my journey in storytelling

I’ve been writing for…Well, as long as I was able to hold a pencil between my fingers and spell my name. I believe I was born with story in my soul. I’ve always been drawn to stories, whether it was in songs, animated movies, TV shows or hearing my loved ones talk about growing up. 

Backstory - why I love the arts and storytelling

As soon as I learned to write, I took full advantage of that, putting together short stories, rewriting scripts of my favorite TV shows, making my friends and cousins reenact scenes and music videos with me and producing my own magazines out of computer paper, printed photos, glitter and glue sticks. 

The ways in which I’ve told a story have changed so much over the years. I am a writer at my core, and I do consider myself to be a prolific one, at that. 

It started as essays and basic assignments for school. It was something that came naturally to me. Writing poetry, fiction, and a few songs came later, on the side (or while zoning out in chemistry and math, because I couldn’t focus anyway). 

Originally, I’d wanted to get into acting/singing because Lizzie McGuire and Hannah Montana, you know? I had always been involved with church drama or Christmas productions. When they had an open call for people to volunteer, I was there, raising my hand and singing the songs. I started taking drama classes with my church around third or fourth grade and absolutely fell in love with it. I was in all of the Christmas productions moving forward, including the lead role in one of them, speaking and singing. 

I started writing my own scripts and realized how much I loved the behind-the-scenes process of everything. That carried into jr. hi, as well. I did the worship team and joined drama/theater electives when I could. 

The dream of being a singer or ending up in Hollywood kept calling me. I auditioned for American Idol one summer - virtually, but didn’t make it through. I took theater, I auditioned for every production, was in choir, advanced choir and was the senior class president, which was the most non-artsy thing I’d done, but I learned a lot about leadership, organizing events and planning. 

Going to Nashville

When I was 16, my parents and I took a trip to Nashville, which truly changed everything for me. Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift were on the scene, and my role models (still are), so I was there to see them and see what this Nashville was that I'd heard so much about growing up. The minute I stepped off the plane, I knew it was going to be a special place. I was right. It was a city that thrived on culture, history, music (obviously) and creating. By the time the trip ended, I was hooked and didn’t want to leave. I was determined that I was going to live there someday. I said after high school, I was going to go to school there to work in the music business in some capacity. I wanted to interview musicians and work with them, possibly blogging or capturing the behind the scenes moments. 

We went every Summer until I was about 21 for CMA Fest. Each year, as we'd spend the week in town, it became more and more clear that this was the place for me. I loved the passion, the fact that there was music everywhere, there was always something to do. 

Being practical with journalism 

As I got older, my writing and dreams became more practical. I moved into more journalistic style as I started college. I wanted to be an entertainment reporter, which was always my backup plan from the big dreams I’d had of becoming a singer/actress, since I was about 13 years old. It was the thing my parents had always encouraged, too. 

I stayed involved in church - joining the worship team and singing in the choir for special occasions, like Easter and Christmas. I also served and volunteered more during that time, going to leadership conferences and other events that took place, whether it was interviewing people for a Valentine’s Day event or helping at the photo station booth. 

As I moved into college, I wrote for the community college magazine when I first transferred, wrote for whatever blogs and websites I could find and would take contributors and reached out to local magazines, in case they needed freelancers. When I transferred to the university, I started writing for the student newspaper. I started as a features staff writer, then worked my way up to features editor and finally, columnist with my beat of “Stage & Screen.” 

By that time, I’d really narrowed it down that I wanted to be a music reporter in Nashville. I was primarily focusing on musicians, performers, album and concert reviews, and so on. During that time, I also interned at Bakersfield Life Magazine for several months - during a quarter period - writing stories, highlighting Bakersfield events, as well as interviewing and profiling a variety of business owners, musicians and a little of everyone in between. It gave me more confidence in writing, coordinating art and photos for the stories and getting more acquainted with our community. 

My last quarter in college before graduating, I took a documentary class, which really stirred something in me that I didn’t know I had. We interviewed people on campus, mapping out questions, setting up a shooting schedule, filmed, then I’d go back to the drawing board and edit. I loved those details and seeing a project from beginning to end. As an aspiring music reporter, I loved the idea of possibly doing some kind of documentary work, talking to people more candidly and putting this visual piece together that people would be able to enjoy. 

I had the idea, much like I thought after high school, that I was going to walk across the stage, accept my diploma and be whisked away to Nashville to start my career. 

