The pursuit of creating art

can get lost

in the whirlwind of life,

where many suppress their creative passions

for good.

Society sees art as secondary

because the economy doesn't support it

like other pursuits and professions.

So what do we do?

Create anyway,

without any expectations,

except creative fulfilment,

and understanding just how important

such fulfilment is

in our daily lives.

This may require adjusting your schedule

to fit in this precious activity,

or try to form a passion for it,

and it doesn't need hours of daily dedication.

Even as short as ten minutes a day,

can keep you afloat to start with.

And if you are consistent,

your efforts will compound over time,

no matter how small they seem individually.

Make sure the 'ten minutes',

or the one hundred words,

or whatever goal suits you,

are focused creative stretches

where you have zeroed in on your target

and you let loose, so to speak.

If there ever was a better time to adopt this habit,

it is now.

In a world full of cheap dopamine,

short attention spans,

mass consumption,

consumerism,

and thwarted individualism,

dipping into your creative space

where you are in full control

and have true freedom

is one of our few outs,

but not many see this, Reader.

I hope though, after these words

that you do.

Not everyone is wired to create art,

and that's fine,

but I do feel we can reprogram ourselves,

if we are open to it.

The rest is up to fate.

Creative Update

I've been working in the background on a project

that I hope comes to pass regarding community impact,

but there are many steps left to complete at the moment,

and I have some meetings and emails to engage and send.

I've realised over this past year,

just how important lifting your community is,

especially when you have something to give back.

I have also begun rehearsals for my solo headline set

on Sunday 18th October from 4.30pm-5.30pm,

at The Heath Bookshop in King's Heath, Birmingham.

The event date is quickly approaching...

so secure your spaces now.

Ticket details available via the poster below.

Upcoming Opportunties

The Sunday Mornings at The River Poetry Diary 2027

Every year, this diary asks poets [...] not to describe a season from the outside, but to let it move through the poem the way it moves through a life.

For the Sunday Mornings at the River Diary, I am not looking for poems that mention a season in passing. I am looking for poems that sit inside one, where the season is not backdrop but body. The heat, the rot, the frost, the first green thing. Send me the poems only you could write about the season that shaped them.

DEADLINE: SAT OCT 10TH

The London Magazine Short Story Prize 2026

Since 1732, The London Magazine has published short stories by some of the most well-regarded writers in English, from Jean Rhys and Raymond Carver to Virginia Woolf and V. S. Pritchett. Our annual Short Story Prize seeks out new voices to join this distinguished literary history.

Established to support and celebrate emerging literary talent, the prize offers writers from around the world an opportunity for publication and recognition. We are looking for previously unpublished stories of no more than 4,000 words.

DEADLINE: SUN OCT 18TH

Catch Me Next

All the best,

Bilal Psyche Akram