it's been a while since I posted but today I bring you a little interview with one very special person, Grace Anne from the blog Totally Graced. pls enjoy, comment your thoughts, and then maybe follow this lovely inspiring human :))

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LISA: Hello, and welcome to inkwell! It's such a pleasure to have you here, especially since I've been reading and admiring your work since 2016. That's four years, my word. but please, introduce yourself to my readers! What are some interesting current facts about you?

GRACE ANNE: Thank you so much for having me, Lisa! I am so excited to be here on Inkwell today. Wow, has it already been four years? I had no idea it had been so long. It means so much to me that you’ve stuck around!

For those of you whom I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet – hello! I’m Grace Anne, the girl behind Totally Graced. I’m currently in college to learn how to avoid being a starving artist, because every bit of me just wants to create for the rest of my life. I’m an INFJ, Enneagram 6w5 if you’re interested in personality typing (I love it! Always down for a good personality typing conversation.). I’m happiest when I’m pecking away at my laptop, organizing pretty much anything, curled up with a good book, or involved in some form of theatre.

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LISA: So, I mostly brought you here to talk about one thing - your Tuesday Letters. For a while you've been writing an email every Tuesday to people who want to receive it. Can you tell us more about this beautiful project? What inspired you?

GRACE ANNE: Absolutely! Like you said, the Tuesday Letters are a weekly email that I send out every Tuesday morning filled with a weekly dose of encouragement. They came out of three things – a love for encouragement, a hatred for Tuesdays, and the inspiration of two incredible women.

1 // I think that the older you get, the more obvious it is just how much everyone around you is struggling on a day to day basis. People are worn down, stressed out, and overwhelmed. We live in a society that says we have to hustle constantly in order to earn our worth, and it’s an exhausting state to try to maintain. People are struggling, and in such desperate need for hope. I think that encouragement is one of the most beautiful gifts that you can give, and it’s something that I’m really passionate about – it’s so simple, and yet not enough people are intentional with it.

2 // Most people hate Mondays, but for me, it’s always been Tuesdays. I can muster up enough energy from the weekend to get through a Monday (and Mondays have always been my theatre day, which doesn’t hurt), and I think that the productivity freak in me loves a fresh slate. But Tuesday, on the other hand, always seemed so dismal. I was worn out from a long Monday the day before, the weekend was nowhere in sight, and the last thing that I wanted to do was drag myself out of bed and go to class. One day on social media (I want to say it was Twitter?), people were discussing their personal least favorite day of the week. I was surprised to see that I wasn’t alone in my hatred for Tuesdays – they seemed to be rough for a lot of people.

3 // I was first inspired by two incredible women – Hannah Brencher and Elaini Garfield, whose weekly emails I had been following for quite a while. I always loved opening up my inbox to find an email from them. Their wisdom always seemed to come at the perfect time and always seemed to say exactly what I needed to hear.

Out of these three things, the Tuesday Letters were born. I wanted to create something that would make Tuesdays a little brighter, and as I’ve always loved to write, this seemed like the perfect thing to do. So for the past 30+ Tuesdays, I’ve been sending out a Tuesday Letter to anyone who subscribes.

LISA: What is your purpose behind the project? What do you hope to gain for yourself and what do you hope others will take away?

GRACE ANNE: My biggest goal through this project is to spread hope. We live in a world where anxiety and burnout and sadness are so prevalent, and we need light to keep breaking through. I want to build a community of people from all walks of life. People who need hope, and people who want to help spread it. I initially started writing these letters as an act of discipline – I wanted to be consistent with writing, and I knew that the accountability of a weekly newsletter would help me to reach that. But it has turned into so much more. I have connected with so many incredible people through the Tuesday Letters. I’ve gotten to hear their stories, and to build friendships with people from Spain to South Africa. And while I started this hoping to encourage others, I have been so encouraged personally by this project. People will reply to the letters saying that they’re praying for me, or that they’re grateful to have someone else walking through the same thing that they are. It’s been incredible.

More than anything, I hope that people step away from the Tuesday Letters knowing that they are loved. That there’s someone who cares about them, even if it’s just a teenage girl on the other side of the computer screen. I hope that they are able to see that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, even if it’s not bright enough to see just yet. I hope that they know that there are good things in store for them, and that there is peace amidst the chaos. I want them to know without a doubt that they have a Heavenly Father who will supply their every need.

Basically, I just want the Tuesday Letters to be a giant hug, a warm blanket on a cold morning. Like I always say, if I can’t go on a coffee date with every single person who’s a part of this community, a virtual hug is the next best thing, right?

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LISA: How do you come up with topics to write about?

GRACE ANNE: In all honesty, it really varies by week. I don’t have a super set system with it. I keep a lot of my blog stuff organized on Trello, and I have a list on there that I keep of future topic ideas, but most weeks I really just sit down and write whatever’s on my heart. Oftentimes I know immediately that I want to write about something that took place since my last email or about something that’s been particularly prevalent in my mind. Other times I draw from the list, and sometimes I sit down and have absolutely no idea where to even begin. When I hit that point, I just pray that the Lord will give me whatever words I’m supposed to share that week, and He always does! 

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LISA: Besides writing these encouraging and thoughtful notes, you're a creative with other outlets as well, right? What other things do you do, and what are you interested in doing in the future?

GRACE ANNE: I am! I’ve always been drawn to creativity and the arts, and I’m really grateful to be able to say that they’re such a huge part of my life. I’ve always been a writer – I think I wrote my first “book” when I was six. But I’m also insanely passionate about performing arts. I grew up a dancer and spent most of my time in musical theatre, and I now work for the school that I grew up in as a choreographer and production assistant. There are few things that I love more in the world, and I’m so grateful that it’s such a big chunk of my life.

I’m currently in college as a Digital Media major, so I’m studying journalism, graphic design, photography – all creative pursuits that I love. In the future, I’m hoping to work as a social media manager and writer while also continuing to work in theatre. However my future ends up working out, I have very little doubt that creativity will always play a huge part in my life.

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LISA: If you could only write one more letter, what would you tell your audience, in one sentence?

GRACE ANNE: Lower your shoulders and take a breath – you are loved by the King of kings and He has so much good in store for you.

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LISA: Thank you so much for dropping by!! You're a beautiful soul and I'm blessed to know you.

GRACE ANNE: Thank you so, so much for having me, Lisa!! I am so grateful for you. <3

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For anyone interested to subscribe to Grace Anne's Tuesday Letters (and you totally should!!) here's the link. 

I hope you all were inspired by Grace Anne and her story. Be sure to look her up because she's always sharing wonderful and encouraging things. thank you all for reading, and I hope you have a good end of the week :)) xx lisa