I think that in my essays I hopefully have connected with more than just those who are like me. I guess the hardest thing for me to identify within my own writing is separating who I am from who I'd like to be, or strive to be--but that's down to the nitty gritty of things though. On the basis, I'm a very inspired, imaginative, and visual person and would like to at least inspire others by my story, those who would be able to interpret it into something meaningful to their own. Most of my writing goes into my music, and expressing myself on page is quite different in its un-limitations. Let me explain. When I say "un-limitations" I hyphen it because it isn't really a word. Limitations; "an act or instance of limiting", doesn't really get us any closer to our explanation either but we can define "limit". Limit; "something that bounds, restrains, or confines."The word "un" simply means to remove, so going back to my original statement--most of my writing goes into my music, and expressing myself on page is quite different in how it removes the bounds of my writing.
As song writers, and artists, we are bound by the music in which we are writing for, the drum claps and melodies sculpted and molded for each word, our syllables customized for every instrument. As an artist, when writing I often feel confound to the genre in which I am identified with, and the content expected from me. I often feel confound to my own privacy, for once I feel the need of expression filters are unnecessary, the same way a woman wouldn't put on makeup before she goes to sleep. I am bound by my own ideas in which to bring my expressions to life, visually. I am bound by many circumstances that would take much more page than warranted so I digress, but I guess these bounds have came to be the an arena that I have called home. I am a lion in captivity, and a blank page without music is a land I am not ready for, not yet. There are too many "un-limitations", and I have yet to have broken all the rules here in captivity.
"I guess the hardest thing for me to identify within my own writing is separating who I am from who I'd like to be, or strive to be..."
ReplyDelete^ I think that notion has to be at the core of writing a personal essay. We all have trouble, I'd imagine, distancing ourselves from who we are and who we want to be.
On that note, I've always wanted to do an exercise I made up: asking all my friends what they honestly thought about me. Am I arrogant? Do I talk to much? Does my voice sound funny? Do I seem genuine to them? Am I nice?
I think that exercise would be especially helpful in reflecting upon the self in personal essays. After all, you only know yourself from your own point of view — it'd be interesting to be able to reflect on someone else's.
I wonder if we would be impressed about what others have to (honestly) say about us, generally speaking, or if we would wish we hadn't asked. Food for thought, I suppose.
"On that note, I've always wanted to do an exercise I made up: asking all my friends what they honestly thought about me. Am I arrogant? Do I talk to much? Does my voice sound funny? Do I seem genuine to them? Am I nice?" This is a nightmare!
DeleteSo, CG's response is pretty interesting here. The idea that with no restrictions he has trouble figuring out how to express. I don't see that actually coming up in his work, but whatever.
I could see an essay about this. About the way music forces him to be what's expected? or allows him to be what's unexpected?