It’s happening too often that I’ll be driving somewhere or I’ll be at some place and think, “It’s different at home, it’s different from here.” So I try to recall where home is. What is […]
Category: Uncategorized
Too bad the rush was found again.
Finally making turtle-speed progress on my book and its been over a week since I got off all social media. I spent 3 or 4 hours last Saturday at Flinn Springs Park gutting my entire […]
People are lovely.
Since being off social media and artfully avoiding writing, I have a lot of time to be around people I like. Early in the week, I went to an amazing BBA meeting and got to […]
Welcome my friends to the little things that kill.
I have an insatiable desire to finish my book. Let’s call it an obsession. A flat-out, no holds barred MISSION to get this DONE. I truly do feel called to write it. Which sounds completely […]
What does it mean to make a change?
I have two modes: compulsively overplanning with overcommitments to achieve some “bigger picture” ….or voluntarily riding the wave of Whatever and hoping everything works out OK. In the past 5 years since moving to San […]
Why, if you get it, you “get” it.
This year, I’ve stepped out in faith to talk more about Jesus. I… do not enjoy this. I…. do not enjoy upsetting people. I…do not enjoy defending myself. I…am not good at it. I… am […]
My Story, Part II: Rehab, Relapses, and Recovery
The second half of my recovery story. Excited to bring more videos about my life in sobriety, what “recovery” truly means, and growing in my faith and creative life!
My Story, part 1: DUI’s, Jail, & Insanity
Condensing a 10-year addiction into 9 minutes was not easy. I tried to make it even shorter but man, that’s hard! Check it out, if you wanna. Next, I’ll be talking about HOW I got […]
Because I said I would.
This will be a long rambling personal post but read on if you’re bored. I love January. I believe in New Year’s Resolutions. I believe in doing things differently. I believe in trying something new. […]
The writing in the stall said, “We write our maps in the stalls.”
Have you ever met someone that absolutely made you bloom from the moment you met them? Like, they tick every box you had on the list of “must-haves” in a life partner? You daydream about […]
All I want is to just have fun, live my life like a son of a gun.
I could be one thousand miles away but still mean what I say I’m going on a short vacation for my birthday and I’m really excited about it. Practically gushing about it, I’m like, SO […]
I’d love to change the world but I don’t know what to do, so I’ll leave it up to you
I’ve set myself on a very stupid routine of writing in a blue spiral notebook with a blue gel ink pen and scribbling away at this story I’m writing, usually in the mornings or at […]
It seems so out of context in this gaudy apartment complex.
Art. Love. Social Media. Relationships. Writing. God. I can relate a lot of my introspective creative pursuits to good ol’ attempts at raw abstraction via construction paper and magazine cut outs — a messy disconnected […]
So, you don’t know where you’re going but you want to talk?
My blogs about my personal life tend to be more popular than the ones about my spiritual life (even though that is very, uh, personal to me) and I’ve struggled with weeks to write this. […]
Well, your mother told you all that I could give you was a reputation…
…Aw, she never cared for me But did she ever say a prayer for me? In case you missed it, this conversation happened at my folk’s house this weekend: My mother is a very lovely […]
I never understood the frequency, uh-huh.
Today is World Mental Health Day and I just barely found out about it. Being the totally self-involved person that I tend to be on occasion, I felt like this day was totally meant for […]
The Fear has gripped me, but here I go…
I’ve been away from blogging for a while for a lot of personal reasons. The one I (don’t) want to talk about is the most unresolved one, which is: I only write because of God […]
Matching calamity with serenity
“Procrastinating is an art/I do it exceptionally well/I do it so it feels like hell/I do it so that it feels real/I guess you could say I’ve a call” – Sylvia Plath Just kidding, […]
A Creative Process
Some of you may remember the original “Vanz Set Free” blog that I had started in 2013. It was meant to document a 3 week fast I was doing with my church. At the time, […]
A work in progress…
Hi there, Welcome to the new Vanz Set Free website. I will be posting more information about the collection of personal essays I will be publishing along with a new art project I am working on. This […]
See what I’ve done, that bridge is on fire.
My friend said this very true thing to me the other day, “As alcoholics, we are used to burning bridges. Every time we transition, we are used to leaving this trail of flames behind us […]
Toe-to-toe, back-to-back, let’s go!
I encourage everyone to pick a secret partner-in-crime. Someone you look up to that you think would totally support you in your endeavors, whether they be business-like, in the creative field, or just in life […]
I wanna spread my dementia.
There is a negative to being positive all of the time. Sometimes, your friends, they don’t want to tell you when they’re going through stuff. I had a friend tell me that when he talks […]
Your permission slip to kick ass today.
Howaboutthis? How about you just do you? And not in that sassy-IDGAF-way. I mean it in an authentic way. I challenge you to strip yourself naked emotionally and tell the world how you feel and […]
Satellite mind
Happy 2017!! YAY! And thanks for continuing to read Vanz Set Free. 🙂 I had a mini meltdown last year and thought that maybe I should just get rid of this blog but now I […]
