Lucy buried her head in his mane to hide from his face, But there must have been magic in his mane. She could feel lion-strength going into her. Quite suddenly she sat up.
“I’m sorry, Aslan,” she said. “I’m ready now.”
“Now you are a lioness,” said Aslan.
C.S. Lewis, Prince Caspian
Hi! My name is Kenra.
I’m 23 years old and have lived in the same town, on the same lazy street, in the same tiny bedroom my entire life. Some could argue that that means I haven’t had much of a life…and I tend to agree. My life has been pretty sheltered, but I have no complaints about shelter. It keeps the rain out.
Behind the Name: The Lovely Lioness
I’ve been writing ever since my mom bought me a 75-page spiral notebook for me to draw in during church when I was six or seven. I’d spend that time during church nibbling on my #2 pencil’s eraser and thinking up countless things to mock up — both in words and drawings. I came up with some of the most absurd stories. A troop of all-female vigilantes, an orphan who lived in a cardboard box castle with her unicorn companion in the back alleyways of London, and a girl named Jane who gave Barbie a run for her money in the number of careers she had (a Karate teacher, a cowgirl, a ballerina, and a member of my infamous vigilante team to give you just a taste).
I’ve been reading ever since my sister would draw cartoons of a friendly cat and dog duo who would pop up in all of my journals and notebooks teaching me how to read. They’re names were Patt and Matt, and I guess after that, the trickle of creativity turned into a steady stream. I hoard and consume books and journals like a child with candy on Halloween. I can never get enough of words, whether they be my own or somebody else’s.
The inspiration of this blog’s name comes from C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. Lucy – my favourite Narnian character – is called a Lioness by Aslan after she tells him she is ready to obey and follow him. With her faith in Aslan, she is deemed to be a Lioness.
(It should also be noted, that I also have a weakness for big cats — tigers and lions being my two favourites. So really, the name was perfect).
Inside of me is a creative soul with the need to write, draw, design, and immerse myself in beautiful things. Yet, like so many other creatives, I struggle with my confidence in my abilities as a creator. I often doubt my worth and my talents. In addition I struggle with speaking openly about my thoughts, my faith in my God, and faith in myself. But – like Lucy Pevensie – I am ready. Ready to make my own path, to test my skills, to spread out my sheltered wings and soar. I’m ready to prove to myself that I am brave, talented, and valiant.
And that’s what makes me a lioness. The lovely lioness.
I have plans and dreams that are bigger than my body. I long to travel, to meet new people and become part of a narrative that encompasses more than just me, but encompasses others like me who wish to bring more compassion, more self-love and more willingness to try hard thing. I hope that as I journey through this life and share what I learn on this blog, that I will inspire others and that they will feel they’re ready to be brave and become their own lioness as well.
Behind the Person: Kenra
I am currently a graphic design instructor at a technical college, but that makes me sound way cooler than I really am. I love being a small blip on a student’s creative path to help them discover a love for strong, beautiful design. I’m fairly new at it and I’m constantly paralyzed with a fear that I’m not good enough or experienced enough, but at the end of the day, I love what I do. I plan on continuing to learn and expand my skillset and eventually my dream is to attend Shillington School of Graphic Design in New York, London or Sydney.
I’m an avid reader and book hoarder. I will never ever stop reading. I’m the person who takes a book with them everywhere just in case the opportunity ever arises that I can sneak away and read it and be an antisocial hermit. You can always check in here on my blog to see what good books I’ve been reading.
I’m also an avid writer, which should come as no shock to anyone. I’ve been involved in NaNoWriMo for more than five years now and have still never actually finished a novel from beginning to end yet. I have about a dozen stories that are works in progress, and more just keeping popping into my head. Currently I’m dividing my time between a story about fiery horses that enter our dreams and turn them into nightmares and a high fantasy series about a half orc girl named Gwenog who is journeying across her world to understand who she is. But there are certainly more seeds of stories jostling inside of my head. It’s such a hard life being a creative creature.
