BLAIR NORTHEN WILLIAMSON
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THE "FREE THE SEA OF PLASTICS" SCARF

4/25/2022

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THE "FREE THE SEA OF PLASTICS" SCARF by the island writer. 

It's not a secret that plastics are one of the greatest threats to our oceans. But, how could I help do something about it? As a past scuba diving instructor, I've silently thought about what I would do to help for years and I didn't want to just think about it anymore. I felt like I needed to do something to spread awareness about plastics in our oceans. About what I have personally experienced and observed while working underwater. About how the precious sea creatures can't tell the difference between what is plastic and what is food. 

My desire to spread this message has come out in a variety of ways, the first was writing a children's picture book about this topic. A project that is currently out on submission with my agent. In the meantime, I wanted to do something else and I turned to fashion. 

There is a men's clothing store here my hometown Richmond, VA named Peter-Blair. My cousin and god father Dick Fowlkes named the store after me and his other god child at the time, Peter Sisk. Peter-Blair specializes in ties and they also do an incredible job with their custom projects for various nonprofits, corporations, and schools. They have created scarves before and I have always wanted to do a custom project with them, but never had a real reason to. I figured there is no better time than now and created something I would wear as a woman. 

I wanted to find a unique way to display this problem under the sea. I met with my cousin Kate who Dick's sister and artist who draws the designs for Peter-Blair ties. I described to her the problem that is occurring under the water and showed pictures as inspiration. She helped bring this concept to life and we are very excited about the impact this scarf will have. The goal is to spread awareness about the confusion turtles have with plastic bags floating upside-down underwater, believe it or not, they look EXACTLY like their favorite food, jellyfish. It's very confusing to turtles, but even to us as scuba diving instructors, it is very difficult to tell the difference. 

Photos above are of the design process and color selection. The photo of the scarf is an example, the colors aren't exact but I wanted to give you an idea of the design. If you want to help out, that would be fantastic!

HOW CAN YOU JOIN THE ME TO FREE THE SEA OF PLASTICS? 
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1) You can order a scarf, and then when it comes in, WEAR it! That will help start the important conversations about the impact of plastic bags in our oceans. We all need to TALK about these important issues today. Cost: $100 per scarf. All proceeds will be donated.

2) If you don't want a scarf, you can donate to the movement: I'm taking orders and donations via cash, check, or Venmo. Venmo @blairnwilliamson and you can send an email with questions to [email protected].
*There is a limited quantity available.

3) If you don't want to donate and you don't want to order a scarf, PLEASE make a pledge to use reusable bags at the grocery store at the very least. Every person's actions *DO* matter! 

Friends and family, thank you to those who have been so supportive already. Your encouragement means the world to me... and the turtles. 


I'll keep everyone updated when they arrive, I hope by World Ocean's Day, June 8, 2022. 

XOXO,
​Blair


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THE POWER OF A SOLO [WRITERS] RETREAT

4/13/2022

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 ​Not sure if you know this about me or not, but I am a fiercely independent person. And that means I personally really need my alone time every now and then. Being a mom to two young kids, it's nearly impossible to get that time anymore but, my incredibly supportive husband took over kid-duty for the weekend and sent me on my way on a solo writers retreat. I was itching to get started on my middle grade novel. The "MG" novel that has been sitting in my brain for over a decade is finally a WIP (Work-in-Progress) and I am 5,220 words in. There is a lot for me to figure out on "how" to exactly polish a Middle Grade Novel, but the words being out of my brain and on paper is a HUGE step in the right direction and it is very exciting. 

I stayed local at the Linden Row Inn downtown and made sure I visited some of the "hip" new coffee spots. I went to Roastology coffee and wrote in their awesome warehouse type cafe for the entire morning. After I had my caffeine fix, I relocated to my hotel for the weekend where I wrote by the fire in the Linden Row Inn lobby. The Inn has a black cat who sat on the couch and watched me type for hours. This was equally creepy and sweet. Many people have asked what I listen to when I write as they have seen me around town with earbuds in tip tapping away on the keyboard in my own little flow state world. The answer, classical music. I listen to the same 10 songs on repeat. In short, the weekend provided me with the opportunity to focus on writing which is a great outlet for me. 

While the traditional publishing route is proving to take even longer than I originally expected, I am filling my time in other ways, trying not to sit around and wait. 
  • The 12x12 picture book challenge is keeping me on my toes. It's mid-April and I haven't yet written my next draft so that is a big item on my to do list for the month. I have written 3 new picture books in 2022 already. I love them all.
  • I am close to making a very exciting decision to partner with an environmental activist group on a fun tie design concept to spread awareness about plastics in our oceans. I've worked with Kate and Dick at PeterBlair and the tie / scarf design is almost complete. Very exciting things to come on this front. 
  • This weekend we are heading back to Figure 8 where I get so much inspiration to write and *spoiler alert* it is the setting of my middle grade novel, so I need to get some fresh content. 
  • I submitted one of my new picture books to a Work In Progress contest for SCBWI 2022.
  • I submitted a second new picture book to a Most Promising Manuscript award for SCBWI 2022. The results won't come out until October 2022, but I'm proud of myself for submitting some new material out to the world. 

Lots of more excitement on the way, thank you again to my friends and family for your constant support and interest in my path to become a children's author. 
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    Author

    Blair has travelled extensively all over the world. She and her husband enjoy taking their kids on big adventures together. Blair writes children's picture books for all ages! Most of her stories are inspired by life events. They feature kid’s curiosity, love of the environment, laughter, and fantasy.
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