Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Face Yourself: Heart Blocks

January 17th, 2014

For as long as I can remember I have been writing my heart out on paper. I never understood what ever pushed me to pursue this hobby but I found great comfort in writing to myself about...well, myself ! No one else seemed to be as interested in piecing my puzzle as I was. I also found refuge in books and escaping to different realities, not that I wanted to flee from something specific (as far as I know) but to go somewhere without the hassle of actually paying, traveling and packing.

The memory of my favorite "vacation" began with "A Series of Unfortunate Events" by the infamous Lemony Snicket. I wanted to be the deceivingly cute Sunny, the brainiac Klaus with each word he defines, tie my hair up to solve problems like the brilliant Violet. Frankly, their story was despairing and hapless but I joined them for the ride willingly from one novel to the next. I embraced the author's macabre taste, his writing as mysterious as his own life. I love books about memoirs and reencounters. I love digging into innocent pasts that unravels itself; it was my call as to when to turn the page. I sought to do that in my writing, that is, if ever anyone got to read my work. I was and probably still am a possessive and secretive person. I feared letting people in to understand and analyze my thoughts because that was MY secret that I was entitled to.
I will admit I don't recall "The Diary of Ann Frank," which surprises me because of how much I aspire to one day be revealed through my writing by accident. Is that weird? Well, those were my thoughts earlier on.

In my writings, I found myself hiding identities of the people around me. Every single person had a codename I fabricated and now even I struggle to decipher whom I wrote about ! I was fearful of being opposed and critiqued for what I was feeling. I still am because I appreciate my readers now that I made the step to publicized my work; however, the indirect approach to never naming out loud and in writing was a censor to my creativity. I was free to say many things subliminally and I have been doing so whether they get published or tucked  away deep in my closet, but that brought me more ambiguity than answers throughout my journey as a writer.

What's this schpeil all about?

Say what you mean and mean what you say. Be unapologetic to yourself in your passions and hobbies, you deserve your honesty and your peace. Remove the censored tape from your hands and your mouth; exhale the hurt and confusion, seek to stretch your understanding of yourself in any way possible.
Thank you for all the people I have met and conversed with from early mornings to late nights from book signings to coffeehouses from the past 48 hours; thank you authors, strangers, old friends, and new.

"It's not writer's block; it's heart block." -Alexandra Elle

Friday, January 31, 2014

Artist Alert: nevakel13

A Social Media Journey

 I am encountering more and more creative minds and it's lovely seeing people thrive in their passions and hobbies. I might have never told you but I used to know how to draw better than those scribbles from my passport journal, I promise. That's definitely a hobby I wish I had kept and improved myself in. Enough regrets and shoutout to a young Malagasy (yes, not Madagascan, Madagascarian or Lemurien) artist, Maneva, for these crazy skills !




Check more of Maneva's awesome work on IG: @nevakel13

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

My view #16

Book signing, NYC |
Alexandra Elle, "Words from A Wanderer."

Pouring Peace:

I had to learn to embrace the rain.
I needed to realize that cloudy days were sometimes more than alright.
Crying in the shower is where I felt most sane, most safe.
The scorching hot water left welts on my brown skin but at least the dirty tears were given a place to be washed away.
I was ashamed and hurting for so long.
Hiding was my only option when the sunshine had taken heed to the horizon.
I am OK now.
The sunlight isn't the only thing that makes me happy anymore now that I can endure my storms.

(p.48)

Thursday, September 26, 2013

I got it from...

My very early inspirations from those 3-4 Tumblrs I had back in the day. The combination of these four individuals shaped me so much, my re-blog history is the proof. Mixed media to accommodate the pro-words and those pro-images.


One of the very first people I followed on Tumblr whose post was always on point with lots of comic and anime references. It's the ordinary life happenings with the occasional sprinkles of heartaches but her I-will-tell-it-like-it-is style naturally captivated my attention. Besides Kyoko's sense of humor, her down to earth personality, her words all so raw and personal yet still comprehensive to any reader definitely inspired the writer in me; she read the thoughts from my head and took the words out of my mouth.

Calling philosophers and dreamers, this blog had the answers to all the questions concerning life-etiquette. From her recent posts all the way to the most ancient, Marenna's writings mirror her free-spirited and debonair-self. Each post is but a portion of her unapologetic journey through life which made me keep up with her blog. Strongly recommended for lovers of deeper meanings and wanderlust anecdotes.

Mynamesdiana, dirty diana:
Diana started out on Tumblr (like most of us) and it seems to me got famous for her natural and bold features. Not your average content-heavy blog however, great visuals for those into urban street fashion  and photography (yes, you should know by know I support my fellow big-haired ladies from everywhere and anywhere). Recommended for music aficionados as well!

stellablu, By Stella Blu:
Besides her exotic looks and luscious curls that I envy so much, Stella's personal artwork and travel pictures are definitely worth a look. Check out her little sister as well, @kookiecakes_ .

Friday, August 9, 2013

Morning Inspirations

Drafted August 5th, 8:31AM

New mornings
don't ask yesterdays,
Who hurt them
or,
Why the sun wasn't out.

For some days,
more than the sun,
we yearn only to see

the silver linings framing the clouds.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Something


If I have written anything about you or for you then you must have been pretty damn amazing whether you knew it or not because you meant something to me once upon a time. It's one of the scariest, strangest and strongest thing to feel something towards a person, especially when it takes you by surprise how much they can offer to your being. Something can be anything: love, hate, anger, jealousy, inspiration, admiration, curiosity. Neither is necessarily better than the other, it's all just an experience, meeting people that shift the way you think about the world and of yourself. I say challenge your beliefs, let yourself grow, feed off good vibes and learn from the bad, let something move you; that's the only way you can find out who you actually are and where you stand if you're even willing to budge.

Writing has become an effortless and reflective hobby, second nature. We depend too much on others to comfort us and get angry when they don't know how to handle the situation. People run to each other whereas I write, and write, and write, and write until I've exhausted my thoughts. At the end of the day, although I may have written novels and sequels about you, I did it for me, to better understand myself as I watch feelings bleed onto the paper. Henceforth, if I took time to share something I've written, appreciate it; if you received a personalized card, postcard, or pictures with things written on the back, check inside the book flaps I've let you borrow, if we write to each other often and regularly, I consider you one of my closest; if I've opened up to you because you inspired me and you knew how much that took out of me, you were one of the lucky fews that had that access so don't front and instantly turn the page on me.

''  Write hard and clear about what hurts. - Ernest Hemingway