And This Month's Interviewee Is...

The main objective of my blog is to inspire and be inspired.  I love searching and finding inspiration in the simplest of things, in places unexpected and then writing stories about them provoking a chain reaction of inspiration, self-awareness, love, acceptance, spiritual awakening and empowerment!   Sometimes those stories can be our very own, that is why I also love sharing my personal stories, experiences, triumphs, challenges, tears and laughter in hope to touching and enriching someone's life for the better.

I believe that something magical and miraculous happens when we share our light with others.  It just may very well brighten someone's darkness.  I love the way spiritual activist and author Marianne Williamson puts it better.  She states that "as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."  It is through this personal belief that my monthly feature of And This Month's Interviewee is....emerged!  My goal is to feature every month, a story in hopes that it touches and enriches someone's life for the better.  We are not alone people, we all intertwine in the mysterious and magical energy of life!  

Without further ado this month's curious-mind, sweet and creative interviewee is....

What is your name & age?  My name is Sarah. My age is nobody's business but my own!

Are you married? Children?  I live with MHI (My Handsome Irishman) and our two furbabies Murphy and Darla.

Where did you grow up?   I grew up in Hull, in the North of England in the UK.

What is the extent of your family? Parents? Any siblings?   My immediate family consists of mum, dad and little sister.

As a little girl, what did you dream/aspire to be?  When I was little and growing up I always wanted to be a teacher, and now I am!  I used to put my teddies and dolls in a line and take a register and keep their spelling marks in my register too!

What were you like when you were a kid?  I was very much a loner as a child. I had an active imagination though, and loved to read.  I didn't really miss having friends at all. I would read a lot and draw a lot and wander around the house singing a lot.

What was your favorite toy, game or pass-time as a child?  My favourite pastime was definitely reading.  I would read everything - from shampoo bottles to labels on jars.

How would you describe your childhood memories?  Happy I guess. I was a quiet child mostly and spent a lot of time by myself playing with dolls and making up games and worlds.

Ever had an imaginary friend as a child? If yes, please tell a little about it.  I had an imaginary friend called Tim, named after Tim-Brook Taylor.  I don't really remember much about him but my mum says he was always around.

Did you enjoy your high school years?  Some I did, some I didn't. I felt very frustrated and restrained during school.  I didn't feel like I could be myself at all.

Did your dream/aspiration as a child changed in high school?  If yes, how so?  No, my dream stayed the same through school. It was only as I got older that I decided I wanted to live a more creative life, hence A Cat-Like Curiosity was born!

You say you achieved your childhood dream of becoming a teacher, that's great Sarah. Congratulations! Not many people get to fulfill their childhood dreams.  What kind of teacher are you?  What do you teach?  I am trained as a music teacher, which I did successfully for over 5 years.  I did find however that it was taking over my whole life and that I had little or no energy left for anything outside of my job. At the moment I am working as a teacher for students with Special Educational Needs, focusing mainly on developing Life Skills.  I work mainly with small groups of students and I really enjoy it. It also allows me time to work on my other interests when I get home from school.

You mentioned your imaginary friend as a child was named after Tim Brooke-Taylor.  When you look back, would you say he had a significant influence in your life? If so, how? I really don't remember much about him to be honest. My Mum knows more than I do! He was an actor in a children's TV show I used to like called Timbuktu. Apparently I used to try and blame him for stuff a lot.

Why do you feel you couldn't be yourself during your high school years? My high school was very much full of people who all wanted to fit in and be the same. If you looked different or talked differently then you were a potential target for bullies. I found myself drawn to dressing more like artists in velvet and boots - the whole gentle romantic goth look I guess, but didn't feel I could do that without being picked on and losing friends.

What inspired you to live a more creative life and what do you consider a creative life? I was inspired to live a more creative life - I don't honestly know why or how!  A lot has come from blogging and reading other blogs I would guess, but there's no real flash point or a-ha moment I can think of. I went on an art holiday in Spain a few years ago and that got me into painting and drawing again.  I also took some art classes via the local adult education service and that sparked my interest even more. I opened my Etsy shop back in 2011 and since then I have been creating up a storm - learning to paint with oils and acrylics, learning how to produce digital art work and even learning to sew! My definition of a creative life is one where you can create something every day. Even if it's just a mess! My definition of creativity is broad though - I pour a lot of creativity into my blog and it's design, the buttons and the posts and I consider that to be creative. I do try and draw/paint/sketch/sew something each day though if I can. Which is tough alongside a full time job. 

