Inspiration by Dana Stenholtz

Dana Stenholtz

I would like to welcome Dana Stenholtz, one of my best friends and one of my favorite writers, back to ChinDeep! I asked her if she would please put a little artist’s bio together and this is what she had to say…

Inspiration
I am Dana Beth Stenholtz, and I am a writer. Why do I write? Because not writing isn’t an option. For me, it just can’t be helped. I’ve been asked what inspires me. To be honest, I can be moved to write by anything. Anyone. Any time. If I were to put names to my muses, my inspiration, I would name them Alethia, Sophia, and Kallos (the Greek for Truth, Wisdom, and Beauty). Everything I write, however, is backlit by my experiences and by my beliefs. We all believe in things. We all have our own creed. Since I’m a big fan of lists, I am sharing a few lists with you, to help you understand where this particular writer is coming from.

My Creed
• I believe in seeing a situation from every possible angle and deciding only after that what to do
or say or take as truth.
• I believe that the grime we get on us from driving down the dirt road of life is always able to be
washed off, one way or another.
• I believe no one enters our lives for no reason.
• I believe in not holding on to regret, but to learn from our mistakes and move on.
• I believe in the power of choice—we are never without options, even if those options are
limited.
• I believe in the alchemy of love. You may not change the world or people, you may not keep
“stuff” from happening, but love will always manage to change you.
• I believe in the tenacity of humanity.
• I believe in the Spirit that generated this universe, and all that it can do within it.
• I believe that the line between contentment and complacency is drawn with self-worth.
• I believe that we are dynamic beings, and that it is far more natural to be a flowing river than a
stagnant pond.

Quotes I Live my Life By
• “Take a step… and breathe.” (Renee O’Connor)
• “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” (Charlie Chaplin)
• “Nobody beneath you can offend you. Nobody your equal would.” (Jan L. Wells)
• “Get busy living, or get busy dying.” (Red, Shawshank Redemption)
• “Jump first, fear later.” (Michael Yaconelli)
• “You were once wild here. Don’t let them tame you!” (Isadora Duncan)
• “Be a fountain, not a drain.” (Rex Hudler)
• “If I’m not happy in this time, in this place, I’m not paying attention.” (Jodi Hills)

30 Random Little-Known Facts
• I’ve always wanted to be a nun.
• I tried using Play-Doh to make my Barbies anatomically correct.
• I speak Parseltongue (just like Harry Potter).
• I had a twin sister who died before we were born.
• I could swim before I could walk.
• My childhood books are full of editing notes.
• I used to sneak out of bed in the middle of the night to read the Encyclopedia.

• Until I was 9 years old, I thought I was Canadian.
• My dream home has an indoor lap pool, a film developing lab, and a glass-breaking room.
• I am zipper challenged.
• I can write mirror-image with both hands at the same time.
• The first movie I saw in the theatre was “Star Wars.”
• When my parents told me they were moving to Minnesota, I thought they were leaving me
behind.
• After surgery, I woke up earlier than expected and attacked my anesthesiologist—he showed me
the stitches in his neck three days later.
• A Crow Indian shaman told me during a sweat lodge visit that I would someday eat him.
• I have journaled every day since my 14th birthday.
• I’ve been the same height (5’9”) since the fifth grade.
• I am obsessed with all things Pompeii.
• The first vinyl record I bought was Cyndi Lauper’s “She’s So Unusual.”
• I told my entire second grade class that there was no Santa Claus.
• In my whole life, I’ve only had one cavity.
• Favorite wine: Pinot Grigio.
• The first thing I learned in college was what a Scrunchie is.
• I typed my first novel (at age 11) on an old manual typewriter my Grandpa Stenny brought back
from Germany after World War II.
• It has been a yearly tradition since I was 12 years old for my mom and I to go see a play or
musical.
• In ninth grade we had to write about our ideal job. Mine? To be a chauffeur for the Chicago
mob.
• According to family legend, I’m related to the real Robin Hood.
• I’m saving up to buy a tattoo gun, so I can learn how to do it.
• Favorite song of all time: the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody.”
• My dad, a Baptist minister, baptized me when I was 7 years old. I hiccupped right when he
dunked me under, and I almost drowned.