Meet Ann O’Dell

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ann O’Dell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ann, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

I keep my creativity alive by being open and listening to my Inner Wisdom and all. the exciting new ideas it gives me.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I trained as a secondary school teacher and taught in the 1960s and 1970s. I have been a community volunteer since the 1970s when I was involved in PTA while my children went through the public school system. I have lived in Oxford MS for over 50 years and have found a variety of interesting groups to volunteer with.

Most of the groups have been fledging when I joined, and much of the pleasure I received has been in watching them grow and develop and incorporate more people. Most of these groups were begun because a group here learned about a similar organization in another town and decided we wanted to replicate it.

A Christmas Store, organized to provide toys for underprivileged children, was begun as a copycat endeavor of one in Memphis TN. The Pantry was begun by inspiration from our local welfare department which ran out of room to store emergency food supplies for their clients. The Piecemakers Quilt Guild was founded from the inspiration of a non-traditional college student who knew of quilt guilds in other cities. The local Master Gardener chapter was an outgrowth of a nation-wide effort on the part of county extension agencies to further the enjoyment and expertise of home gardening. The annual community Plant Swap came to be as the University of Mississippi Staff Council asked for ideas for activities to incorporate during the annual Staff Appreciation Week. It became co-sponsored by the Master Gardeners.

I am also a writer of poetry, essays, and a non-fiction book on the miracles that come from one’s Inner Wisdom, available at my website below.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The three most important areas of knowledge assisting me in these endeavors included: 1) the desire to share responsibility, 2) the desire to use others’ skills and ideas, and 3) openness to my Inner Wisdom for ideas, clarification, understanding, and acceptance of the notion that most endeavors must begin small and may grow slowly for awhile.

My advice for others is to spend time thinking through their idea first and then talk about it with others, asking them for. input. Then find a group of people, even just a few, who are willing to help bring the idea to fruition. When there are obstacles or conflict, ask one’s Inner Wisdom for guidance.

I am convinced that we each have an Inner Wisdom that can give us important information about ourselves if we but ask some questions. It is within this Inner Wisdom that our innate creativity lies, and openness to its communication with us is the path toward experiencing that creativity.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

The number one obstacle I see is not realizing and accepting the fact that many new ideas and endeavors generally must start small and grow slowly. Also there are in groups individuals who become rigid in their thinking and need to be softened and nurtured so the group can move forward. Openness to new ideas is SO important. And willingness to experiment so that what doesn’t work can be discarded.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://anngloverodell.wordpress.com

Image Credits

photo of Ann by Joe Worthem