Hello Me, It’s You

 

My toddler is napping (for the first time in days!) and my 6 month old is demanding cuddles (nothing new here), so it’s the perfect time to dig into this review copy of Hello Me, It’s You.

A university project that took off on social media, HMIY is a book of letters written by people aged 17-24 to their 16 year old selves about their experiences with mental health issues. The aim is to reassure those who are experiencing these issues as well as to reduce stigma around them.

What a brilliant concept for a novel! Young adulthood is such a turbulent time (which is part of the reason I love writing about it), and I think it’s hard for a lot of teens to recognize whether what they’re experiencing is similar to other people their age or a sign of something more serious. This book could be invaluable to so many people.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this!

Trust

If you’re following the new Instagram account I made this week, you might have already seen my post on this, but I wanted to post the second photo…and of course ramble on about my life. That’s what blogs are for, right?

In one of my creative writing classes the prof had us do an exercise in free writing, which is where you write whatever comes to mind for a set period of time without worrying about spelling, grammar, etc. Free-writing loosens the writer up and produces raw material, sometimes revealing thoughts the writer never knew they had, which can be quite personal!

So I love the section on ‘Trust’ in Diana Trout’s book on journal spilling. She suggests that if you’re worried about writing something too personal, cover it in a layer of gesso afterward. That way you’ve gotten your thoughts out, no one else can read it but you still know what it says, and it creates some super funky artwork!

It’s been a long time since I’ve written in a journal, but I’m contemplating starting again. I used to LOVE writing in a journal as a kid. I loved that I could add artwork, I loved that I could throw it in my bag, I loved that I could make something entirely ME.

To tell the truth, I’ve had some trouble getting into blogging. For the most part it’s because I’m an incredibly private person, which works against me as a writer when you need to sell yourself haha. But also, I grew up writing for myself, so the idea of writing for other people is new to me. Gotta admit, I’m liking it though! I’m amazed at the writing community I’ve managed to meet in one short week on Instagram. So many awesome people going through similar stuff. I don’t know many other writers where I live, so the online community kind of rocks.

Okay, that’s it for today.

Do you journal? Or do you prefer to blog?