Hey, y’all, hey…I’m Tina Clark. Born in the backwoods of Virginia and now living my best small-town girl life in the backwoods of Georgetown. I cannot remember a time when I did not want to be a writer. While my friends played Barbies, I usually wanted to pretend I was working as a reporter in a newsroom. Now that I think about it, where did I even get that from? Most of the women in my family were stay-at-home moms. They loved being in the kitchen; I did not. If I can be honest, I still don’t enjoy it. I’m sure we’ll chat more about my kitchen drama at some point.
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Back to my original point – I’ve always known I’d be a writer. For years I wanted to go into journalism. In high school, I’d tell teachers that, and they would always give me an unsettled look as if they were surprised or had no confidence in my ability to do exactly what I said. I never let that move me. I knew that writing was what I was born to do with every fiber of my being.
So, I graduated and started out majoring in English. Then I moved on to journalism. My sophomore year was the first time I ever second-guessed myself as a writer. I took an investigative reporting class, and my first assignment was the Miss Kumquat festival in Florida. My article was awful, and my professor did not hold back. I failed the class, took it again with her, and of course, she reassigned it to me. It was just a slight upgrade from awful, still not great this time around. I passed by the skin of my teeth.
I still knew I wanted to write by the time I graduated, maybe just not the news. I was also a single mom then, and my outlook on life, in general, had drastically changed. Being a great mom to this amazing strong-willed little boy had become the top priority.
When he was ten, we moved to Texas, and I decided to take a job that didn’t have anything to do with comms or writing, but it offered stability. So, I stayed there for seven years. Then, after a tough pregnancy, I had my miracle, baby girl.
My son taught me strength, but my three-pound ball of fire taught me how to be fierce. As they got older and my son was about to go off to college, I realized that 1 – I wanted them to experience their mom living her dream, and 2 – I wanted to be present for all the things. I walked away from my 9-5 with absolutely no plan, but I’ve never been happier.
It’s been two years now, and I have no regrets. As a ghostwriter, copywriter, and sometimes brand manager, I can combine all the things I love to support other people’s dreams. I’ve also been there for my kiddos for all the important moments – the first year of college football for one and the first year of competition cheer for the other! That one thing alone has been the fuel that’s kept me going while I overload on coffee and fly by the seat of my pants.
I’m so excited to write for this momma blog. It’s a total zoo in my home most days. As I share my learning experiences, I’m sure you’ll laugh with me a lot. But, grab some wine because I’m sure you’ll cry with me too. This mom thing is such a roller-coaster. I’ve learned that no one gets it 100% right 100% of the time. At least twice a month, I’m a whole dumpster fire. I’m here to say, especially to my fellow single moms, “Sis, I feel ya. Cry it out, comb your hair, boss up, and let’s keep going…together.”
I enjoyed reading about you Tina. Excellent article.