What is the main objective of A Cat-Like Curiosity?  The main objective of ACLC is to inspire. I think of my blog as an online magazine full of tips, tricks, DIY ideas and art inspiration. I share each Monday things which inspire me and encourage others to link up and share their inspiration too.  In fact I host a whole long weekend of linkups - from Aloha to Cats to all things Handmade! I'd like to think of my blog as a little community where like minded people can come along and find out something, learn something or be inspired to try something. Maybe something different to the things they would normally try.  That's my aim in writing for my blog. It's also a platform for me to share my art and my ideas and hopefully gain some feedback on my work too.

Sarah, when I first started blogging and stumbled upon your blog, one of the things that caught my attention and grasped my curiosity, was that you spoke about a book I am very fond of...'The Secret'. You expressed that this book had a major impact on your life.  Please tell how so?  That book and it's message literally changed my life. It seemed such a simple concept - believe, achieve and receive. But it literally changed my whole outlook on life. Before the book I had been suffering with a really debilitating bout of depression, and I really needed something to shake me out of my usual thought patterns and ideas. This book did that and then some. I seriously don't think I would be doing what I am doing today without it! In fact, this blog of mine started out life named "So this is the secret?" and it was born only as a place for me to record my experiences with the techniques of the book. So without it, my blog might not even exist (!)

I want to congratulate you on your new E-Book, that is so awesome!  I am extremely happy for you mi Amiga!  I can't wait to read and promote it for you.  Ya know I'm all about the love and support.  Can you tell us just a little about the process of creating an E-Book?  The process for me tends to go like this: Niggly nagging ideas that won't leave me alone and HAVE to be written about. They swirl around my head for a while and I make lots of notes in my little notebook (which I carry with me everywhere) with chapter headings and things to cover. Then I create all of the pictures/artwork to be included. Front covers, banner headings, art work. I tend to get that together before I begin writing because for me it sets the tone of the book and helps me to picture that tone better. Then begins the process of writing. I type everything in Word (as it's such a familiar and friendly format for me) then once it's completed and proof read I convert it to a PDF, check that too (just in case any little mistakes have slipped through the net) and then it's good to go. Depending on the book it can take anywhere from 2 weeks (for a mini EBook) to 3 months for a book to be completed.

I'm curious *wink-wink* about something.  I know that one of your "Curious Goals" is to complete and send to agents your novel "Snapshots of Sophie".  How is that going and can you give a brief blurb about what the novel is about?   Snapshots of Sophie is almost complete. I started it as part of NaNoWriMo, and my aim was to complete a 50,000 word novel in it's entirety. Currently the word count is 46,000 so I am very nearly at my goal. As for submitting the work to agents I did send in a sample from the start of the novel to a number of agencies in the summer of last year but as yet there are no offers. I do find myself to be constantly distracted by my EBook ideas (I already have another EBook in the pipeline!) and am wondering now whether that is where my heart is being taken away to, rather than the heady world of fiction. We shall see. I love the discipline though of writing to such a high word count. If nothing else, it has proved to me that I can do this. You can read some snippets of my novel Snapshots of Sophie and more of my writing over on my Writing blog if you'd like.

Let me get a little tad personal here if you allow me.  I love the way you refer to your love as MHI (my handsome Irishman , can you tell us three things you love most about him?  I love that he puts up with me and my constant blogging and general laptop addiction! I also love his physical presence in my life - I am such a physical person and need to feel physically connected in order to be happy. Whether that's holding hands, hugging or other activities (!)  I also love how he is able to calm me - pretty much no matter what the situation (real or imagined!)

Thank you Sarah for your honesty and kind willingness to partake in this interview.  Here is the bonus question I ask of all my interviewees:   If we lived in a world where money was non-existent and all our commodities and personal necessities were provided to live a healthy and happy life, how would you spend the rest of your living days?  I would spend my days creating lots and lots of art and other lovely things. I would go for walks each day, do some yoga and spend more quality time with MHI. I would read more and enjoy myself! I would have to keep on creating though I think. Thanks Mayra for the feature!

There you have it folks, the curious mind and sweet, beautiful soul of Sarah over at 

A Cat-Like Curiosity.  

Sarah, I wish you the best in following your dreams and hope that all your corazon's (heart's) desires are bestowed upon you. I am blessed to know you mi Amiga!  And if life has it in store for our paths to meet, other than in blogosphere, then that would be an even more so enriching experience.  Once again, thanks for your awesomeness and kind willingness to allow me this interview and sharing your story. 

Tootles!