Being a student and a poet is anything but simple. There are times when I feel a lack of creativity or the inability to produce “good” content. My best work is typically written during the Summer, that’s when I have time to think.
I let memories marinate in my mind, to then produce poems where I can reveal more of who I am.
Don’t get me wrong, I genuinely love the creative-nonfiction class I took this past semester, but it’s been difficult to find time for myself after each completed assignment. There have been times that I’ve doubted that I was a poet due to the lack of poems I’ve written. Times when I say, “Maybe you’re no poet at all.”
Inspiration comes in different forms. I find that when my mind is quiet and I have time to think about my work, I feel at peace. Finding a balance to write poetry and then completing assignments for school is one I’m constantly in between. Acknowledging that it’s not that the writer in me has left or is never coming back, but it’s just waiting for the right time to blossom. All those thoughts and memories I’ve pondered upon are waiting for the right time to be put down on paper.
It’s not easy being a student/poet, but it’s achievable. Being stuck without ideas for writing poems won’t last forever. The only block is the one that I’ve placed in front of myself. You simply cannot rush art, nor is it beautiful when it’s rushed. Its beauty comes from liberty. What’s most important is that as a writer I don’t feed my mind with negative thoughts or don’t give in to the thought that I’ve become “less of a writer.” Here is a quote by Gerald Brenan that makes me not want to give up or degrade myself as a writer:
“It is by sitting down to write every morning that one becomes a writer.”
—Gerald Brenan
I love the way words have the power to make me feel and I admire the way people can put words together to create art through poetry.
Nothing will ever change my love and passion for this literary genre. The reason the quote above touched me so much is that I journal every morning. I write about the little things I have to do in the morning or write about big shifts that have occurred in my life. Since September of 2019, I have chosen to write in an effort to express my feelings - that’s how I know my endearment for poetry isn’t going anywhere, as long as I keep making time to write for myself.
“In order to design successful habits and change your behaviors, you should do three things. Stop judging yourself. Take your aspirations and break them down into tiny behaviors. Embrace mistakes as discoveries and use them to move forward.”
Comments