By Amber Ford
The Mountain Times
While I have covered local artists from woodworking to watercolors, photography to hair stylists, I figured it would be an excellent time to introduce your “Meet the Artist” journalist, me. I have now completed my first year as a staff writer for the Mountain Times, understanding the detailed work and creativity that goes into the creation of a journalistic article that is not only factual, researched and drafted, but also creatively approached with an open mind and a thirst for knowledge.
As a graduate of Kent State University with a degree in journalism, the last professional twenty years were not full of the investigative journalism I had anticipated. As life goes typically against plan, I dabbled in banking, part-time creative writing and my now-full-time occupation, local coffee shop owner. While writing has never been far from my thoughts, other careers came careening by and my passion to write was placed on the back burner. Now that I am back into the art of the written word, it is an outlet that now has an even bigger and better place in my life.
Although the journalistic approach to writing is a non-biased and complete factual account of names, places and events, becoming a staff writer for the Mountain Times has realigned my focus on writing and is now something I do often as a fun, creative outlet. With several short stories, poems and a novel saved for future adventures, being able to express myself with words is something that is both a blessing and a curse. The fear of failure and judgment that comes with putting your imagination on paper can be a very nerve-racking experience, but I have found it is better to put those ideas into characters, quotes and a storyline rather than let them go to waste.
As a resident of the Mt. Hood Villages for over a decade now, I have grown to love and appreciate this most beautiful area in so many ways. As a local business owner of Coffee House 26, I have seen the many ups and downs that come with living in a tourist destination. During our shutdown with Covid I decided to take my love for reading and writing and incorporate it into my coffee shop, with the addition of new and used books for sale. Sharing both my love for coffee and reading was a dream come true, and it truly seemed to ignite a passion in others, too. Those passions came in the form of a book club, book donations and a theme every month for showcased novels.
With each passing month as a local journalist, I am reminded why I keep the art of writing a huge part of my life. Each interview, article, draft and final proof continues to inspire me to dig deeper into our community for other passionate artists and newsworthy stories. And while being a business owner, journalist and reading enthusiast is a large part of who I am both professionally and creatively, I will always be Amber Lynn, Youngstown, Ohio native, Mt. Hood local, meatball makin’ cat mom at heart.