While writing in the wee hours of the morning recently, a conversation began playing out in my head on why blogging is so important to me when my body begged for sleep instead.
It was troublesome that I didn’t have an immediate answer, but perhaps that was due to my near exhaustion. The question had a hint of familiarity, reminding me of when some friends had asked why I had my nose pierced last year. With both questions, I frustratingly felt the answers on the tip of my tongue yet could not find words for them.
When I awoke after a few hours of sleep, the answer was as clear and simple as it had been elusive only a short while earlier. The bonus is that it was a two-for-one because the answer applied to both questions.
I write because it is an inherent part of who I am. Writing is one of my most essential forms of self-expression.
The need for self-expression is as fundamental to a healthy, joyful existence as is food and water.
I’d asked the man who pierced my nose about his reasoning for the myriad of body art and piercings he sports. I figured he was highly qualified to speak on the topic as a living example of artistic self-expression at its best. Even his very name, Pineapple (yes, it’s his legal name), is a form of self-expression paying homage to his belated grandfather who’d nicknamed him when he was a kid (that’s Pineapple and me above, in his studio).
Pineapple summed it up perfectly and concisely: “We each have a vision of ourselves in our mind. This is how I see myself and how I’m meant to be seen in the world.” Enough said.
How we present ourselves to the world is our attempt to share with the world our vision of ourselves. From the most visibly obvious in how we dress and adorn ourselves to the words we write, pictures we paint or other mediums of self-expression, we are sharing what we see in our own mind’s eye, how we want to be seen and accepted by the world.
Are you honoring the full expression of yourself in all aspects of your life? Embrace your beautiful uniqueness and allow the world to do the same.
