Student Blog: Why I Create

Everyone has their reason for being. These deep psychological desires make us human and give us a sense of purpose. For some, it’s empathy, how we understand each other and form connections. For others, it's resilience, how we adapt and grow in life. But for me, it’s creativity that makes me who I am. The act of making something new, something completely mine, that's my reason for being.

Growing up, my parents had me try a lot of different sports. I was in soccer and dance, then gymnastics and lacrosse, but none of it stuck. I had a hard time trying to keep myself from comparing my abilities to my peers; everyone had their sport, and it felt like I just wasn't good at anything.

When I got to high school, my ninth-grade English teacher pulled me aside and told me that I had a gift. It was the first time I ever considered writing as a career rather than a passion. As a kid, I would sit outside and come up with elaborate stories, but I never considered the fact that I could write them down. An entire door had been solidified right in front of me, and I stepped right through.

Now it’s just part of who I am. My motivation every day is the endless possibilities of what I can create and how lucky I am that I can.

Since ninth grade, I’ve expanded on my passion as a creative, and while writing will always be my main passion, I now have a multitude of other hobbies I indulge in as a way to give my life meaning. Crochet and pottery are two of my current favorite creative hobbies, but my creativity is not limited to those.

I am now a sophomore journalism student at the University of Connecticut, and it was a long journey to get here, but I couldn’t be more proud of how far I’ve come. Though journalism isn’t considered a creative form of writing, it still fills me with that much-needed sense of satisfaction that we all crave in our careers, and I still get to write creatively during my free time, so it’s the best of both worlds in my opinion.

Throughout my time in college, I have had many moments of self-doubt. What if I bite off more than I can chew? What if my writing isn’t good enough for the career path I’ve chosen? My philosophy for tackling these moments is reminding myself that I have to try anyway. No matter what, I have to give it my all because if I fail, then at least I can say I tried. 

I’m not sure what the future holds for me, but I know that I will continue to stay creative because that is who I am.