Who:
I am not a writer. Actually, I am a doctor training to be a surgeon. I don’t want to give much of my personal identity away because:
1. It’s fun to keep everyone guessing “how old are they?”, “are they a boy or girl (or both, or neither, how dare you?)”, “what part of the world do they live in”, “what race are they”, “what is their profession?” (guess I already kind of gave that one away), etc. It’s kind of fun to remain a mystery and have people judge me solely by what I create rather than the assumptions drawn from my personal identifiers.
2. Due to the current political climate, I can’t say what I really think due to professional/vocational liabilities. In my opinion, this is not only a tragedy but legitimately dangerous. Many times subjects that require the most discussion are those that make us the most uncomfortable. It’s fine that we are uncomfortable with it, but we shouldn’t shrink from facing it. True progress in these controversial fields can’t be made if they are taboo to such an extent that even posing a question to the accepted dogma results in immediate dismissal.
I hope to reveal who I am as time goes on (probably when I am rich and famous…JK). Honestly, I will probably give most of who I am away through my writings/creations. At least, I kind of hope I do - I think I’d be doing a great job if who I am bleeds into what I create to such an extent that others were able to recognize me without me ever expressly verbalizing or sharing it.
What:
I plan on writing on a variety of topics and sharing a lot of my personal thoughts/creations. This will likely take many different forms, i.e. poems, essays, short stories, occasional sprinklings of art, music, photography, gardening, and other creations. I think it’s important to share our vulnerable creative selves, not only to get true feedback on how we can improve (I’d like yall to be ruthless in your comments/suggestions, I want to become better), but also because I think the act of creating something and sharing it with others makes us into the best versions of ourselves.
Where:
$ubstack$. TBH, didn’t even know what this was a week ago, but I heard about it on Twitter so I decided this would be a good forum to get started. Also, found out that people actually pay and subscribe to people writing on here?? Would love if I got to the point where the community who enjoys my creations was willing to fund me with their own money.
When:
I am going to try and write every week (for now - kind of in a less busy part of my education - will likely become much more hectic here in a few months). I want to continue to hone my creative skills and improve my ability to communicate with others, sharing what is deeply personal to me in a way that people both understand and appreciate it.
Why:
There are a lot of reasons why I’m doing this. Some of it is has to do with the fact that I want to improve as an individual, and, if this little seed of a community takes root, positively influence those who decide to partake in my creations.
Another reason is to do away with some of the preconceived notions that people have concerning those in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.
In adhering to the accepted heuristic du jour, those of us in STEM are usually expected to shun literature, poetry, art, philosophy, and other “soft subjects”, as subjective mumbo-jumbo that distracts us from our ultimate objective aim: Progress. Progress at all costs! Who has time to dawdle with poems or prose when there is so much to accomplish? Satellites, vaccines, elections, renewables, cryptocurrency, machine learning, CRISPR, market returns: we at the forefront of technological progress have no time for petty pursuits - utilitarianism trumps aesthetics.
I know I’m being dramatic here, obviously not everyone in STEM hates the arts (actually many people, not just in STEM, couldn’t live without them! They wear their “appreciation” of the arts as a faux intellectual badge to further separate themselves from the common folk, i.e. not only am I smarter/wealthier than you, I’m more cultured than you. Perhaps we are all subject to this to some extent). In fact, some of the people who have improved technology most have also been bastions of art, literature, and more (think Leonardo Da Vinci).
Personally, I think words have the power to change the course of humanity - to create new cultures, birth new movements, inspire new systems of belief, and to propel us to new ages - perhaps even more than those who focus exclusively on technological progress. The Arts allow us to look back on ourselves with new understanding, leading us to reflect on who we are and what we personally are capable of. Obviously, those at the frontlines of technological innovation contribute to furthering human progress as well. However, if we divorce ourselves from the Arts, the medium by which we most effectively share our humanity, we run the risk of losing sight of our overarching purpose. In the words of TS Eliot:
“Where is the Life we have lost in living?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?”
Technology allows us the means to more effectively alleviate the suffering of our fellow mortals. However, the Arts cultivate within us our humanity, which gives birth to our desire to help at all.
Conclusion:
All this to say, I am not a writer but I want to be better at it so I am going to force myself to do it more. I would be honored and grateful if you joined me on this journey.