Yet again, I have some bad news: I have written zero words since my last post. Life has been really busy, and I have had to set some priorities, something that no one likes to do. In high school, I had my hands in a lot of different clubs, and now that I am here at Penn State, where work and class and activities actually take time out of the day, I have had to cut down on my involvement in extracurriculars. In a way (sadly a way that has negatively impacted my book), this is the first thing that I have learned through writing Perspectives. While it is great to have things that calm you down, or things that you enjoy doing that do not necessarily take a lot of effort, there comes a time where you need to sit down, bite the bullet, and get work done. The things I have had to give up to get work done, while incredibly gratifying in the moment (like drumming or watching Netflix), have to take a back seat to the work that I am doing towards my degree, and my career.
The second thing I have learned in this book is that I actually possess a creative side. All my life, I have never thought of myself as the “creative” type. I have always been interested in science and mathematics, and felt restricted when it came to imagination. In first grade, I remember writing journal entries in class, and one of the “prompts” was to write a story that we imagined. My response was, I kid you not, “I do not have an imagination,” and I then proceeded to write about polar bears and their habitats. Now, it is pretty obvious that I have broken out of my “analytical” shell, and am venturing out into the scary world that Spongebob talked about in his cardboard box. That’s right, I’m talking about the world of…
Now, operating on my own prompt, I am crafting a story from my own mind, and it is really exhilarating. Actually, my expansion into my creative side has helped me take a new approach to the analytical side of my life. It has expanded my capabilities, and I am really happy with how this book has helped me.
Finally, I have learned that it is okay to step out on a limb and try something new. I have lived in a cocoon of familiarity my entire life, and have very rarely taken steps outside of my comfort zone. No matter how much people say how important it is to step out of the familiar, and walk out into the unknown, I never took their advice. I did great in my cocoon, never had to worry about failure, and always knew what to anticipate. As a kid who used to think he did not have an imagination, this venture out into the literary world has been scary. I think every step I take is incorrect, and I think I’m doing everything wrong. However, paraphrasing Thomas Edison, I will not fail, I will only find 1,001 ways not to write a book.
Hopefully I have more physical and less philosophical progress next week. Only time will tell!
YAY! I love everything about this post! It’s okay that you didn’t make any more progress on your book, life does get crazy. Sometimes it is necessary to prioritize the more creative things below other necessary things, like class and stuff. I am so excited that you’ve been able to find a creative side, I believe everyone has one. It can be difficult to see when you confine yourself to a specific little box of perceived strengths and skills. This is kind of what I’m trying to do with my blog. I am specifically doing creative things to strengthen my creative side and explore more about myself. I am so excited to hear about your book more and I hope you continue to discover more about yourself as well. The journey is just as important as reaching your goals!
While you did not make any physical progression on this book, I like that you made a more philosophical one and discussed it for your blog this week. After weeks of reading your passion blog, I think this breakthrough was well needed. I like how you lightly touched on the difference between high school and college. Since being here, I have felt as if all the stuff I initially wanted to do, extracurricular and personal activities, has been put on the back burner. It is somewhat sad, but in a sense, it is also the truth about college life. As well, I enjoyed your reflection on how writing this book has changed you. Being a science major, the analytical side of us tends to show more and inhibit our creative juices from flowing. I think writing this book, while has not been what you wanted to be, has allowed you to expand your skills and find a new passion that you would have initially not have been your first option. Kudos to you! Keep up the work in school and on your book!