I can’t believe this day has actually come!

I have been talking about starting a blog for years. Ask anyone who knows me and they will likely tell you that they don’t remember the first time I mentioned the idea of KirstieRenae.com, because it has been that long.

I could go on and on about all of the things that got in my way — self-doubt, fear, anxiety, and depression to name a few — but I will write about that later. Right now, I’d rather focus on celebrating my success. I’d rather celebrate the fact that I overcame all of those things by being compassionate with myself and taking it one tiny step at a time. I suppose that’s why it took me almost 4 or 5 years to get this site from idea to launch, but I honestly believe if I had rushed and forced it, my ideal vision would never have become a reality.

There are still things I want to improve on, add, and change, of course. That’s the nature of creative endeavors, right? But instead of waiting until everything was perfect — a non-existent destination, by the way — I decided to go ahead and launch it now. The anticipation of wanting to begin this journey became more intolerable than the fear of committing to it.

The anticipation of wanting to begin this journey became more intolerable than the fear of committing to it.

More so, I realized that the biggest goal of this blog is to show up as my authentic self — someone who is human, flawed, imperfect, and often insecure. So to hold of the launch to a date where the site was as near perfect as possible seemed counterproductive to my mission. That said, here we are, and I am so happy to finally share what I’ve been working on with y’all!

Dedications

I couldn’t have done this alone.

Thank you to all who were patient and loving with me as I navigated the mental roadblocks of this journey. This site and all of my artistic pursuits are dedicated to all of you.

To my parents — you are an inspiration in so many ways. I feel so lucky to be supported and loved by you unconditionally. For all the years of driving me to theater rehearsals, the late nights of helping me with school projects for which I inevitably set my creative sights too high to complete on my own, and for always filling the audiences of my plays with your friends, I cannot thank you enough. To Dad, who paid to host this site for 3 years without ever once demanding to see some progress lest you pull the plug, thank you for your unshakeable faith and belief in me. To Mom, who has never doubted my abilities, reminds me to have faith and confidence in myself, and always maintains hope even when I have none — love and cheese, thank you for being my best friend and my biggest fan. I love you both.

To my Gir, who spent (and continues to spend) countless hours on the phone with me talking about this site, supporting me through all of the self-doubt and worries — I am so grateful to have you in my life, and cannot thank you enough for believing in me and inspiring me. I know we each will do great things and I know that we will do it together, cheering each other on. I love you.

To my Grandma, who has told me more times than I can count how proud she is of me — thank you for making me feel safe to dream. With your never-ending faith in me, I feel like I can do anything. I love you!

To Rebecca, who has been my guide through so many phases of the last five years — words cannot describe the impact you’ve had on me. I don’t know where I would be had I not met you and I’m so honored to have your influence in my life. I value the lessons I’ve learned along this journey more than I can say. Thank you, truly, for everything.

To Austin, who I can only assume was brought into my life by Cosmic Forces — thank you for Getting It and me. Our talks in the car, over tea, and on the floor of the CQA never failed to make me laugh, feel understood, and feel motivated to pursue my art. I love you and I can’t wait to see our magic manifest.

To Audrey, who I can always count on (and have counted on for over twenty years) — thank you for brightening my days when I’m down, being my constant cheerleader, and reminding me that I can do anything. I love you, and couldn’t have asked for a better friend to grow up and navigate life with.

To the rest of my friends and family (you know who you are), who never fail to give me a boost of morale when I’m low, and who always like, share, and support my art — I don’t know what I would do without your love and support.

And lastly, but most importantly, to Mitch — who holds me when I cry, who loves me when I’m at my worst, who inspires me to create better art and never stop believing in the impossible — I couldn’t do this thing called life without you, and that most definitely includes the adventure of this site. I love you, and thank you for believing in me, my art, and this blog even when (most especially when) I didn’t.

So that’s that, y’all! We’re officially LIVE!

Click around, read my archive articles, and know that fun, exciting, and new content is coming soon! To the future of this site and where it will take me… Cheers! 🥂