Thoughts on words
I thought it would be appropriate in my first post to talk a little about why I love writing.
I love notebooks. I love physically putting down words on paper. I love my black ink, Sharpie Pen. I love reminiscing. (Which is both a passion and a trap).
I do a lot of personal journal writing - especially when I experience something emotional, or go through some new realization, or get tangled up in a mess of abstract thoughts and questions. A kind of cathartic process, perhaps. Like music, like photography and visual art, writing helps me capture the essence of an experience in that specific moment in time, or as I re-experience it by the time I am writing - a concept I'm fascinated by. The mysterious passage of time. Strange as it seems, writing happens in real time too, especially unedited journal writing. Words for the present, past, and future. Little treasures of time capsules. (Hence why I love mailing and receiving postcards!)
So I guess journal writing is a communication with myself through time. To remember, to be aware of the ideas, attitudes, feelings, and events as I experienced them then, to read back and perhaps laugh, or cry, or just smile because there is some confirmation, some evidence that ...'yes, I was right there and then, existing in that way'.
I'm so grateful for the words I have left on those pages. However insufficient they still are at capturing 'what really happened' in that moment. They're a remarkable attempt at preserving the relativity which defines experience. Our capacity for recalling even the most precious memories are limited. And as we grow and mature, as our values and understanding of ourselves and of the world change, our experience and perception of those memories change as well.
Aside from journaling, though, I also write to connect with the people around me - just like I seek to do in my art and music. I've written short stories, elementary poetry, and of course, many many cheesy letters to the special people throughout my life. I see my blog as a casual platform for sharing an open-ended collection of thoughts, reflections, and conversations from many different aspects of art and life. I love observing the images, movements, sounds, and interactions in the exterior and interior worlds around and within me. I love making connections with people, and seeing people connect. I do believe that sincerity will reach someone. However small a understanding, however brief. Those are the moments worth striving for.