[Disclosure from Lori Heinsman, HelloCREATIVITY creator:  I thought I'd kick-off this "Share Your Story" section with my own story, just to get things moving.  Please submit your stories soon, because it feels weird to be in this section all by myself.]

When my colleagues read this, they'll probably scratch their heads.  At work, I lead the project management group at Enterpulse.  At work, I'm focused, strong, versatile.   (My goal is to always be as smart and confident as C.J. Cregg on The West Wing.)

Sometimes I overhear people talking about me being a powerhouse at this or that, and I laugh to myself and thank poetry. The honest truth: if I hadn't discovered poetry in school, I'd be in a different place today, because reading poetry moved me write, and writing changed my life.

My self-confidence turning point coincided with realizing that I could write down my thoughts, and people would read them and appreciate them.  Teachers and adults that I respected read my work and encouraged me to keep writing. This exchange of writing and encouragement carried me through adolescence and into graduate school. 

Teachers and mentors along the way made a HUGE difference.  I silently thank my history and English teachers almost daily, along with a reporter at the community newspaper near my high school, Dale Leatherman, who never stopped encouraging me to keep writing.  (I remember even sending her letters from college, asking for advice.)

All this is sappy and personal to me, and maybe not relevant to anybody else, except for this important takeaway:  Everything we do affects everything we do.  My young artistic expression affected my adult everything.  People who showed interest in the young me affected my adult everything.   And I know I'm not alone in this thinking. 

Tell me about your young creative expression and the people who positively impacted who you are today.