Challenge Part Three:

Replay

You can try to delete me all you want,

The memories, the pictures, the jokes

But you can’t deny that you were wrong,

To think you can erase without note.

You can try to remove me from your mind,

But the heart replays what the mind doesn’t want.

So here I am, in you head,

All the time I know.

The light I saw once within you,

Has disappeared instead.

I find that I am happier

With the thought of being your dread.

Eventually you’ll wonder how you let me go so soon,

How little you thought this through, and why

You can’t find happiness too.

I’ll be smiling to the sky

Just knowing that I’m on replay.

Challenge Part Two:

That night

My heart once pounded in exhilaration

Now it pounds in dread.

The night that once meant everything,

Now only kills my head.

The time must come for me to choose

Which way I wish to go

And that is when the clock strikes twelve

My heart decides, I know.

The tears come down

They once were smiles

And happiness in abundance

I wish I had that back but now

I know it’s come and gone.

But now I grimace within the darkness

And hold my shoulders high.

The clock still strikes

My heart still beats.

That night won’t kill me now.

Challenge Part One:

Mirror: Taylor Hondos

once without,
once within
I can’t explain
how I was running thin.

the warmth I felt
has all run dry
and without your touch
I come alive.

no weakness
no strength
I can not see
what once was there
between you and me.

all I find
in the mirror there
is what little light
I have left to spare.

Dear Readers,

Introducing my friend, Christian Carter-Ross, who is an inspiration to me every day with his work.

It’s that time again! Three day challenge lives on. I am going to start the week off by giving you guys a little information about Christian. Last year we had this challenge and it went pretty well. Each year we plan to advance a little more. So here is my very talented friend, Christian Carter-Ross. He is an inspiration and I can’t wait for you to see just how amazing he is in his work.

Here is a preview of some of his work this year.

Tell us who you are in a few sentences?

I am Christian Carter-Ross, known to few as Trey (my middle name). In the future my hopes are that I’m known as Christian “The Photographer.” I am currently a senior at UNCG majoring in New Media & Design (fancy for art). My passions are photography, fitness, poetry (spoken word) and music. I’ve been shooting since high school but have only taken photography seriously for about three years.

How would you describe what you do?

Visual storytelling. A story that YOU make up but use my photos as inspiration.

What is your favorite thing to photograph?
I’m big on capturing moments as they happen so I guess I’m driving in the lane of “lifestyle photography.” If you’ve ever gone through any of my blogs you’ll find a lot of my photos are of specific moments. I might walk by someone and ask to take a picture of their shoes because I think they’re cool. I’m literally the person to walk by a pile of garbage and try to make a photo of it. Only photographers understand the urge ha!

What inspired you to begin photography? Did someone inspire you?

I remember as a child, taking a field trip to the zoo in Asheboro and buying this small little toy camera with pre-rolled images inside. The images were different wild animals, doing whatever they do in their habitats but it fascinated me. Little did I know, I’d come back around to photography in high school. Back then it was just something to do after school so I joined the Photography club. What made me get serious about it was the aesthetic behind a photo. How it told a visual story without text or how you could even make up your own scenario within the photo. The majority of the time, the photographer has complete control over what’s in the photo and what he or she wants to display to you. Sometimes it’s intentional the photographer didn’t directly tell you what to look and they want the viewer to make up their own story. To me that’s what makes photography…attractive. As I begin to meet people from the art community, they started influencing my style in photography so I guess you could say I was slightly inspired.

What sets you apart from other Photographers?

Other than the obvious watermark of my own photography small business, style. One of my favorite rising photographers said, “the best watermark you could have is style.” I want people to walk in a room with works from 100 different photographers and still be able to find my work without my name on it. That’s special to me. I’m learning, as I’m taking these art history courses, what famous photographers styles are like. I can now look at a photo and know “Dorothea Lange took that” just from simple elements of the photo.

Do you have a favorite Photographer?

I have many! It’s really hard to choose but if I had to I’d say Devin Allen. He’s recently gained fame from his documentary work during the Baltimore riots back in the spring. I follow him on social media and had the chance to chat with him here and there. He’s a very down to earth guy with incredible work. His most recognized piece actually made the cover of time magazine (below) and will surely go down in history. No no, literally—they’re already placing the photo in new history textbooks.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Hopefully I’ll be working for a major publication like The New York Times. That’s always been my goal but I’m willing to work for any major publication whether it’s a fashion magazine like Vogue or shooting for ESPN on the sideline at a Panthers game. I would even settle for just continuing to run my small business in photography, which has become successful in the North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia area over the last year might I add! I’m for whatever God has planned for me within photography.

Stay tuned this week. I will be posting Christian’s photos as well as my poems/stories. Stay inspired to do what you love. Find someone who will push you in life. Find a friend who wants to see you succeed. That is what I have and I am thankful every day for it.

Happy Reading<3

Taylor

Dear young writers,

I was like you once. I was afraid to put myself out there because of the fear of being judged or embarrassed. Let me tell you that there comes a time when we have to decide who we are going to live for. Will it be for ourselves or others?

