Creative expression is therapeutic and healing because it involves the inner work – it brings the unconscious to light. You can work through unhealthy and false beliefs simply by creating. Creating brings new life. New beliefs. It’s cathartic. It’s important work.
On Tuesday, I released my first collection of poetry, Impostor, Impostor (an obvious nod to “Impostor Syndrome”). It’s a strange feeling releasing a book into the wild. Creating is an act of vulnerability and inner work. Publishing your creation is like putting your vulnerability and inner work on display – and is even more vulnerable.
I have written poetry for as long as I can remember. I write to process. I write to express. I write to live. It is a necessary part of living for me. Outside of publishing some pieces in college and more recently posting some pieces online, I have kept much of my work private. And for the primary reason of feeling too vulnerable. The risk of rejection. The risk of putting your naked soul on display for the judgment of the world.
I’ve done so much work in the last couple of years undoing these blocks, finding value in my voice, and finding courage in putting myself out there. It is an absolute act of bravery to create. And it’s important that we do create. Even if not for publication – creating is an innate part of being human. We have creative power inside that we are burying and disowning, and it is spiritually draining. Continue reading “Impostor, Impostor: A Prologue (of sorts)”