The “No Edit” blog post.
It’s interesting to see what your brain comes up with when forced to put pen to paper – or in 2021; hands to key-board.
There is a desire in all of us to creatively express ourselves – in a way that is authentic and true to ourselves.
Many of us do not get the opportunity to express this through our work. Some may not even get to express this in our relationships. And then there are those who don’t even get to express this to themselves; within the private confines of their own skull.
Perhaps we are afraid of being who we really are. This has been written about at nauseam and I am not willing to bore the reader with another long and shallow exploration of “Becoming what you are”. That would be an injustice to the notion – this is not to say that this is less profound than what it is – but to write an inspiration piece on it lessens it’s significance.
Regardless, we cannot hide from the paper; that is, once we get out of our own way and allow what is within us to come through us. Hence, I write. Hence some paint. Hence some exercise. We all have our vices. Well, we should all have our vices. Otherwise we shrivel up and never get to step into the truth of our existence.
It’s a skill – expressing yourself. This is not something that will come naturally. Years and years of hardwiring and programming make it so. We are told we must do things a particular way; follow a certain path; choose a career and work hard, so when we come across a post on instagram that encourages to break free of this and be who we are; many of us don’t even know what that is.
We’re like Bambi, clumsily stumbling our way through the psyche, with no handrails or structure to assist us. And this is the problem with discovering our authentic selves. It’s not a static notion; it’s a process that begins as many processes do – awkward and uncomfortable.
The truth is not something that we decide to arrive at – it takes time, energy and effort – just like writing a blog post. Already I start to feel myself wanting to go back and revise this – as if this piece is not good enough to put out as it is. It is unrefined, incoherent; it doesn’t flow; it doesn’t make sense.
But that’s exactly why it is perfect. It is exactly why it is authentic. It wouldn’t be truthful otherwise.
The same goes for discovering ourselves.
Choose your vice – not because you are good at it straightaway; but because you can loose yourself in it long enough to forget how it is meant to turn out.
Publish your effort.
Publish your process.
Because that is the becoming.
This took me all of 5 minutes – including a bathroom break.
Imagine what we can achieve in a lifetime with this same attitude.
CHANGE IS THE POINT 