Being Real : Wielding My Voice & My Pen

At the time of writing, it’s the last day of the month. That shouldn’t mean a great deal to you, but it was my birthday this month and I was so sure I’d be swept away on a cloud of inspiration to write my BEST BLOG POST YET.

That cloud took me somewhere else in the end… and I’m not even mad about it.

But it is still the last day of the month.

I had told myself at the start of this stretch of the journey that I would write here at least once a month.

Not just for the sake of it though.

No; even though I take great joy in sharing online the little things that ripple through my mind, I take even greater pride in speaking my truths in this more detailed format - without fear of judgement or condemnation.

Just me, you and an endless scroll.

(I promise this is not an endless blog post!  Stay with me.)

So what I really want to share with you this time is that writing is one of my earliest passions and I’m not letting it go.

A very small me used to write songs and poems in coloured pencil on random bits of paper.

A teenage me used to write online fanfictions and short stories on top of that.

(Side note: If you are one of my fanfic subscribers and you’re still waiting for me to fulfil my commitment to finish one of my stories… please don’t give up on me yet! I DO wanna complete those missions, I just need a spark 🫣)

Anyway, as I was saying: and then there’s the adult me.

The right now me.

The one who should be at her desk & finishing up her first public release book, instead of giggling over a bunch of floating post ideas for her Threads account & trying to stay focused on this blog.

She writes everywhere; social media, countless journals, bits of wood, record sleeves, messenger… her skin (henna ! I knowww, I’ve stopped lately)

Some people would describe the way I show up online in particular as oversharing or inconsistent, but I think it takes a special kinda confidence to speak openly about our personal journeys & show up authentically in the world without fear.

Especially in a world of carefully crafted masks and “personas”, often built to graft fans/followers and fetishisers rather than community & real connection.

A world where people take joy in seeing others fail for being honest & principled whilst others are rewarded for selling their souls to promote sin.

Where sin itself is celebrated but overcoming it and speaking up so others know it’s possible is seen as weakness.

C’mon?

There really shouldn’t be any shame in getting things wrong or having a flawed perspective. Sadly, that’s how many of us were conditioned to believe we were supposed to be in our teens and early twenties: “getting things wrong” and “not seeing the whole picture.”

At my big age, I now have a sneaking suspicion that “cultural norm” was a scam set by older generations to help them feel better about their own iniquities, when really focus should’ve been on empowering youth to do better. But let’s not do internet violence today.

Let’s just be real, has anyone ever REALLY inspired you to do better, to be better or to aim for better with just nice words & cute quotes like what the masses share on their carefully designed social profiles every day?

Did mirror selfies & staged lighting ever make you think “wow, I need to fix up” or “I was really messed up back then and I need to sit with that” …?

If your answer is yes then CONGRATULATIONS - because I would love to experience the life, if even for 10 mins, where these aesthetic trends would’ve been enough to propel me onto the “right way” of life in my youth.

For me it was the voices who told their stories and told them RAW that made an impact, often starting  with “so I really f*%ked up” or “here’s how I overcame XYZ…”

I’m not talking about celebrities either - not explicitly anyway. REAL PEOPLE with REAL STORIES exist - just because someone doesn’t have a podcast or a skit page doesn’t mean they don’t have a powerful voice and story to share.

I’ve been fortunate to meet a good number of people like that and sure, there are celebrities with incredible stories that I respect too. The point is that I believe being in the spotlight should be, first and foremost, about representing the truth of who you are.

And sometimes that truth is uncomfortable.

Believe me, I don’t crave the spotlight to be like those people, despite having the life story to back it, but I do have the fire burning inside me to pass that love & bravery along in my own ways.

Healing wasn’t easy but going through it makes me want to help other people do the same.

Even if it’s just for that one person who stumbles by here on their darkest day and takes a little light away with them to keep going.

That’s why I write. Because I needed the release growing up, I loved the escape from the harshness of the world stepping out and now I feel called to share how I kept my light on through the darkest days and made it to this comfortable place I call home.

So buckle up beloveds, ! I have a lot more to say; with my voice and with my pen.

For now, let’s just leave it at that.

And Happy Birthday, Blessed Earth Strong to all June babies.