On Writing

I realized today, that I am an artist (#GoingInTheTwitterBio).

While I had thought that my love for the fine arts stopped at my history in ballet, I realized that that is not the case.

Writing, to me, is all about flow. It is all about the sound. The sound you hear when you read it out loud, the sound you hear when you read it in your head. Even the sound you hear as you skim through it on a busy day. It is all about the feeling you get when you read it. The need to read more and the addictive quality within each sentence.

It’s about beauty.

As I write, I choose my words carefully, articulating them in my head to ensure that each word that comes next fits just right. Each word is right where it is supposed to be. I read my pieces out loud, and I read them in my head. I edit and edit, and once I am pleased, I press publish.

This process takes anywhere from 10 minutes to two hours depending on how much inspiration I have backing it up. But the end result is generally the same, a piece that I feel easily rolls off the tongue. One that speaks to the reader. One that I would want to hear out loud.

Artistry was always my favorite part of ballet. My desire to make each specific and technical movement my own was evident in my years of training.

And now I see that writing is my new form of artistry, one that feeds that area of my soul that sometimes gets lost amid deadlines, schedules, and to-do lists. It allows me to express myself externally, and make sense of everything around me.

Writing is musical, it is poetic, it is technical.

Writing is art.

I think that is why writing longer pieces is more of a challenge to me—it is difficult to keep the flow throughout the entirety. But all great artists struggle for awhile, they all fail and try again. They all persevere, and they all deliver something beautiful in the end.

Just because I consider myself an artist, does not mean I consider myself an expert. There is always more to improve upon and learn. But maybe, if I practice long enough, my art will become a masterpiece.