Hi Everyone,
It’s been quite awhile since I posted on this platform, and now that I’m coming back to it, I’ve realized how much I miss writing. While I do still write every single day, it is usually for a purpose: such as writing an email to someone or writing a description on a social media post- nothing very earth-shattering. But when I sit down with a pen and paper, or just a blank document on the computer, I realize that the best thing to write about is my own thoughts. And yes, I have definitely worked my way through a few good diaries over the years.
I like to think of my YouTube channel as a verbal diary that exists to help people. I enjoy recapping on my experiences in film school because I believe that at least someone out there will find some of it useful. And while shooting videos is still a very creative process for me, nothing quite compares to the deep connection I feel when putting my own words on the page.
When I was in high school, I didn’t have many friends due to the fact that my family and I moved around so much. I moved to California a few months before my 9th grade year, so I definitely didn’t know anyone that I was going into school with. And then we moved again to Washington state a couple months before my 11th grade year, so I had to start right back at square one. Although it was difficult at times, I was always so grateful that I had a creative brain because I was able to use whatever medium I wanted to express myself, whether it was for emotional purposes or simply just because I enjoyed being a creator.
When I was younger, I used Barbie dolls as a means of flexing my imagination and keeping myself occupied even when I was alone. But as I entered high school, I knew that it wasn’t exactly “cool” to play with dolls anymore, so I put them away in a box under my bed for good. Soon after, I turned to writing, almost as if it were a mechanical decision. My active imagination needed an outlet, and pen and paper were the closest tools that my hands could grab. I began with short stories and then quickly moved into script writing when I realized my love of film making was also developing at the same time.
I knew I wasn’t a prodigy, but the act of putting my feelings and ideas down into one place truly helped me. And in the process, I was also getting better at formatting and story development. Even though 99% of my work was only read by me, I can still look back on old stories now and see how far I’ve come.
As I mentioned before, even though I do less writing now than I used to, it is still wonderful to come back to it whenever I am ready. If any of you feel a similar connection to writing, or maybe it’s drawing or singing, I encourage you to take the time to focus on the activity and let the creative juices flow.
You can also use this space to share your thoughts with me on what you enjoy most.
Thanks for reading!
-Hayley