I have a lot of advice for younger authors because I was still in High School when I began writing. My first book was published when I turned 19. I am only 20 years old now so I think I can relate to young writers. This advice may be something that you’ll never think of again, but maybe it will help just one of you out there.

1.Do not be afraid of rejection.

This means by the public, by a publisher, by a literary agent, by a friend or even by a family member. I didn’t let the rejection of publishers or literary agents stop me. I knew that one day I would find my place in the book world and I have. You can expect a lot more from me. I will be publishing books left and right one day. This is my passion. It will continue to happen for me just like things will start happening for you.

2. Read. Read a lot!

Not one idea that I have for a book has come from me doing nothing but writing or reading. I read. Every single day. Ideas blossom that way. Continue to read and love to read. You will have ideas from those books. You will think of ways to change the story and make it better. I’m not saying copy their ideas (please don’t do that). I’m saying to keep your mind running on how to make yourself a better writer. It’s always so humbling to see your mistakes as a writer and then to see that someone you look up to has made the exact same mistake in their book. I always think to myself, “I forget that they’re human too.” We all make mistakes. Learn From Them.

3. Write as much as you can.

I have to admit that when I get busy, I do not write. I can go a week without writing but then my fingers are itching to write something, so I do. I have a journal that I write in every single day, but I should be writing on my books at that moment instead! If you don’t write at least every week, then you will probably start to think less and less about it and that isn’t good. Write always. Write every single day (preferably) but try and write every week.

4. When you think you’re done editing, you’re not.

Learn from me. There is always work to be done. There is always room for improvement. When you think your book is PERFECT. Look again. No one has a perfectly written book. When you think you’re ready, keep working on it until your editor says, “Now this is a good book.” I edited “Antidote” more than 50 times (no kidding) and it still is nowhere near perfect. I have to keep practicing the art of writing before I get anywhere near the authors out there today.

5. Write because it is your passion.

Don’t write for fame. Don’t write for money. I write for the enjoyment. I mainly write because the way books affect me. If I am having a horrible day, I pick up a book and get lost for hours. My main goal is to give readers this. I want to be the author that people look up to as I look up to Jennifer L. Armentrout or Wendy Higgins. I want to make a difference in someone’s life as these two ladies have done for me. Reading is my passion and I got lucky with the patience to be a writer.

6. Surround yourself with positive people and supporters.

No matter what, please surround yourself with positive energy. If someone is telling you that you aren’t good enough, run away from them. They aren’t going to move you forward, they will push you back and you don’t need that. Let people tell you the truth but make sure they are looking out for you. Most people want to see you fail. It is the sad truth of the world today, but some people really want to see you become the best person you can be (thanks mom, dad, Dina and Dimitri for giving me this kind of support).

7. Any type of criticism is GOOD for you.

I remember the first criticism I ever got for my book. I cried. Not to him but to myself and my dad. My dad sat beside me and said that if I can’t handle the bad criticism then this isn’t the job for me. I remember thinking “This is my dream. This is my life’s goal. I can do this.” So my advice for you is that all criticism is GOOD for you. I went home and began to scan the things he said. He was right. I fixed all the mistakes he told me I was making, and I am a way better writer now. Don’t cry if they hurt your feelings. Take what they said and be constructive with it. Who am I to say don’t cry? CRY if you want to, but take the advice with you.

8. Make small goals for yourself and work from there.

My goal starting out was be a bestseller. Okay, so one day YES. I really hope it happens for me. If it doesn’t then that is okay because as you read above, my goal is to touch lives. My goal for now is to see happiness associated with my book. I’m meant to write more books and my next goal is to write a book that will help someone through a hard time like I’ve been through in my lifetime. Make small goals. Don’t jump to the big goals.

9. Find what works for you as a writer.

I’ve found what I can do to make words pop onto the page. Some days are harder than others. I know that I have to sit down at night. Sometimes I need music with words, sometimes no words. I have to meditate for at least a minute before beginning. I have to embrace that some days I am writing complete CRAP but I have to just come back to it later on. My mind has to always be going. I have to write something down before the day is up. Find what works for you. Do you want to be in silence? Do you want to self publish? Do you want to be passionate about your work or do you just want the fame, money and recognition?

10. Most of all, take it day by day. Life isn’t about the destination.

These past few months I’ve been through a lot. I’ve found out that making plans for the future isn’t realistic because you begin to really miss out on life. Plans fall through. Things change. Remember that there is something special about each day. I know you’ve heard “Life is about the journey, not the destination.” I used to roll my eyes at that saying. But it is the truth. I’ve been humbled. Life is about the stuff in between your destination. You may want to be a great author just like me. I thought about how could I get there faster. It’s not about that. I don’t know how much time I have on earth just like the rest of us don’t but I do know that it will take time to be a bestseller. It will take time to master all writing techniques (even a few). It will take time because no one has the same journey of life. No one has the same journey of becoming an author. That is the beauty of life. We will never walk the same paths. The journey of life is entirely up to us.

Happy Reading<3