Writing is hard. No, I'm not talking about eight-page essays assigned in American War History or those research papers we all put off until the last minute possible, scrambling for sources and citations and quotes. In the plainest sense possible, writing is a challenge.
I was given my first journal at age 10, and for some reason the words have been coming naturally ever since. I love words and language and literature, and when I filled those blank pages with my own thoughts it felt like magic. I continued until I filled that book, and then another, and today my closet is filled with about ten of them, all detailing my life and my thoughts and how I see the world.
Sometimes the words come easily; I can sit down to write an article and finish in one sitting. Other days, however, (like today) it takes me hours to come up with a subject and lots of coffee-induced pacing before I reach my final destination with that closing paragraph.
The right brain versus left brain debate has been around for ages, and for years those with mathematical and scientific tendencies have been given the award for intelligence. Left-brained people become doctors and engineers and are celebrated while right-brained people become writers or creators and artists and are discredited for taking "the easy way out".
I'm not saying that creators are always shamed for their work, I'm just saying that creativity isn't as valued as it used to be.
In our country today, we stress the importance of test scores and report cards and repetition until a person "gets it", but what about those of us with different passions? I remember knowing a girl in high school who was a brilliant musician but experienced major anxiety before chemistry tests. She stressed to the point of tears before exams, and nobody took the time to tell her that just because she didn't enjoy those subjects didn't make her any less talented or intelligent.
My personal interests should not and do not determine my level of intelligence. Without writing and art and my passion to create, I would be an entirely different person.
What would the world look like if the Sistine Chapel had never been painted or if the Harry Potter series had never been written? What if The Beatles had given up and pursued something else? Had someone chosen to tell these artists and creators that they were wasting their time, the world would be a very different place.
I think math and science-based careers are very impressive. My mind is blown hearing about what my friends in nursing school are learning, and while hearing people talk about how much they love physics makes me cringe, I can't help but respect it because it's something I am not gifted with.
My brother can listen to songs and figure out how to play them on guitar in an afternoon, and I can't wrap my head around that because everything I create is tangible.
The arts matter, and so do math fields and medicine and business. The world needs graphic designers just as much as it needs chemical engineers, and if we were all pursuing the same things the world would be quite a dull place. I love to write, and despite the length of time it took to create this article, I'm going to keep doing it because I love it.
Your passions reflect what excites you about life, not your level of capability or intelligence. If you love to create, keep doing that. If you love to sit in a lab and test chemicals, keep doing that. There is nothing smarter than taking your talents and running with them.