I’m a gamer. I was doomed the moment my brother bought himself a GameCube. I sat beside him and watched him play Luigi’s Mansion with the eyes of someone who was falling in love for the very first time. I’ve never not loved playing video games, and I think it has to do with my love for stories. Games like Mario, Zelda, Final Fantasy, and Fire Emblem are stories with rich casts of characters and an adventure that takes your characters from one end of the world to the other to accomplish the impossible and unthinkable. My two favorite franchises are Zelda and Final Fantasy and my two favorite video games are Zelda: Twilight Princess and Final Fantasy XV. I cried when I played both of them. Recently I’ve discovered my love for Indie games and my hope is to someday have the necessary equipment to stream myself playing some of those indie games.
I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I’ve lived in Utah my whole life and therefore have never escaped ‘the bubble’. I don’t drink coffee (but I sure do love the smell of it) and the worst curse I can say is, “Oh Shoot!” or “Heavens to Betsy!” As fun as it is to make fun, I’ve often felt ashamed about being a member due to so many controversial conversations that I have heard over the years. But at the end of the day, I feel my personal spiritual journey has been edified and strengthened because of the relationship that I have built with my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. And I am making it my mission to tear down the stigmas and the toxic culture that comes from living in central Utah, because there are so many of them, and it’s one of the reasons why we are one of the most depressed states in the U.S. If you ever have any questions about my religion, shoot me a message!
My favorite color is green, which is all thanks to Zelda. I do prefer emerald or mint green though, which I realize are two entirely different shades of green.
I am a die-hard Tolkien and C.S. Lewis fan. Which is why my favorite musical is the unappreciated “Lord of the Rings” Musical. Look it up, you won’t regret listening to Galadriel singing about her love for Lothlorien. But in all seriousness, I was raised by Lord of the Rings, and Peter Jackson’s films are what has made me the pathetic geek that I am. My standards for both literature and film are very high because of Lord of the Rings and in addition my standard of beauty. And if you think that means that I was a Legolas stan, then you would be wrong. I only had a Legolas phase for a year before I realized who the true man was, which is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. Also known as Strider, Elessar and the King of Gondor. *swoon* And can we all agree that Samwise Gamgee is the true hero of the story? Because I will fight anyone who disagrees.
In addition, my other favorite movie is Labyrinth by the brilliant Jim Henson. No one can ever convince me that this movie is not a masterpiece. It is filled with just the strangest most out-of-this-world creations, has the most fun soundtrack, and the script is delightful to quote. And once again, my standards of beauty were wrecked with David Bowie’s big hair, tight pants, and otherworldly costumes. And I’m certain most would agree that my standards were wrecked for the worse, not for the better.
My favorite animals are lions, tigers, and badgers. I’m not a Hufflepuff, I just really like badgers (have you seen those adorable noses? *squee*). And even though I love big cats, that love does not translate exactly to domestic cats, because I’m definitely more a dog person.
I am part of three Dungeons and Dragons groups. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience that has given me the biggest confidence boost in being open about just weird and nerdy I am. I love that Dungeons and Dragons is slowly coming out into the limelight and people who classify themselves as ‘normal’ are totally playing it with their friends. I also have made some of the greatest friends thanks to D&D and I often wonder where my life and mental health would be if I didn’t have them.
My favorite band is the Goo Goo Dolls and I’ve been lucky enough to see them live three times now, which I agree is excessive, but I’m a fixator who doesn’t know how to stop fixating. Beyond the Goo Goo Dolls, I just can’t get enough of the sound of ARIZONA and I haven’t stopped listening to them since I heard them live at a Panic! at the Disco concert. And I also have a thing for celtic/viking/fantasy music and it has become my default when nothing else comes to mind. I honestly love all kinds of music and think there is something special in every genre. You would find that shuffling my music would be one wild journey from Bollywood to pop punk to celtic to EDM to video game scores to French indie artists to mainstream pop. I try to share the music I’m listening to at least once a year because gosh, music is such a great way to get to know someone.
Other artists that I really love listening to: Panic! at the Disco, Faun, Nightwish, WALK THE MOON, Christina Grimmie, Porter Robinson, LIONE, and the Night Game.
If you want to know anything else feel free to use my Contact page.
The Lovely Lioness 