About
Hi! Thank you for checking out my blog. I just wanted to take some time to introduce myself and let you know what you can expect to see on my blog.
My name is Shannon. I'm in high school. I have a deep passion for English, literature, music and photography. This is why...
I absolutely love writing. I always have. I used to just write what I needed to for English and History class. Yeah, I liked it more than my other schoolwork, but it was a chore, just like all my other school-work. I didn't fully understand the craft of writing. Throughout my time in school, for as long as I can remember, everyone has always told me I should be a writer. "You're reading all the time, why don't you try writing? I'm sure you'd be great at it." I would look at them and think, "How do you write without being given an assignment?" I had no idea how to just write without being told what to write about. I have no trouble writing a paper for English class, or for History class. The teacher specifies what the paper has to be about, and you just follow the directions and your paper is done. That's all there is to it. But how do you just write on your own? I didn't have the knowledge or motivation to just write. I needed someone to hand me the topic. I continued to think about it, and I started thinking, "Well, how hard could it really be? If a teacher tells me what to write, I can do it with no problem. So why don't I just come up with a topic, and pretend I'm being told to write about it? It should be easy." Well, it wasn't easy at first. I wrote the first two sentences, and then I was stuck. In that moment, I think I confused writer's block with just not having the skill to be able to write. I kept working at it, and I started learning how to write. Really write. I'm not a pro yet, and I never will be. Writing is something that you never truly "master." It's an art-form. You're always subject to change and further develop your skill, and that's what I love about it. You're free to do whatever you want with it, because it's your craft. I'm still learning, and I'm open to continue learning for the rest of my life.
Something that goes hand in hand with writing, is reading (obviously). What I love about reading, is that it allows you to transport yourself to somewhere else temporarily. You can let go of whatever's stressing you out in real life, and just go somewhere else. If something in your life is weighing you down, all you need to do is open a book, and you can take yourself to Renaissance Italy to be a part of the Protestant Reformation, or to 19th century NYC to see one of Edgar Allen Poe's poetry readings in Greenwich Village, or to Jamestown, VA in the 1700's to see what life was like as an English settler in the colonies. Whatever you're interested in, you can find a book on it, and become a part of it, and I think that's amazing.
Similar to reading and writing, music also has the ability to transport you to another place and time. I have been playing the guitar and singing since I was around 8 years old. In 4th grade, I started playing the flute, and about 2 years ago, I decided to try to teach myself how to play the piano (how that's been going is another story. I'm still working on it). My favorite type of music is literally all music. Pop, country, classical, reggae, contemporary, instrumental, show-tunes...literally everything. I don't really have a favorite song, or a favorite artist. It's always changing depending on what I'm in the mood for. For the longest time, I was absolutely OBSESSED with Taylor Swift. Since 2006, when she made her debut, I've purchased every single album she's come out with as soon as it hits the shelves. I love her because she did so many things her own way. Her music is simple, but in a good way. And listening to her brings back so many memories. I also went through a phase where pretty much all I listened to was country music. I've seen numerous country artists perform (Keith Urban twice, Hunter Hayes, Martina McBride, Lauren Alaina, Kellie Pickler, Lonestar, etc.) and I loved all of them. I loved how real the music was. The writers of those songs aren't afraid to talk about things that maybe aren't the happiest of topics. They're not afraid write songs admitting to things that might not shed the best light on them. They're real and honest about their feelings. To this day, listening to country gives me a sense of comfort. Last year, all I listened to was show-tunes. I fell in love with the music from West Side Story, The Sound of Music, Guys & Dolls, Wicked, Spring Awakening, and so many more. What I love about Broadway, is how raw it is. There's no huge production to cover up any mess-ups. It's live, and if you mess up there's no way to fix it, and that's okay. The music literally tells a complete story, and you listen to the soundtrack to these musicals, and you're following a full story-line. Recently, I've been loving concert band music. I always learn to love the music we play in the school's concert band, so I've started to come home and listen to professional recordings of the music we play. In doing so, I've been introduced to so many other beautiful pieces and amazing composers. Going through all of these phases has given me a deep respect for all musicians. Even if their music isn't my favorite, I can find reasons to respect and admire them. Just like writing, music is art. It's always changing and you can do whatever you want with it. It can take you somewhere else momentarily, and it makes you feel good.
Living life, you experience so many great moments - some of these moments may come from reading, writing or listening to music. Some may be as simple as having a fun day just hanging out with your friends, or just going out to lunch with a family member. Life is full of great things, and I find myself sometimes longing for these things to last while they're happening. I don't want the moments to pass and and then be over. I want them to last, and that's what photography is for. Taking photos allows you to capture moments so you can hold on to those memories forever. You can take a picture of something you just thought was cool, and then completely forget about it. Then, someday when you see that picture again, the memories of that moment will come flooding back, and you'll go back to that time. You can also just have fun with taking photos. Sometimes, you might not know how to capture a moment, so you can experiment. You're able to try taking the picture in different lighting, or try new angles. There are a ton of different techniques you can experiment with, and it's a lot of fun. As with all of the other things I talked about, photography is a form of art in itself.
So, there's the gist of why I like the things I like. I'm always finding new things to become fascinated by. I live life with open eyes, and I'm constantly looking for opportunities to learn new things.
P.S. In case your wondering about my username - @coffee_and_guitars, it's really a simple explanation. I was trying to think of a cool username, and I didn't want to just use my name, or something boring like that, so I thought - What are some things I'm obsessed with? The answer is music - more specifically, my guitar...and coffee. I love love love coffee. Always have and always will. :)
My name is Shannon. I'm in high school. I have a deep passion for English, literature, music and photography. This is why...
