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Finding Your Voice

Saturday 24 February 2018
"You've got a heart as loud as lions, so why let your voice be tamed?" - Emeli Sande

I'm really enjoying writing about writing right now, so here's another spout of rambling for your eyeballs. I remember hearing the phrase "be original" and "find your voice" being drilled into our heads during the first few weeks of University, and instantly feeling unsettled. The whole point, surely, of dedicating three years to experimenting with writing styles was to form this voice organically, in an unforced way?

I found myself thinking - and still sometimes find myself wondering - why would anything I make be different? Or worth reading? Even when writing this blog, I had close friends and family questioning whether I would contribute anything individual to the ever growing community of bloggers.

This had me stopping myself from reviewing restaurants, and writing articles - convincing myself that someone 'better' would already have done so, or would do so in the future, only in a more concise way than I could ever achieve.

So this is a reminder, to myself, and to you. Put your thoughts out there, or at least write them down and keep them private until they grow into something clearer. Your 'voice' will change and evolve, along with your behaviour and desires. Some days you'll want to write about race, politics, feminism, and other days the sheer joy of watching someone you love eat a mountain of pasta will be a topic which seems to hold vital importance worth documenting. That's OK.

You also don't need to define yourself as a poet, or a journalist, or any specific label, unless you want to. Sure, it might make your CV easier to understand, but mine's a messy showcase of my indecisive self, and I'm embracing that...

I find myself wondering if writing about skincare is too trivial to be worth publishing, that no-one would care or take me seriously. But it's one of many things which interests me - and surely that's something? I'm trying to remind myself that my opinions are valid, despite any privilege I have, or how little I know about a situation, or how unimportant the things I'm drawn to might seem.

Write first, then worry - it's somewhat inevitable. Edit, scrap, salvage, forgive, release. It's so easy to allow fear and stress to consume us and stop us from even acting on impulse and starting in the first place. But maybe we can actively change this mindset, these perceptions which destroy not only our dreams and goals but result in us wasting so much potential and interesting ideas. It's a difficult spiral to escape, and one I confront each time I sit and try to untangle a mess of thoughts at a keyboard or notebook. But it's a shared struggle, that much I know.

One voice holds incredible power, if only we are brave enough to start using it, rather than worrying about what it looks (sounds?) like.

We'll speak again soon,

Mia
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