I have always been a very imaginative person. As a child, I was always creating made-up worlds when I played with any toys or just day dreaming. I tend to be inspired by the weird and unusual, such as works by Edgar Allen Poe, the strong and fearless like Sylvia Plath, and those with vidid imaginations like Mary Oliver. However, I am most influenced by the brilliant works of Jim Henson and his elaborate worlds such as The Dark Crystal–which inspired the ‘mystic’ part of my creative persona.

SHAPING CREATIVITY

There has been a lot of tragedy and loss unfortunately in my life that is also part of the core structure to my work. I think that this has helped shaped me as a writer and helped me tap into more lively and creative freedoms to explore and play with. By experiencing these at a very young age, I have always tried to feed my inner child as much as possible since in a way it was taken from me–a blog post for later eventually I’m sure–and create different worlds to escape into.

One of my favorite genres to write in is Fantasy Fiction since it gives me full access to create almost anything I want! Creative freedom is very important to me and is very appreciated when given an assignment in school especially because that can be very constricting. Writing is important to me because it has allowed me to express words and emotions that even I don’t understand sometimes as confusing as that sounds. It is a form of release that many people tend to forget about because they only see writing as a forced task and not for pleasure or comfort in any way.

EXPLORE NEW MEDIUMS

Journaling for example, is a wonderful way to either start or end your day with that many people in this generation actually incorporate into their daily lives because it does help them take the noise in their heads and put it onto paper. Keeping everything locked up in your mind is exhausting and honestly completely unhealthy. I always try to encourage others to start with something as simple as journaling because it doesn’t need to have any direction at all and can be a great way to start your creative process. 

This can lead to trying out poetry which seems intimidating at first, but I believe it takes time to find your voice within poetry. I never wrote poetry and only focused on writing short stories and other forms of fiction before it finally clicked with me. I attended a blackout poetry event from a poetry festival held on my university’s campus which transcended me into that world finally. I had always thought poetry was too complicated and needed to be perfect, but that is far from the case. Poetry can be whatever you’d like it be! Nonsense poetry, sonnets, sestina, and the list goes on and on.

It’s up to you as a writer what kind you want to write in, but I believe that you can explore all avenues of poetry in any way you want. Being as creative and open to the process are key elements of true poetry and nothing more. You don’t need to be afraid; you just need to have an open mind and heart. Creative writing is an outlet for all, and this site is to house all of those wonders from my own brain on full display and I thank you for joining me on this journey.

– The Mystic Wordsmith

An interactive media piece highlighting The Mystic Wordsmith and what this persona and website entails.

I am constantly struggling to get out a creative funks when I am at my lowest mentally, especially right now with the stress of the end of semester. Mental health plays a very important role in our every day lives and it’s important to address and be vulnerable about with one another. Silencing this topic does not do anyone any good and only furthers the vicious cycle of minimizing our struggles and suffering in silence. I have linked here some helpful suggestions from the National Institute of Mental Health as well as linked resources on their page on where to find further help/support if needed with trained professionals. As a creative, my mental health is something quite debilitating if I’m being entirely honest. Finding myself waking up, paralyzed with dread asking myself how can I possibly take on today with feeling like this? It is a constant cycle that I have desperately been trying to claw my way out of.

PHONE A FRIEND

I’ve been finding myself falling back into old habits of isolation and feeling like I can’t reach out to anyone but this is far from the truth. True friends will be there for you even in your darkest moments regardless of what is going on so don’t let yourself push these friends away and try your best to welcome them into these moments of pain. I have to remind myself of this because I tend to shut everything and everyone out because I think I can handle it, but it’s okay that I can’t and it’s okay to ask for help. My best friends from home are the ones who help remind me these things and I don’t know where I would be without them; friendship is one of the most precious things we have and should never take for granted.

TRY SOMETHING NEW

Creative burnout can look like a lot of different things depending on each person struggling through this. Some symptoms can include trouble sleeping, feeling detached, loneliness, and more that I will link from a wonderful article on 8 Ways to Combat Creative Block & Burnout. I found this article to be very helpful with defining creative burnout in addition to it’s helpful tips! Overcoming this burnout can feel like a never-ending marathon, but exploring new hobbies, going outside and connecting yourself with nature, and even taking a day to organize and declutter the space around you can do wonders.

The hardest part is starting over again. It truly is, and that is okay. We need to be gentle with ourselves and feel our emotions to overcome these stressful times especially when you are already at your lowest mentally. It can be difficult sitting in a funk for weeks on end and nothing change, but sometimes I just need to be distracted and reminded of the beauty of imagination in other forms to get back on track I stumbled across this blog by a woman named Christina Greeve, who I think explores this topic very gracefully. Patience is key and this is the biggest takeaway from the both of us on the matter. Until next time friends.

– The Mystic Wordsmith

This post is similar to my last post about creative burnout because I still have been finding myself in such a weird space for writing and reading. I have this desire to create and read books that I haven’t read in a while, yet I am still struggling to find the motivation to pick up the pen or grab the book off the shelf. There has been a lack of creative escape for me this semester and it took me three months to figure it out but I have finally come to the realization that I just miss my friends. They fuel so much joy and energy into me as a person that no one else can around me as much when we’re apart. I come back to life in a way when I come home and we are able to get together cause we’re all here at the same time for once now. Growing older and expanding our educational and professional horizons has made it hard for things to be how they were back in the “COVID” days I like to call them; where we spent practically every other day with one another. Change can be hard–trust me I know since this is one of my greatest issues in life–but the change is quite beautiful too sometimes.

NAVIGATING CHANGE

I have never once been good with change; it’s one of my greatest weaknesses. When coming to college and being apart from my best friends back home I knew that I was going to struggle but I never knew how much it would affect me overall with even something as simple as writing. But, there is more to it than that. These individuals light my candle in the darkest hours and provide me a home with their love and support. Not having this comfort right in front of me all the time has always been hard but lately it’s been getting to me because of my mental health currently. As I work on digging my way out of this low mental state, I find myself looking at old, silly videos of us all as I prepare to go back home to see them for Christmas break finally soon. Refinery29 also has a great article linked here on how to maintain these friendships that is extremely helpful to any of those out there also struggling with missing their best friends. These small tips and actions can truly feel like the warm hug you’ve been searching for when you can’t be near them yet.

Together we are one

My best friends and I are family. They light up my world and together we are truly unstoppable. Without them, I would be lost in so many avenues of life and would not be the human I am today. Anna, Halee, and Kelci–I love you so much. Thank you for existing and pushing me to chase my dreams and never giving up hope on my endeavors; you are my home and have become a root of my creative spirit.

– The Mystic Wordsmith

Stay Tuned For More !