As far as I can remember, I’ve always loved to write. Be it my thoughts, creating a story, or poetry, writing is very natural for me. I would only share my love for writing with a few, sharing a poem or a story here and there. The reaction was always good.
After I had so many poems, I wanted to publish a book of poetry, but never explored it because of my career in corporate America. Well, my career was taken away from me with an unexpected lay-off. After I recovered from the initial devastation, I was able to pull it together and self-publish my book of poetry.
Challenges I faced were people not viewing me as an artist, only as the corporate type they had become accustomed to. It seemed that people did not want to accept that I succeeded in the corporate world, and although that was taken away from me (although temporarily) I had other interests and talents to explore.
This caused another challenge, which was determining who to keep in my inner circle, and who to let go. I learned the hard way that no matter how excited you are about your accomplishments, there are people who will not share in your joy, and that energy is not good to have around for any artist. It blocks your creative flow, and can even deter you from your journey, if you let it.
The answer—those that cause major opposition, to the curb they go. Those that don’t try to prevent you, but at the same time, their enthusiasm for you is very low, keep them out of your journey. That saying “keep them at arms length” comes to mind. Those that support you, thank them, cherish them, and return the support in their goals. And keep going.
My first book, "Feeling Poetic, A Book of Poetry," has been an eye-opening experience in so many ways. I’m very happy with my book, the feedback I’ve received, and I’m ready to publish my next book, which will be my first novel.
One thing is clear, no matter what, keep moving towards your goals.