Shupe's Adventure in Writing

There are times when, as a writer, you are asked where you get your inspiration, and in my case, why it always seems to be about heartbreak. To be honest, I often ask myself the same question, and if I have a hard time answering it for myself, then it will be impossible to do so for anybody else. I may not be able to explain why I write about the things I do, but I can tell you why I write.

Writing is like breathing; I literally could not survive without it. Every time I finish a new piece of poetry, an essay, or a chapter in one of my novels, I feel a sense of accomplishment that few things in my life can rival. I feel that without writing, there are things that would be unbearable for me. When I can put a pen to paper, there is nobody to interrupt me or tell me that I'm wrong or crazy. I can say exactly what's on my mind, and nobody can judge me. Writing is the single most liberating thing in my life.

Sometimes life gets hard, and everyone has different ways of dealing with those troubled times. Some people work out, some go to a therapist, and some people drink...I write. For me, there are few things more therapeutic than the art of writing. Watching a blank sheet of paper turn into a piece of literature can soothe even the most troubled of souls. If a person doesn't have something to turn to when things aren't going the way they want, then I consider that person to be among the most unfortunate in this world.

Writing is an art, and anybody who says different is simply delusional (or ignorant). It's true, some are better than others, but if someone can't paint the Mona Lisa, does that make them any less of an artist? Art comes from somewhere within yourself. You may never make any money off of it, and you may never get any positive recognition for what you do, but if you can create something from a blank piece of paper, a white canvas, six strings on a guitar, or anything that makes something from nothing, then you are an artist.

For those having a hard time in their life, my advice to you is that you find something that you can immerse yourself in, if only for a few minutes each and every day. It is those few minutes of relief that make life worth living, because in those precious few minutes we are able to lose and find ourselves. Creation is something that lives inside all of us, but it's also something that won't come on it's own, and needs to be awakened from time to time. Find your canvas, whatever it may be, and make something beautiful.

-GS