Jessica
I declare that I am a work in progress and I deserve to be gentle with myself. I acknowledge that I am not the same person I was at twenty, nor do I want to be. I may not be the same person tomorrow that I am today. I have the capacity, as we all do, to grow, change and evolve.
I give myself permission to determine who I am as a writer and a person, at this moment. My identity is not, and never will be, fixed. What I determine may not be true forever, but it will be authentic to the space in my life that I currently inhabit. I give myself permission to widen my definition of what it means to be a writer, even if it means stretching the boundaries of genre, theme, tone, and style. I may even alter my expectations of outcome and production, especially as I learn more about my interests and myself.
It’s okay if I would like to define myself both within and without writing. I will continue to be engaged in my paid work, even if it means that I may find it difficult to unearth creative writing time. I recognize that the energy I feel from my work is the same energy that feeds my writing and it all results in doing good work in the world. I understand that as I become more engaged in this aspect of my life that it will affect the type of writing I do. I will remind myself that all creativity feeds me, even if it challenges my preconceived notions about the separation of my writing and professional lives.
I am allowed to write about this process, to document where I am in my journey. It is human to wonder, to challenge myself, and to keep check in with myself on a regular basis. I can write about this, even if it feels messy and unfinished, because I am messy and unfinished.
My goal right now is to strive for alignment, knowing that this may never happen, and knowing that if it does, it means that everything may shift.
