I havent had the best track record for persistent writing since I finished college. Entering the corporate world made it difficult for me to devote time to my craft, and i began writing less and less.
The longer time that passed between poems, the stronger my perfectionism got as well. The pressure to “write a good line” became so great that I never felt happy with Any attempts I made at writing. Eventually, I just stopped coming to the table.
since joining the Cove, though, I have become more comfortable with just writing for its own sake again. It has truly been a great thing to be a part of this community. This month alone I think I wrote 3 or 4 poems. And yeah that may not be “a lot” but it’s a lot better than zero.
Art doesn’t have to be perfect, we make art because we want to. Or we need to. i just wanted to say that I’m grateful to have found this community, and I’m grateful to be coming to the table again.
I got into the daily poetry habit years ago, when I was still in uni. And honestly? The vaaaaast majority of the stuff for the first three years was pretty terrible.
But in writing every day, I made it a habit, and accepted my own work and let it be as terrible as it needed to be, and trusted that in constant practice I would get better.
I'm really glad to hear that this place is doing some good for you ^_^
Matt- don’t feel bad about taking a break from writing. I took a break from writing for a long time as well! Sometimes a break from writing helps. I went out and lived life and now I feel like I’m at a good place to write again. I write about 3 poems a week, but I will tell you it get easier the more you do it. Daily journaling has helped too. Also, carrying a small notebook with me. I think you writing even a few poems a month is a great accomplishment! 😄
This is such a fantastic post! I'm sorry I've been MIA lately, I'm just finalising the radio!!! Not long to go!
I'm happy that being part of this community has helped you return to a passion that you thought was dead. This really is a great community of poets! Looking forward to seeing more of your work Matt!