Poet/Author Joy Elan: Sharing Her Words and Inspiration with the World

Award-winning poet/author Joy Elan is a force to be reckoned with.

In 2016 alone she was able to showcase her skills as an award-winning poet by winning national awards and even released her first novel LIFE IS A CANVAS.

"It was amazing, and some of it I couldn't believe that I accomplished," she said to host Cyrus Webb during their conversation together on Conversations LIVE.

Part of what made 2016 such a great year for her was that she was able to introduce her poetry to a younger audience by making some slight adjustments. "I knew I needed to clean up the language and the content to reach another audience," she said. "That helped me propel and take off even more." Realizing that she could still deliver powerful messages, Joy said that she realized she was limiting her audience before. It all began by speaking honestly to herself. "I'm supposed to be an educator. Why do I have all this foul language in my writing? Time for me to grow up a little. I wanted something that everyone could read." The big lesson that this changed revealed? "It made me realize that in order to be marketable you have to be accessible."

During the conversation Webb shifted the attention to how Joy has been able to do what she has and not allowed the fear of failure or the outcome stop her. "I'm my own determining factor," she told him. Life is a very interesting thing. You either believe you can do it or you can't. I don't wait for other people to tell me. I go based on when I'm ready. It's all based on my inspiration and motivation. I've always been like this as a person," she said. "Once I put my mind to something I do it. I have to believe in myself. I can't wait on anybody else."

Another motivation for Joy is her daughter. "She's part of the reason why I do what I do," she said during her interview. "I don't want to just tell her to go after her dreams. I want her to see me doing it. She sees me working around the clock. This is hard work and takes dedication. Things come when you put time and energy to it."

That is the message she wants everyone to get. "I want to be an example of someone who can have a goal or dream and see it come true. When I leave this earth my words will live on forever. I don't care where you're from or what kind of situation you are in, you have the power to make things happen for yourself. It might be hard, but if you really believe in something you will pursue it."

Stay connected with Joy Elan at her website at www.authorjoyelan.com.