Introducing The New Girl

Hi! I'm Lynn, but most people know me online as CoolGray. I'm primarily a YouTube content creator focused on art and cooking, but here I can talk about those things and anything else that's bubbling in my brain. So, it'll be a mixed bag here. If you prefer to stay more focused, there are lots of places to find me in the SocialSphere that will cater to your specific interests. Here are all of those links:

YouTube
Facebook (for cooking)
Instagram (for cooking & life)
Facebook (for art)
Instagram (for art)
Fine Art America (For art sales)
Pinterest (for cooking and art) 

I don't much like the Twitter. It's too restrictive for an artistic mind. And, I think I'm the wrong generation for Tumblr, Snapchat, or even Reddit. So, I'm not there. Heck, I just started figuring out Pinterest this week! But, I can YouTube like nobody's business, so please do find me there for the most authentically "me" experience.

So, why start a blog? Well, I was a writing long before I made videos. Some things are more easily typed than spoken. Sometimes, I want to talk about things that are way off-brand for the channels I've listed. So, this is my "junk drawer," if you will. It will be much more stream-of-consciousness and will meander through the meadow of wildflowers that is my mind. If you like that sort of thing, stick around!

What should you know about me right out of the gates? I'm embracing the reality that I'm in that group of people who must check the last box in the age range section of every form I fill out (over 55). In 2017, I let my hair go naturally gray, and Cool Gray was born. It was the single most freeing decision of my life. YouTube wouldn't have been possible before then. Neither would have identifying as an artist, though I've been making art my entire life. I'm now over a year into the whole notion of allowing the public to look into my life as I experiment with art and with cooking. I don't worry about my hair & makeup being perfect, thought sometimes I get lucky! I don't worry if I make a mistake on camera. I don't worry about what people might think of the video, of me, of the finished product. I'm creating a document of this season of my life and I'm leaving a legacy the only way I really feel I can. "Just do it" is the most effective therapy I've found.

In short, I'm being me and I am not ashamed. That's important because I spent a good part of my life before last year being ashamed for one reason or another. I live with PTSD from more than one workplace trauma, though most people wouldn't guess it. I'll probably write about that here, since I can't really do it in a way that makes sense anywhere else. I've never had children, which makes a big difference in the way most women feel about themselves. That may come up, too. On a lighter note, I'm a film buff, and I have a weird penchant for bad films as well as excellent ones. I have 2 dogs and 2 cats who are like children to me. The dogs have their own social media profiles. As me about that if you want to hang with them. They're hilarious.

I'm married 19 years to a man who showed me my true value and taught me what unconditional love looks like. He's a corporate IT management guy whose side hustle is playing bass with a rock & blues power trio. We're going to Italy this year. Surely, I'll write about that!

There will no doubt be some crossover with the YouTube channel, as well. That should serve as a suitable introduction. It's nice to be here, and I hope you'll be friendly neighbors and let me know what you think I need to know to be a successful blogger.

'Til next time, I am CoolGray.