I had a bit of a personal revelation today. I've been reluctant to share my writing with others due to personal reasons, feelings of inadequacy, of not measuring up to professional standards, fear of mockery and ridicule. But that's the risk an artist should face. Not everybody will appreciate everything I write because not everybody comes from the same types of experiences and struggles. My writing is an expression of self. Some of my older pieces are even difficult for me to read now because I'm not at the same place I was when I wrote them. But they served to help me progress and survive (sometimes literally) the difficult times in my life. While some of my works are merely reflection of circumstance and ideas, other times they are me trying to understand and cope with situations and feelings I felt were beyond my power to control and endure. All things considered, I've decided that I should share what I have written because at the end of it all, why do I care if somebody dislikes what I have created. Isn't that what art is? The opportunity to love or be repulsed by someone's creation, sometimes even a combination of both. To react and/or interact with art is what I strive for when I create it, why not allow others that opportunity.
