If you are a creator of any art form and you say you don’t dream about getting awards for your work at some point in your life, I think you are lying to yourself. Even though I haven’t written one in years, I still dream about winning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. It’s always a nice thought to have. It’s motivation. My writers’ group is hoping to have an anthology published by the end of the year. They have published before but I wasn’t a member at the time. It’s a big deal. I am excited. As part of one exercise we did during our last meeting, we had to write about how it felt to be a part of the anthology. This is what I wrote:

Seeing your work included in something printed not by you is something. It’s like bearing witness to borderline plagiarism.

You think, “Hey! I know that poem! That’s mine!”

It’s a trippy experience, to say the least. More importantly, it’s great seeing your work amongst other people’s work. Other people who you know are more talented than you.

On a larger scale, it’s nice to see your work as potentially a therapeutic experience for the readers. I know that when I read someone bearing their soul to you on a page and thinking “Yeah, I know how you feel”, is a very satisfying experience.

That’s kind of cute, right? I enjoyed writing and re-writing that right now. Writing, and a lot of art in general, is mostly a solo endeavour. It’s nice to be reminded that others are out there.

Last night I went to an open mic and that’s something I should do more. We are all in this together as creatives. The world needs us. Thanks for reading and thank you for your time.