Photography, Biographies, SWPSC Editorial Team
Meet Mary Chang & the SWPSC Team
About the Creator & Editors of Six Word Photo Story Challenge
Giving space to make us shine.
We shine in different ways — giving ourselves space and drawing from our inner strength.
When I read the editor bios that I asked Ellie, Sandi, and Vidya to write for this publication, their words and photos lit up my brain as I tried to figure out how to create my own bio and somehow mingle their ideas into my story.
Editorial Update, December 2022: As of December, Ellie Jacobson stepped away as an editor for SWPSC, but will continue to be a writer.
When I saw Ellie’s feature photo, (a photo of a photo, of herself, circa 1995) I started digging through my own 90s photos and found this black & white memory — taken by a charming photographer friend who had a crush on me (or maybe it was the other way around).
Sandi’s feature photo was a Polaroid of herself as a child caught in a playful moment and it made me reminisce about the snapshots my father took of me in the 70s. That’s how I found this old treasure — me and my friend flexing our biceps.
There seems to be a common theme in my photographs. I like to show off my muscles and shoulders and the older I get — the more skin I bare.
But there won’t be any nudity in this story — I do have boundaries. That’s the territory I’ve landed in since I hit 50 because I can do whatever the hell I want, within reason. It’s just skin, muscles, inner strength — and the feisty 9-year-old spirit that I’ve reclaimed in middle age. That girl shot out from the 70s and kicked me in the butt to give me a jolt of confidence. I needed that kick badly — I was facing a mid-life crossroads and it booted me in the right direction.
This leads me back to Vidya — another feisty-spirited 50-something-year-old woman. Her bio which included a list of “10 Things” in random order, made me giggle the whole way through. Seeing that list tempted me to steal her idea!
Ten Random Things About Mary Chang, SWPSC Creator & Editor
- My father taught me how to roll my tummy and snap a Polaroid. But he didn’t teach me how to meditate.
- I can type 60 words per minute — on a typewriter.
- I hate wet shoes. I go barefoot whenever I open water swim, no matter how cold the water, or how rough the sand, rocks, and shells are. Free toes feel good and nature’s pedicure goes to work.
- I flare my nostrils (and sometimes fart) to make my son laugh.
- I paint my toenails in two different colours and I love eating jujubes.
- I can hold my breath underwater for 1 minute and 25 seconds.
- When I was 10, I could a) do the splits b)twist my legs into the lotus, and walk on my knees while holding the pose.
- Today I can’t do either. But I can do 69 consecutive cartwheels, cross the monkey bars and do a headstand — after I discovered the “Click” moment of exercise.
- I still can’t sing like a rockstar, but I wish I could.
- I used to hate my big calves and can never fit them into tall skinny boots. My calves are nearly as big as my thighs — but those calves give me the power to run, climb mountains and cycle uphill. I couldn’t survive without them.
- Make that 11 things! Last month, I attempted my first-ever triathlon at age 51. I used to be terrified of drowning and wouldn’t swim in the water if my feet couldn’t touch the bottom. I was the slowest swimmer in my age category, the second slowest swimmer overall out of 255 total racers, but I finished the race!
On the day I turned 50 — my 10-year-old son summed it up with this question, “Mom, can you believe that you’ve been alive for 50 years?” No, son — I can’t. But being this ancient, woke me up and empowered me to create my own self-mantra, “Try, Mary, Try!” My life, love, parenting, writing, and fitness journey is a life-long adventure.
I’m here until I hit 100 or maybe until the day I do my final cartwheel, headstand, or woohoo for my reaching my last “fantasy goal” that I’ve transformed into a reality. I don’t know what that fantasy goal is yet, but the way I defy and embrace the aging process is to write about it, get out there, and keep trying.
That’s how I learned how to shine.
About the Publication!
In September 2021, I launched this publication, Six Word Photo Story Challenge which was inspired by my popular 6-Word Photo Story Summer Challenge writing prompt (Summer 2021) on Medium. It was a fast and furious experience running the pub solo for the first six months! I invited Ellie Jacobson (Update: Ellie’s no longer an editor as of Dec 2022), Sandi Parsons, and Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles to join me as guest editors in the Spring of 2022, and they became regular editors this June.
About the SWPSC Editorial Team!
We are a group of three strong, vibrant women — each of us is awesome, possesses inner strength, and shines in individual ways. We connected on Medium through our stories, voices, faces, and photographs — across three different countries and time zones (Canada, Australia, and India).
I’m truly blessed that these two human beings are joining me on this creative writing and editing journey through this inspirational publication that can ignite fresh ideas, spark joy, and evoke nostalgia into our lives — simply through six words, a photograph, and sometimes a back story.
I invite you to read the bios of Sandi Parsons, and Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, and learn about these fabulous women who have become my friends and editors of the SWPSC team.
Mary’s other bio stories: Here’s my original SWPSC bio, About Me bio, My Superpower story, and my “Self” Challenge bio.
Need inspiration? Check out my Six Word Photo Story Collection.
Can you tell a story in six words inspired by a photo taken by yourself?
If you’d like to submit to the Six Word Photo Story Challenge and apply to be a writer, please read and follow the Submission Guidelines.
Mary Chang Story Writer is fueled by cartwheels, laughter, and encouraging people to shine.
If you were inspired by her stories or the Six Word Photo Story Challenge publication, please support her journey by buying her a $3 coffee by using this link: https://ko-fi.com/marychangstorywriter. Gratitude for your kindness.
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