The First Post — Beginnings

For a while, I had a lot of anxiety and hesitation about what to write for my first post here on Medium. So I’m just going to unravel some of the noise in my head into words to break past that first step, that first act of putting thought into form. I want to talk about what this space is and what it may be.

Throughout my life I’ve come back to writing, like a chaotic relationship where we break up but always get back together. When rummaging through my old room, I found a short story I wrote in elementary school filled with guts and death. I realized I might’ve been reading too many Goosebumps books at the time. Writing is also one of the few things that I do that my mother has actually complimented me on. “James, you wrote this? Not bad.”*

So why write here? I wanted a space that I could write about anything. Film, short stories, dating, mental health, identity…a space I could personally explore and express myself on a topic I was interested in.

I have other outlets as well (plugging shamelessly)–podcast, film, instagram–yet there is something quite naked, quite pure with just the written word. Plus it’s cheap to make and I can do it myself. So this space will be part non-fiction, fiction…all storytelling.

During the pandemic I’ve had some more time for self-reflection and have found creative ways to distract myself. If anything, this will be a fun distraction. Another thing the pandemic has brought is this growing awareness of this gnawing loneliness.

When I was younger, I had less emotional tools and awareness. I didn’t even know if loneliness was the correct label for it, I just felt this longing for something I could not see. One thing that has helped me is sitting with the feeling, observing it. Also the act of creation followed by the act of sharing and connecting with others.

In that spirit, I hope that this writing space is a way to connect. Not just for me to connect with others, but for others to maybe see a reflection of themselves and feel less alone.

That would be beautiful.

So with this first post, I step into this writing space and I’m curious to see where it goes while enjoying the journey.

Thank you.

*She did not say this about my Goosebumps inspired story though–sad face.

Note: All the content that I post in my Medium articles–writing, pictures, videos, and other media–are my own unless stated otherwise. I will frequently reference other works in which case I will provide a link or attribution.