This big question has been at the forefront
of my brain the past week, bouncing around, finding its footing. Finding its grip.
I was nestled in the back corner of one of
my many favourite cafes, head phones in and encircled by post-it notes with
words and messages when, while tapping away at my laptop I was stopped
mid-sentence. I thought: Why do I do this? Why do I write?
The big why.
And you would think the answer would be
quite obvious. That it would roll off the tongue without a moment’s hesitation.
With full clarity and certainty.
But this wasn’t the case.
I was stumped. Silenced even.
I left the question unanswered. I let it
linger, and this is what evolved.
I write because…
* It
is integral to my personal happiness and wellbeing
If I don’t write, I don’t feel whole. I
feel off-centre and a little wobbly to tell you the truth. When life has gotten
too busy, and finding time to write has been a stretch so I’ve ignored the
pull, it hasn’t worked in my favour. Lesson here: There is always time to
write.
Something sensational happens when ideas
and thoughts move from my head and through my body to my fingers, and make
their way to the blank canvas before me in the way of words.
Spaciousness is created. Queries and ambiguities
become clear(er) when articulated into verses, and everything just makes a
little more sense. Who I am, and my place in the world is more evident.
Why do we do many of the things we love?
Because frankly, it feels good.
*
Creativity is sacred
When I find my groove, each word flows and
graciously supports the next word - effortlessly. There is no push. No
pressure. Each word has a unique home on the page, and has been chosen because
of its exclusive relevance to the message and the quality it expels. The sentences
begin to sing. The punctuation emphasizes each. and. every. word.
It is my doorway to the creative realm.
Where colours morph and shapes transform. Where smells are portrayed and places
are reinvented. Where life is full of possibility.
When this happens, I feel a beat to my
walk, and a hop to my skip. This kind of self-expression brings me happiness
and reminds me to keep doing what lights me up from the inside out.
There is a yearning; a fire in my belly,
and experience has taught me that those feelings cannot be ignored.
