Look at this beautiful and inspiring blog post over at Kamana's 31 days of connecting. Kamana's blog "Journalling through Photos" was where I found the 31 days challenge. So thank you Kamana.
I was very inspired by her words today, about creativity; these in particular, "stop making excuses, erase self-doubt, follow your heart, believe."
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I am attending a class in the evenings at the moment, it is a creative writing class. I seem to have always been studying. For the past 20 years or more, I've studied an endless amount of courses as part of my work; then before that I studied for a degree, and before that for an access course. Mostly academic study, or study related to my work. It has been facts and figures, procedures, theories and evidence.
More recently I've been hankering after something a little more creative.
After giving up any serious ideas of writing in my teens, I always wondered if I put my mind to it, whether I could develop my writing abilities further. I get stuck in this story quite often, and those who have read my blog before will recall it; the story of how I completed first drafts for two different "novels". Both of which involved me doing a fair bit of research. Hours of research and hours of writing, which was then something I loved. I get stuck in this story, especially the tragic ending where I tear them both up, and throw them in the bin. I stopped writing. I didn't have any more ideas, well not many, and especially none I felt were any good.
Well, as you know, if you never try you'll never fail, will you?
My story then goes on, about never knowing what might have happened if I'd sent them to publishers back then, in my teens. It goes on about never knowing if I would have continued writing. Where would I be now?
Well if you never try, you'll never know the answer to that question, will you?
There have been creative writing courses I could have attended before, however the thought of sharing anything I might write, with others, has always stopped me.
I was too AFRAID.
Afraid my writing would not be good enough. Afraid it never would be good enough for anyone else to read or to listen to. Afraid that other people would scoff or ridicule.
A few weeks ago, I decided to take the plunge. To stop making excuses. To follow my heart. I decided to be less "precious" about what I might write, to have some fun, to experiment and to take some risks with this idea of "me writing".
Last week something I shared something I wrote with the other people in the class. This week I'm going to do it again. Arrghh! It is jolly scary but I suppose the more you do it the easier it will become? I guess the trick is not to compare yourself with others. Also to enjoy the process, rather than having the goal of having anything published.
What about you? Is there something that you have wanted to do but that you keep making excuses about? What is behind these excuses? Is it fear or something else? Are you ready to change this stuckness, to change that story, and try something different? You might just enjoy it.
I admire that you're doing. I too want to write more and it's helpful to see how you are facing this challenge.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have found some inspiration. Thanks for the visit.
Delete