A lot has happened in the past week and a half. Since the start of my Spring semester of sophomore year I've felt very emotional because of incidents that happened, causing me to feel lonely, not appreciated, and overall, uninspired.
That is until my parents and friends along the way helped remind me of who I am, what I've done, and how determined I am. So I listened to them, and I let what I was feeling to inspire my creativity and how I went about my days. Let me tell you, it was a much needed wake up call.
Some people tend to associate emotions with making rash decisions that only lead to negative results, but what about the emotions that inspire the positive results?
The emotions that allow you to create wonderful projects or lead you to actually go forth with all the things on that list of yours that you've wanted to create for awhile, but never did. Feeling emotions should not be a bad thing because it could create wonderful new experiences for you in the process. Don't let what you've felt before, no matter how much hurt you were/are feeling, deter you from doing what you love. Easier said than done because once you feel a certain way, it can stick with you forever and cause you to feel down in the worst possible way.
What I went through was something that everyone goes through in life, and I needed my parent's to tell me that so I wouldn't remain stagnant forever. I'll remain to keep the situation as vague as possible because I've learned that I shouldn't waste my time on events that only shut me down rather than lift me up. It's time to focus on what makes you feel good and who makes you feel good. I learned that it was OK to leave people/things behind if it only hurt me in the process. The experience allowed me to become more open-minded of what I want for myself and how I go about my days in life.
There are a variety of ways in which you can use your emotions to fuel that creative instinct of yours.
1. Look at that list of all the things you've wanted to accomplish and see what's the one thing you can get done right away.
Work on that new website you've been wanting to do for awhile or start that new YouTube channel (these are of course things that I'm interested in. You, as the reader, have hobbies of your own that will be different than mine, but it's just an example!).
2. Write how you're feeling at that exact moment and figure out how much it really means to you.
Not only will writing help you get things off your chest, but you might feel so much better when you've put those words down on paper or a Word document. You never know, there may be that one reader who sees your work, if you decide to share it, and they might feel inspired by what you wrote, leading to a domino effect of inspiration flowing throughout everyone. Would you feel as though you couldn't live without whatever was getting you down in the first place or was it keeping you down too much to the point that, although it would hurt to leave that one thing behind, in the end it's the best decision for you?
3. Make a video on that one topic of yours and release everything inside of you and put it all on the table.
4. Explore Explore Explore. Go to that new place you've never been before and see how much it can inspire you to do that one thing you've always wanted to do.
For instance, going to a photography museum may inspire an aspiring photographer to start her/his own business, creating business cards, and making your work known to everyone around her. Whatever you have an interest in, do some research on where you can perhaps go to get inspired. Sometimes becoming adventurous or getting out of the house can help you to pick back on where you need to be. Don't stay inside forever, because there is a world awaiting your presence and all the wonderful things you are capable of doing.
5. Talk to people who only inspire and uplift you, but will also help push you every step of the way.
Find people or talk to the friends who will tell you the truth, but won't put you in a negative spotlight. Their experience and your experience are both different, but they can help you move forward and help you to remain inspired. If they want to see you succeed they will be there to watch you as you go on this journey, not holding you back (unless they see that you're going on a dangerous path that is) and making sure to get you back to where you need to be if you fall.
There are so many ways for you to allow your creative juices to flow rather than suppressing them because of the negative emotions you are feeling right now. Although you've probably cried or felt upset for so long because of what you just experience (and this will sound very cliche, but if it will help get my readers to feel inspired I'll say it), use those tears to get past that dam that has been nothing but trouble and use it to not only inspire the world but grow in the process.
Like I've mentioned in past pieces: what you went through with friends, family members, a partner, or anything that made you take a step back and look at the situation, it will cause you to shut down at first probably, but don't remain in that place forever. Continue to recognize what you're feeling and create a new story for yourself.
-Syd.