My first job

Spoiler alert, in case you didn’t realize: You don’t get your dream job right away. But, I landed a job at the same university, working in the Office of Public Affairs and Communications. It was a really incredible first job, even if it wasn’t what I wanted to do forever. I started off as the coordinator - coordinating media interviews/promotions, writing/sending press releases, working with the rest of the team to brainstorm marketing plans for various events and programs, assisting with social media, handling monthly finance reports, assisting with cataloguing photos, working on the website, acting as lead photographer (before we had a full time photographer/videographer) and a little of whatever else needed to be done. 

I met some of my best friends there. I learned so much from great leaders in various departments and speaking engagements on campus. In an environment that thrives on learning and education, there was always something new to be discovered, even if it wasn't directly related to my line of work. I was sent to Santa Fe for a weeklong photography workshop, which definitely changed my life (not to sound dramatic or anything), there was always a celebration around there (birthday party, retirement, and so on), trips to Starbucks, the leaves changing colors on campus during the fall. We were always planning for something! 

Nashville, is it time? 

I still had my eyes on Nashville, though, and after visiting again in 2018 for a Taylor Swift concert with friends, I realized I was still in love with it. I started seriously looking for jobs and found one at the Country Music Hall of Fame, which would be doing something similar to where I was at the university. I was a coordinator at the time, so it was a mixture of admin tasks mixed with media relations, prepping and writing press releases, working with media to get the word out about events, cataloguing photos, working with photographer/videographers and others to collaborate on projects and events. 

I sent my resumé in and waited… I prayed harder and more fervently than ever before. Then, one day, I received the email that they’d like to officially interview me via a phone call. At that moment, I thought this was it. Everything had been building to this moment, everything I’d dreamed of since I was 16 was about to take place. My parents could feel it, too, and they’re not ones to get carried away with my excitement or the possibilities of anything. They’re far too practical for that. 

I went into a really dark place after that, asking God why I could get so close to something I’ve been praying about forever, only for it to fade out and me to be back at square one. I was actually heartbroken, which felt ridiculous, because I still had a great job. But, I just thought that this was finally the time. When it wasn’t, I decided I needed to go back to the drawing board of what I even wanted to do anymore. 

As Nashville and country music shifted and changed, I wasn’t quite sure it was what I wanted anymore either, as time passed. 

Working at the university, I was able to dip my toes in a little bit of everything - writing, marketing, media relations, website design, social media, photography and even videography. As I brainstormed video projects - helping see them from early concept in a board room to showing it at an event, it planted a seed, or rather, reignited a flame I’d always had for video production and video storytelling. It helped me find and develop more of myself that I didn't necessarily know was in there. 

A new dream - screenwriting

As I shelved the Nashville dream, working on film projects such as highlighting various programs - talking to students, professors and others involved, it had me thinking about TV writing or pursuing screenwriting. It was something I’d toyed with as a kid, but never really thought much about seriously. 

So, I thought about it more. But, as I dived in deeper with my walk with God, church and Bible studies, I considered doing something more ministry based. The church I was going to/visiting at the time had a table set up about their new partnership with Vanguard University. Leadership studies sounded like it was up my alley. I applied and got in. I was excited and ready to go, but my financial aid didn’t go through and everything just felt off. The more I thought about the loans I’d have to pay back, the amount of work it would take to juggle with my full-time, salaried job was going to be too much. I decided to pull out the day I should have been starting classes. 

A few years before, around the time of my grandpa’s passing, I had an idea for a sitcom script that just would not leave me alone. Normally, I have a million ideas that pass through my mind - I start them, then never finish. But, this one was nothing like that. I knew that meant something bigger. It was loosely based on my family. I plotted and planned out my Story Bible, developed these characters as if they were friends I’d known for years and wrote out a script. It took me about one full year, working through scenes, jotting down dialogue, and working with friends who were all in creative job fields - one was a news producer, some were avid TV watchers, and others were experts in the screenwriting fields, improv masters and just those who knew the industry well. As I’d fallen in love with the processes of filming and putting an actual production piece together, I thought why not go in full swing? 

I got my hands on every book, listened to podcasts, took Masterclasses from Shonda Rhimes and Ron Howard to learn as much as I could about screenwriting and TV/film. I’ve been to my fair share of movie studios and tapings through the years, so I’d had a firsthand look and good understanding of how things were done. But, to be on the other side of it, was still a different process altogether. It was emotional, actually, and I discovered so much about my character as I went. 