I absolutely love writing. I always have. I used to just write what I needed to for English and History class. Yeah, I liked it more than my other schoolwork, but it was a chore, just like all my other school-work. I didn't fully understand the craft of writing. Throughout my time in school, for as long as I can remember, everyone has always told me I should be a writer. "You're reading all the time, why don't you try writing? I'm sure you'd be great at it." I would look at them and think, "How do you write without being given an assignment?" I had no idea how to just write without being told what to write about. I have no trouble writing a paper for English class, or for History class. The teacher specifies what the paper has to be about, and you just follow the directions and your paper is done. That's all there is to it. But how do you just write on your own? I didn't have the knowledge or motivation to just write. I needed someone to hand me the topic. I continued to think about it, and I started thinking, "Well, how hard could it really be? If a teacher tells me what to write, I can do it with no problem. So why don't I just come up with a topic, and pretend I'm being told to write about it? It should be easy." Well, it wasn't easy at first. I wrote the first two sentences, and then I was stuck. In that moment, I think I confused writer's block with just not having the skill to be able to write. I kept working at it, and I started learning how to write. Really write. I'm not a pro yet, and I never will be. Writing is something that you never truly "master." It's an art-form. You're always subject to change and further develop your skill, and that's what I love about it. You're free to do whatever you want with it, because it's your craft. I'm still learning, and I'm open to continue learning for the rest of my life.
Something that goes hand in hand with writing, is reading (obviously). What I love about reading, is that it allows you to transport yourself to somewhere else temporarily. You can let go of whatever's stressing you out in real life, and just go somewhere else. If something in your life is weighing you down, all you need to do is open a book, and you can take yourself to Renaissance Italy to be a part of the Protestant Reformation, or to 19th century NYC to see one of Edgar Allen Poe's poetry readings in Greenwich Village, or to Jamestown, VA in the 1700's to see what life was like as an English settler in the colonies. Whatever you're interested in, you can find a book on it, and become a part of it, and I think that's amazing.
Similar to reading and writing, music also has the ability to transport you to another place and time. I have been playing the guitar and singing since I was around 8 years old. In 4th grade, I started playing the flute, and about 2 years ago, I decided to try to teach myself how to play the piano (how that's been going is another story. I'm still working on it). My favorite type of music is literally all music. Pop, country, classical, reggae, contemporary, instrumental, show-tunes...literally everything. I don't really have a favorite song, or a favorite artist. It's always changing depending on what I'm in the mood for. For the longest time, I was absolutely OBSESSED with Taylor Swift. Since 2006, when she made her debut, I've purchased every single album she's come out with as soon as it hits the shelves. I love her because she did so many things her own way. Her music is simple, but in a good way. And listening to her brings back so many memories. I also went through a phase where pretty much all I listened to was country music. I've seen numerous country artists perform (Keith Urban twice, Hunter Hayes, Martina McBride, Lauren Alaina, Kellie Pickler, Lonestar, etc.) and I loved all of them. I loved how real the music was. The writers of those songs aren't afraid to talk about things that maybe aren't the happiest of topics. They're not afraid write songs admitting to things that might not shed the best light on them. They're real and honest about their feelings. To this day, listening to country gives me a sense of comfort. Last year, all I listened to was show-tunes. I fell in love with the music from West Side Story, The Sound of Music, Guys & Dolls, Wicked, Spring Awakening, and so many more. What I love about Broadway, is how raw it is. There's no huge production to cover up any mess-ups. It's live, and if you mess up there's no way to fix it, and that's okay. The music literally tells a complete story, and you listen to the soundtrack to these musicals, and you're following a full story-line. Recently, I've been loving concert band music. I always learn to love the music we play in the school's concert band, so I've started to come home and listen to professional recordings of the music we play. In doing so, I've been introduced to so many other beautiful pieces and amazing composers. Going through all of these phases has given me a deep respect for all musicians. Even if their music isn't my favorite, I can find reasons to respect and admire them. Just like writing, music is art. It's always changing and you can do whatever you want with it. It can take you somewhere else momentarily, and it makes you feel good.
Living life, you experience so many great moments - some of these moments may come from reading, writing or listening to music. Some may be as simple as having a fun day just hanging out with your friends, or just going out to lunch with a family member. Life is full of great things, and I find myself sometimes longing for these things to last while they're happening. I don't want the moments to pass and and then be over. I want them to last, and that's what photography is for. Taking photos allows you to capture moments so you can hold on to those memories forever. You can take a picture of something you just thought was cool, and then completely forget about it. Then, someday when you see that picture again, the memories of that moment will come flooding back, and you'll go back to that time. You can also just have fun with taking photos. Sometimes, you might not know how to capture a moment, so you can experiment. You're able to try taking the picture in different lighting, or try new angles. There are a ton of different techniques you can experiment with, and it's a lot of fun. As with all of the other things I talked about, photography is a form of art in itself.
So, there's the gist of why I like the things I like. I'm always finding new things to become fascinated by. I live life with open eyes, and I'm constantly looking for opportunities to learn new things.
P.S. In case your wondering about my username - @coffee_and_guitars, it's really a simple explanation. I was trying to think of a cool username, and I didn't want to just use my name, or something boring like that, so I thought - What are some things I'm obsessed with? The answer is music - more specifically, my guitar...and coffee. I love love love coffee. Always have and always will. :)
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