Creative on the rise!

Introducing the amazing Lillie!

Lillie is an exceptionally talented and gifted poet with remarkable passion and determination to make impactful strides in the world through her craft and this is very obvious in her zeal and her achievements in the world of Literature, specifically poetry speaks for itself.

Today, we take a journey into the world of Lillie with excerpts below chronicling her incredible story

The warmest of welcomes to all of you beautiful readers here on Poets Digest! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for giving me the opportunity to share my creations with you. It’s an honor to be apart of such a supportive and beautiful community of creatives. Thank you to the magic going on behind the scenes here, every day, on this blog. Your ability to bring us together through our hardship and success amazes me everyday.

My name is Lillie, and I’m 24 years old. I frantically searched for the right words for this article… for days. As any writer knows, the first edit is not always the final product, and for me... it has to be “perfect”. Perfection is an idea I have struggled with for a long time. Since a young age, I’ve carried the weight of perfectionism. I remember sitting in my room, crying my eyes out, because the trinkets on my desk weren’t set up just right. I’d walk home from my bus stop in 3rd grade, mentally checking off my list of “things that need to be fixed”. I spent a lot of my time stacking and organizing every little piece of my life until it felt... perfect. My home life never was, and my struggles with depression only made it worse. I think that may speak on why I was so keen on gaining control over everything around me.

I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky with a family of 8 who loved me fiercely... but couldn’t always save me. I lived inbetween evictions, family drug use, and bullying. As a kid, you don’t think it matters... but as you get older, you feel the toll it took on your inner child. It was a rough upcoming, but I felt love in a way I couldn’t replace. A love built between struggle and survival, a collection of memories I wouldn’t change.

 I spent hours playing video games with my siblings and parents, and I’d watch in awe as my oldest created art anywhere from self portraits to dresses made from monster cans.

My first inspiration to create started with my older siblings and their talents. As I got older, I discovered my love for animals and began volunteering for a wildlife sanctuary. It was there that I found a calling to protect creatures who can’t protect themselves, and a love for the way life around us works. It inspired me in ways I didn’t think it would, and it continually inspires my art. The world we live in is breathtaking, with so many little secrets built into it. My desire to learn how the world worked, how gently life ticked, fueled my writing.

Poetry for me began in the heart of my home life. The struggles I endured felt locked inside of me, scratching at the walls of my heart, begging to be let out. When I got my first laptop, I spent many hours a day writing essays on my favorite animals, and soon I began writing my first novel: “Crystal Lily the Ice Queen”. Yeah, I know, 12 year old Lillie had amazing book titles! Unfortunately, the computer broke and I lost my progress, so instead I turned towards journaling. A few years later, I had several journals full of poetry and short stories. I was over the moon with this newfound passion, and I knew it would be one that stuck. I would do anything to see those old journals again, but around 2015 I burned them all. I’m not sure why, but a broken version of the younger me felt it was necesarry to rid myself of the hurt I put into words.

When I turned 18, I was at the peak of my mental illness. I struggled with traumas newly discovered, and triggers snuck up on me like ghosts. My anger got the best of me most days, and my anxiety left me with fingers bleeding. It was around this time that I began seeking out meaning. I wanted to understand 

myself and my purpose... I wanted a reason to stay alive. I have always believed in higher powers, God being a big one, but I found myself inside new worlds when I began to pratice mindfulness, meditation, and self love. I spent many days working through my emotions, and I found support within myself for the first time when I picked up my pen again and wrote out everything sitting inside of me. I had gone through more than I had ever imagined I would, and I knew that I couldn’t keep it in. Only this time, I wouldn’t burn the bridges I created with my art. I would work with my healing and the Universe to become the best version of myself I could be.

In 2021, I had a friend who created art themselves tell me over the phone that I didn’t have to wait to create, that I could write a book and that I didn’t need permission to do it. It made me realize the truth of art: There is no real ruleset to follow, there is no timeline to walk along. We create, and we can share what we create. Today, tomorrow, forever. All it takes is the first step into the unknown, similar to the Fools Journey. So I set off on that journey, and I began writing with the intention of sharing my healing with the world. In 2023, I started an Instagram dedicated to my poetry. Soon after, I began to amass many followers who shared in my pain and found beauty in my words.

I never imagined myself as someone who would spill their thoughts out to strangers, but it is easily the best thing I’ve ever decided to do. I’ve learned so much about myself, about healing, about the world around us and how we fit into it. I couldn’t be more grateful for the version of myself I’m becoming thanks to the world of creatives around me.

These days, I live in Florida with the intention of going to school for what I love the most: Marine/Wildlife Biology. Though that path may be one I walk a little later in life, I plan on getting there eventually. Until then, I’ve been focusing my efforts on finishing and releasing my collection of bittersweet love poetry, “Letters Lost to You”. I’m overjoyed everyday to know people love my work, and I’m grateful to have the chance to publish my writing.

This is the first announcement of my book title, and I’m honored to share it here, with you all.

As far as life goes, I’d say I’m mostly mundane. I haven’t had the chance to travel the world, or even the new city I live in, but if life has taught me anything... it’s this: Mundane is okay. Simple is okay. What matters the most is our happiness, and there is no need to prove that to the world. You must prove to yourself that you will reach the goals you set, and trust in your ability to find love, happiness, and success. Our struggles do not define us, and our pain is not felt alone. You are loved, and you are important. Dont wait to create, or you may be waiting forever... and there are so many beautiful souls waiting to be touched by your art. Thank you for reading a bit about who I am, and if you want to, you can follow me on Instagram and Threads @goldenrayedpoetry. I have so many creative goals for this part of my life, and you will likely see them all posted there along the way.

Lillie's abiity as a Poet and all round creative of repute is World Class as she was personally recommended by International Bestseller Spencer, as in his exact words "Lillie is an incredibly gifted writer and poet with world class ability. Her poetry is an absolute joy". She will feature on her first official Collaboration with Spencer on his critically acclaimed Collab tour pretty soon.

Everyone at The Poet's Digest wish Lillie the very best in all her endeavours.

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