Something New (and Summer Plans!)

Y'know how when you look back on writing you did a year or so ago (or a month...or a week!) you always cringe inwardly and wish that you could throw it into a volcano? No? It's just me? Oh. Well, anyways, looking back on my early blog posts (a whole nine posts over nine months! Way to go Ceylan...), I'm realizing that I need to bite the bullet and get more personal.

So, in my awkward attempt to do that, I thought I'd give a bit of a look into some of the projects I'm currently working on and some interests that I'm hoping to pursue. Since it's nearly summer and it's apparently popular to shares all your great plans for the season, I can trick myself into believing that this is a relevant blog post. If I bore you, let me know in the comments.

• Scriptwriting and Filmmaking: So, when I was about 12, I watched a "behind-the-scenes" feature on one my favorite movies at the time. That sparked an interest in me for filmmaking, and a group of my friends and I decided to reenact the movie and film our own version of it. (I always was the visionary force...I'm not sure how many of my friends actually appreciated it. Please don't ask me to recount all the times I got us all into trouble! If you ask my sister, however, she would probably be more than happy to tell a couple stories.) Even though the project failed (quite miserably, according to my standards), I continued to have an interest in movie-making that has grown over the years. Over the past year or so I've been learning more about the craft, and right now I'm working on finishing up an original screenplay that I've been writing since I was 14. (Maybe I'll do a little feature on it in a future blog post. Maybe.) I've enjoyed producing little projects here and there, and in true "Ceylan" fashion, most of them are still unfinished. But if God opens the door, I would love to pursue more of a "career" education in Christian filmmaking, and I plan on producing more projects either in the near-future, or the not-so-near-future. 
• Acting: It's VBS drama season!! =D This kinda goes along with the filmmaking thing, but around the time I got into filmmaking, I took an Historical Drama class, and found I really liked acting! After being involved in a few productions through classes I took, I started helping out with the VBS drama team that some close friends head up. I've LOVED the experience over the past three years! Bethany is an amazing director! :)
• Hippotherapy: Okay, WHAT is hippotherapy?! Glad you asked! I'll try to rein in my passion and not go into a long explanation. ;) Basically, hippotherapy is therapeutic horseback riding. It's great for helping people with disabilities improve their balance, coordination, strength, posture, self-esteem, and communication skills. I never grew out of the little girl "horse lover" stage, and I've always hoped to own my own barn when I grow up. A few years ago, I learned about hippotherapy, and I started honing in my interest on a career there. So, as a first step in that direction, I started volunteering at a therapeutic riding center near us. As a volunteer, I get to help with lessons as a "sidewalker" (someone who walks alongside the horse and helps the student maintain their balance.) I'm SO excited to have this opportunity, and I'm looking forward to spending more time at the barn getting experience in this area, to see if it might pan out as a possible career path for me. 

So, I guess that's it for now. I apologize for my blogging incompetence, and I hope you can bear with me as I am still trying to figure out my blogging style. Let me know what you think about all this, and I'll try not to make you too schizophrenic with my blogging! :)

Have a wonderful week!
Ceylan