Join for advice and tips on writing and creativity, and stay for reflections of life as an artist. You'll receive succinct weekly emails on the craft of writing and beyond, and exclusive creative updates on my own projects as well as arts opportunities.
Who cares what they think?
|
Recently, I was reminded that one of my greatest assets is creating art. When it's all said and done, an enduring work of art outlasts us, outlasts civlisations and entire dynasties. Peep the Ancient Greek literary canon for example. Not that legacy is the point of art, rather time gives more people access to art than a single lifetime ever could. In my opnion, everyone should pursue their highest creative self, and more specifically, actualise their creative dreams, which I think we all have had at some point, even if you've forgotten them! Be that being any sort of artist. It's difficult in a society that prioritises capital, to justify a life dedicated to creating art, but our imagination is the only place in reality that is boundless and can be shaped as the subject likes. A world which seeks to control humans, can be rebelled against from inside the mind. Frank Herbert said fear is the mind-killer because he knew the intrinsic power of psychology, and how it can be crippled by external threats. Fear to pursue your creative passions, is what dims imagination, or maybe more accurately, restricts access to its fruits. Creativity begins in the mind. Be the artist you always wanted to be, write that book you always dreamed of, jump on stage and share a piece of your soul, find that creative instinct and follow it with heart, because it can help balance one's sanity, against the incessant tides of life's misfortune. Even ten minutes of dedication a day, can keep the doctor away. Creative UpdateI've been working on In Da Crime Life recently, and as lumbering as the process to completion has been, I'm in a more confident space as to what's in store. I am taking a short creative hiatus to recharge now, and from my experiences, after every hiatus, I come back even stronger, creatively and focus-wise. Let's see where it takes us! Upcoming OpportuntiesOut Spoken Press are accepting submissions for full collections of poetry for their 2027/28 publishing list under the Editorship of Anthony Anaxagorou. DEADLINE: 14TH AUGUST, 23:59
'The Emerging Voices Fellowship is The Fifth Corner's initiative dedicated to discovering and publishing exceptional writers under the age of eighteen. We believe literary excellence is not defined by age. Each submission is read with the same editorial care and consideration as every manuscript submitted to The Fifth Corner. Selection is based solely on the strength of the work.' DEADLINE: 1ST AUGUST
All the best, Bilal Psyche Akram |
The Writer's Psyche
Join for advice and tips on writing and creativity, and stay for reflections of life as an artist. You'll receive succinct weekly emails on the craft of writing and beyond, and exclusive creative updates on my own projects as well as arts opportunities.
Push past your limits, shrug them off, and keep going. This past weekend, I climbed Scafell Pike, England's tallest mountain, and the entire escapade was gruelling, more so than anyone on our team could've imagined. The experience reinforced an idea, that we must push past our limits, and then some, once in a while. Otherwise, we become comfortable, and our growth becomes stagnant. At several occassions on my climb, I felt defeated and beaten, yet I still continued one step at a time, up...
I found the opening scene of one my stories on a hike in the woods. I'd been struggling to find a way in to the novel... I needed something tangible, intimate, and symbolic, while also being mundane and believable, and as I wandered in nature, inhabiting the mindset of my characters, an idea drifted into my consciousness, and planted itself firmly. I may never have received the idea if not for the adventure, and this is why exploring the world can be such an invaluable source of power. When...
Never let your creative dreams die. They may lay dormant, or enjoy a snug period of slumber, but to eliminate them all together, is a mistake... Why so dramatic? you may be asking. Because creativity is one of our last remaining forms of freedom which we have full control over, once we realise its power. If we relinquish it, we lose a part of ourselves along the way. Art is often seen as a childhood memory to most, something they practiced at school as a carefree child, and slowly stopped due...