All of this, only to find out that submissions for Amazon Studios, where I was going to submit my script, were closed. But, I’d been researching other programs and decided to just start applying to see what happened. 

For the last five years, I have simultaneously pursued a career in TV/film while doing my full-time day job. In a dream world, I wanted to be a show runner of a production, like one of my writing heroes, Shonda Rhimes (creator of “Grey’s Anatomy”). 

I applied to so many writing programs - Warner Brothers’ Writing Program, which was essentially a fellowship program for screenwriting that lasted a few weeks, with the intention of staffing on a TV show at the end, should they choose to. Next was the USC’s Masters in the John Wells Division of Writing for Screen and Television. Finally, the Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting Program at CSU Northridge. None of which I was accepted into. 

During this time, I’d gotten a promotion at the university and was really thriving in my storytelling there - I was the lead writer for most communications that took place, including student stories, staff and faculty profiles, news releases about programs and any other awards and/or highlights about the university and more. I was cranking out an intense volume of work, thanks to working from home, during our 50th anniversary celebration. I was part of the marketing and rebranding campaigns in progress. There were a lot of things happening, but as we all saw in the last year, life is unpredictable. 

I still needed a change. I wanted to see what else was out there. That was the only place I’d known for the last seven years, and I wanted to do something that would allow me more creative freedom. An opportunity came up for our local magazine, and I jumped at the chance. 

The same day I received notice that I didn’t get into CSU Northridge, I got a job as the editor of Bakersfield Life Magazine. That was the moment everything changed for me. 

Flipping the pages

Working at a magazine was another dream job I’d had in my mind since I was a child, so I had to do it. I was going to feel just like Jenna Rink from “13 Going on 30” or Carrie Bradshaw on “Sex and the City,” even if it wasn’t exactly Vogue or another high end magazine. I was there four months and cranked out five publications, while also writing and attending events/covering assignments for Tehachapi and the daily newspaper, as well our Kern Senior Guide. 

There was also posting on social media, uploading all of the stories, coordinating photos or taking them myself, depending on the story and timing. There were a lot of fun stories, like restaurant/food reviews, interviews with business owners and ultimately, highlighting the best of what Bakersfield has to offer. I was able to meet a lot of wonderful people, try a lot of great food in places I might not have ever ventured to, talked to a lot of artists and creators I’ve admired. 

But, it wasn’t necessarily the creative outlet I’d hoped it would be. My mental health had tanked tremendously and I felt like I was essentially going to have to give up my life in order to get everything done. I was drowning in work, exhausted all the time, and it was going to stay that way if I wanted to get anywhere with the magazine. Finally, I knew I had to walk away. It was a complete leap of faith, as I had nothing else lined up at that point. I knew God was doing something in that. 

Earlier in the summer, I’d had a sort of job offer/inquiry for possible blogging (with my now boss). That sounded like a lot of fun, but due to the nature of the work at the magazine, it didn’t look like it was going to work out. After leaving the magazine, I reached out again, asking if she’d been able to find anyone to fill it. She hadn’t. We talked multiple times and prayed a lot in the midst of that time, and eventually, it came to pass. We both took another leap of faith with that partnership. 

Now

I currently work for Charizma Co. as the copywriter/journalist. It’s just what it sounds like, I write the copy of most written work through the brand. We are a branding management company, helping businesses find their brand voice and assisting in building an online presence through web content and social media platforms. I write blog content, captions for Instagram and occasionally stories for our in-house team, as well as our clients when needed. There are also photo shoots, brainstorming sessions, collaborating and a lot of fun in between. 

I am also now working part-time at my church as the communications lead, which started as a volunteer position, just helping post on Sundays/capturing moments from service and so on. It was during my time at the magazine, where everything felt chaotic, so it wasn’t exactly perfect timing. After I left the magazine, I was officially hired on in October. I lead the social media efforts and communications and also assume the role of the lead photographer. 

All of this to say that I love stories. I know they say that you aren’t what you do. But, I feel like for me, storytelling is so much a part of me, I don’t know who I’d be without it. All of this to also say, that God has been weaving my story from the beginning, and looking through all of my roles and dreams I’ve had, He has been coordinating and guiding me every step of the way. I know He's going to continue to do that. 

I don't know what the next five years will look like. Life changes so fast. I have dreams and things I'd still like to accomplish, sure. But, these days, I'm not so focused on this one thing. Our careers and journeys aren't always just a straight line. Besides, it's more fun this way. 

That's all for now, 

Shelby