If there's anything I've learned about getting older, it's that there's never a bad time for a new beginning.
Let me explain. It's 1st February 2023, and I've started writing again. Not that I had stopped. Rather, I've allowed myself to start writing about things that I truly care about, as opposed to the things I thought I should be writing about.
At school, I wanted to be a poet, so naturally took up writing poetry. I would spend my evenings chiseling away at my latest project, showing it to anyone who would care to give it a read. A couple of pieces I published, but the rest remained buried in Google Docs that haven't been opened for almost 7 years.
Next, I moved into magazine production. I teamed up with one of the most wonderful humans I've ever met, and together we built an art and literature zine that went on to sell in 3 continents.
Here's what made this zine special: all submissions were printed. Why? The magazine was designed to promote the notion that art is subjective, and who were we, as editors, to turn away submissions just because they weren't to our taste?
That being said, I wasn't exactly practicing what I preached. I seldom wrote on my own terms, with most ideas staying on the napkins, post-it notes and scraps of paper I'd frantically scribbled them down on, telling myself that this was the piece I'd finally get published.
It's been a couple of years since then. I've been in a steady writing job with a high focus on SEO, with one simple goal — get your brand name in front of as many eyes as possible.
I could spend days talking about SEO (perhaps an idea for a different blog post), but here's the catch: despite being in a job I loved, I still wasn't satisfied.
Having spent so much of my life writing for the approval of others — partially out of the need for external validation, partially to keep the lights on — I'd lost touch with my own creativity.
So, here's where I begin again. I've chiseled away my own small corner of the internet to write about whatever I want, for no other reason than that I can. And if you've found yourself lucky enough to stumble across my ramblings, welcome. I hope you enjoy this site as much as I do.
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