Katina and Why I Write
““The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power or time.” ”
Learning to Fly - acrylic monotype painting, 9x12
Approximately five years ago a dear friend called me. I have known Katina since we were 15. We met in grade ten at a highschool full of 80’s rockers where we were desperately trying to identify with the New Wave/Prep crowd. Think less Guns n Roses and more Depeche Mode. But, in reality, it was bad perms, braces, and crushes on skater dudes (I think there were three). Yes, she has truly seen the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Since graduation, we have gone through periods with very little contact, due to distance and different phases of life. But I am more than pleased to say that for the last several years we have grown closer and she has become a huge strength to me; super kind and super honest.
Back to the phone call. We had just had coffee together the day before which was, at that point, a biennial occasion. Since it wouldn’t be at least four months until we would try to make our schedules match, I was surprised to hear her voice but, apparently, she had some follow up to do.
“Sheen, you should write.”
“What are you talking about?”
She continued, “You are so good at articulating your ideas. I think it would be cool if you tried writing them down.”
Of course, I recognized this as friendspeak for “You talk a lot and I think you need a bigger outlet.” I tried not to laugh since she was completely serious. But a few days after the phone call I couldn’t help but feel somewhat intrigued. The idea took hold.
The next time we got together she locked me into her green-eyed-stare. “So are you writing?”
“Umm...no. I think I will start to journal soon, though.”
Katina shook her head. “No. I really think you need an audience and you need feedback.” Friendspeak for “You are the biggest extrovert on the planet for which you also need an outlet.”
She added firmly, “You need a blog.”
Afterwards, whenever I thought about the idea of a blog, I immediately decided, no. The world does not need another blog and it felt rather self-indulgent. I was interested but I couldn’t find the why. Why on earth would I pursue this?
It wasn’t until I read a book by Shauna Niequist that musings became compulsion. Shauna’s books came my way at a perfect time in my life; I was a bit gutted by a hard season and her words were so encouraging, healing, and hilarious. Also, the woman LOVES food! It was this snippet from her second book, Bittersweet, that altered my blog writing views 180 degrees. She was speaking of art and creativity:
“The world doesn’t need another band, per se. It doesn’t, strictly speaking, need another book or another photograph or another album. The general population will survive without one more stage production and one more gallery show. This is the thing, though: you might not. We create because we are made to create.” pg. 160
I know there are those who believe that every human being needs to be creative. I am starting to think I might agree. As people created in the image of a most awesome and breathtaking Creator, I think we need to make stuff. Make music, make food, make sentences, make paintings, make things grow, make drawings, make theatre and movies, make people laugh. It is life-giving and good. And if other people like it, eat it, enjoy it, or are changed by it, well, that’s cool.
I found that as I began to write and think about writing, it was a soul-feeding experience. I was mulling ideas in the car and on hikes. I was working through abstract thoughts to see if I could make them tangible and usable. But the real reason I was able to move on Katina’s advice (more like harassment actually) came from a strong desire to connect and encourage. There is a profound line in the movie Shadowlands about the life of CS Lewis; “we read to know we’re not alone.” As someone who loves to read, I can attest to the truth of this thought and I would feel very privileged to know that I could make someone feel less alone.
Katina, thank you for your tenacious encouragement and for being a creative inspiration with your beautiful artwork. My talented friend is a wife and mother (homeschooling, at that!) yet for years she has made space and time to create and, also, takes the time to nurture the artist community around her. She doesn’t treat it as a guilty pleasure that she will get to if she gets “everything else” done. She sees her art as a crucial part of her life’s work.
So here I am, scrawling in notebooks and click-clacking on a laptop. Sometimes I love what I write and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes what I write resonates with others and sometimes it doesn’t. But there are few things that make me feel as alive and energized as writing does, so forward I go; often aimlessly throwing my little creations out into the internet universe. Finally, I encourage you, my friends, to find ways to express yourself creatively. You need it and, quite possibly, so do we.
