The Reason Behind My Voice

 Not Afraid of Winning! Photo by Laurent Perren on Unsplash Like most writers and artists, I struggle with imposter syndrome and anxiety. I almost could not sit down and wield myself to write this blog.  I am learning that the first step to recovery is acknowledging you have a problem. I own that I am often afraid to pick up a pen and write, take my brush and paint much less to share my creations.  Don't get me wrong, I know greatness is in my bones. I know I can bend words and start a movement if I choose. But deep down, when the accolades are covered in dust, I tend to forget the kind of magic that exists within me. Some parts of me refuse to believe that I deserve to win.  Luckily, I am not alone in this battle and one of the perks of being part of a creative community is that you always have the wisdom of others walking you home. I'll always be grateful for my fellow writers (Edd and Erwin) and friends like Novie and Lisa who always encourage me to "do something...

  It Gets Better!                                       Photo credit: Nappy As the curtain closes on Mental  Health Month, I felt led  to share my story with my readers. But before I go any further, I would just like to remind you of a few things.  Mental Health Awareness is important.  Your mental health is important.  Your thoughts matter.  You matter. It is no secret that there is a common but undeserved stigma attached to mental health. Whether or not we want to admit it, everyone  has mental health. Just as one is concerned about their physical well-being, the same should apply to their emotional well-being.  However, this utopia does not exist and many of us neglect to take care of our minds. Being raised in the Caribbean I have noticed that we do not talk about our feelings, we do not share what is bothering us and we seldom reach out ...

  Photo credit: Javon Swaby   I had so many plans for this year! This was supposed to be my year of revival, releases and recovery. I thought for sure had seen enough down days and I had been educated at the school of hard-knock for long enough; it was time for graduation.   It was much to my dismay when this lock-down was  issued and my plans had to be placed on hold. I did not plan for this. Where did this set-back fit into my plan? After all, 2020 was really supposed to be a movie. I had to learn through the disappointment, through the pain and loneliness. As a writer, you learn to see the good in everything but when you are "in medias res" this can be quite a task.    If we are to be honest a lot of good has come from this lock-down.     Photo credit:  Kehn Herman   It has made us more creative.   As creatives we are taught that the world is our stage and we must always be prepared to perform, ev...

Inspiration is Everywhere! Many are curious as to where my inspiration stems from. This is rather a difficult question to respond to, since I dare say inspiration for my work flows from various sources. From nature to those around me; inspiration is everywhere.  Being in nature, even for a short space of time, is always refreshing. It definitely brings me peace and that tranquility is often accompanied with a flood of new ideas. The resilience of the trees themselves are an inspiration. Watching on as they grew new branches after a ravaging category 5 hurricane shook them, is a testament that there is life even after the worst storms. So that's why when I feel down and un-inspired, I often detach from everyday life and make time to go sit on the beach or near a river.  My students in their own unique way, often inspire me. These young minds and their drive for knowledge often sends me on a search for knowledge, too. I have learnt quite a few lessons from the...

Several of my readers have been asking about my recently published collection of poetry "Bonfire". The story is quite fascinating, if I do say so myself. Had someone told me a few years ago I would have been published at age 26, I would not have believed them. Don't get me wrong, I have always considered myself to be a writer. But it was never a priority; I wrote only when I felt like it.  My most accomplished piece of writing would most definitely be my manuscript for my first novel. But it has yet to be published. The reason for this is because I was turned down by several publishers and I let that deter me. When I finally found a publisher, I was also asked to change the plot of my story because it was too controversial. I considered self-publishing but I was afraid of how it might be received.  I felt defeated and I felt like quitting on the novel altogether. But that was when "Bonfire" came to me like a candle in a dark room. The poems cam...

The final week of the year, is a time where we see a lot of individuals planning for the new year. We make plans to try new diets, to change our attitudes, to be more productive etc. Those plans work for the first week and then we slowly begin to forget about those plans until we give up all together.   The reason for that may be because many of us fail to do personal introspection. Introspection reminds us of far we have already travelled, how much we stayed on course or how much we strayed, how much we achieved and how much more we could have accomplished.  It is only fitting to look back a bit before we venture to move forward, afterall there are always lessons to learn from the past.  Here are a few personal lessons I learnt this year: You'll never know if you never try Do more, talk less Write down goals, tick them off Time is money  You'll never know if you never try.  I would often hear my mother say this, but I had no idea that...