought of myself as scientific vs. creative. I have a bachelor's in Animal Biology and a master's in Biotechnology (they were fun, difficult, and intriguing programs, and I am thrilled that I had the opportunity to pursue them) but about 3 years ago, a mentor came up to me at work and described me as creative. I was shocked, as I was in a regulatory position at the time, which I consider to be one of the least creative jobs out there... but he saw something in me that I hadn't really been attune to. It turns out that you can be both creative and scientific, without cheating one or the other! 
• I enjoy being happy, sharing positive things, and being optimistic. I think that happiness breeds happiness, and likewise, negativity breeds a "doom and gloom" attitude. As such, I promise to keep this a mainly happy space - if I don't, you can call me on it!
• I've had a love of baking since I was a young teenager. I asked for only cooking tools for my sixteenth birthday (and received beautiful mixing bowls, measuring cups and tools from my grandmother...) I created themed birthday cakes every year for my two younger brothers on their birthdays. Once I was in university, I learned to knit, and fell in love with that too. When we prepared for our wedding, I also loved paper-crafting and DIYing. 

As the title hints, this blog will focus mainly on cooking, baking, and crafting - things I love to do during my down time. The "witchcraft" play on words pays homage to my great-grandmother, who was apparently so accurate when reading tarot cards, that she predicted many family events (like the fact that my aunt would meet and marry a "tall, dark and handsome" man). I think that the women in our family have a little bit of her premonition in each of us. 

I hope that if you've made it this far, you'll enjoy the posts as much as I love writing them (no matter how much I fear it at first). 

Keep in touch or leave a words of encouragement in the comments - and thanks for reading!

-Stephanie at WhiskCraft