Ink Over Algorithms
Why Writing It Down Still Matters
I tend to be forgetful. There are so many moving parts to a day & my life is running on full-speed all the time. If I don’t write things down, I’m bound to surely forget them. I’ve tried sticky notes, little journals, the calendar app in my phone, & a physical calendar in my kitchen. Want to know what has helped me the most & why? Keep reading to get into the details!
I believe in the power of manifestation, & one way to manifest dreams into reality is by writing them down. The act of physically writing something gives power to your thoughts. What would normally just be ideas & concepts, become full-fledged pieces of reality by writing down the things you want to accomplish. Not only are you giving yourself a visual, but you’re telling your brain & body that you want to check this off the list. By checking off a box on a list, you give yourself a boost of dopamine & endorphins by achieving something you set out to accomplish. Accomplishing small tasks help tackle larger problems & situations. You can’t cut down a tree with one swipe of an ax, you have to make smaller incisions to help conquer the larger goal.
Being overstimulated by the noise of the busy world can be intimidating & challenging to overcome. The act of writing things down allow you to take a moment to be grounded. To unload some of that memory cache that can quickly be overflowed with information & requests. Plus seeing the things on a “To-Do List” can help allow you an overview of the day, giving you a gameplan to tackle any situation big or small. One of the key things that I’ve learned by writing things down, is the power of patience.
Especially when painting, patience is key. Oil paints have one of the longest dry times out of all the paints. Before layering another color, you have to wait until the previous one has time to dry. This could take a long time, so practicing patience is essential to tools of the trade. When you’re writing things down, you have to think about every letter & every syllable. The time it takes to completely fill a piece of paper gives you the chance to reflect on your overall objective. Whether it’s accomplishing all of your daily tasks, or finding the next thing to add to your list, writing it all down helps keep you task/goal oriented. Slowing down requires the thoughts to flow freely & give the hands a moment to catch up to the brain.
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When’s the last time you filled out a notebook front & back? College? High School? Middle School? We always loose interest in something when it takes too long. Patience isn’t something that can be easily focused on or created. Only through boring repetitious behavior, can we start to learn the importance of patience. You might hear all of this & think, what does patience actually teach me? Well, the more you practice, the more things that translate to every day life. Such as being a better listener, learning to react in a calmer manner, better processing of thoughts & emotions, & simply the ability to take deep breathes. Not being overwhelmed by the tragedies that are currently on-going in this world. Many people in this world we live in aren’t free to do the things they want or the things they’re passionate about. Utilize this time as a way of expressing your freedoms.
Freedom in creativity & passion. You aren’t limited by rules or theories when writing things down. The page is an open field where all of your wildest imaginations can roam free. There are no rules or judgments. Only the expression of ones true self. Not everything is going to be perfect. We have to work out the kinks & find a way of displaying our thoughts & emotions. Creativity is a form of liberation from the pressures of perfection. Producing something is better than perfecting anything. I saw that because you may spend years perfecting something only for the masses of people to not take notice or pay any attention. In the famous words of Cap, “The objective is more” “A little piece on every car, is what counts”
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I’ve said it before, but when’s the last time you wrote something? When’s the last time you sent out a piece of mail that wasn’t a bill? I wrote letters to my friends last year for their birthdays along with some custom stickers & a tiny canvas. It was well-received & people loved the idea of getting something tangible to hold in their hands. The idea of scribbling on a piece of paper with the intention of giving it to someone is always a thoughtful experience. Now with everything moving to be more digital & Ai slowly clasping down on all functions of our daily lives, the written form of communication is irreplaceable. It’s value cannot be matched by anything a computer can make. The words, thoughts, & feelings of someone can be passed on by the things they write. It creates connection that can transcend the meaning of time as we know it. For me, writing can make me a better person, & I think it’ll do the same for you.
Transferable skills can be taught & practiced over time by the act of written communication. The skill I find slowly fading away into obscurity. Writing has made me a better person. By harvesting disciple, awareness, & patience, I believe I’ve become a solid overall individual who is capable of overcoming any obstacle set before me. Over my time publishing 100 articles, I found that small thoughts can have huge impact on communities & people. Things that were once concepts, turned into full-scale reality. Before I would ponder over how to make something perfect before releasing it to the public, now I have the courage to put out anything. I have the courage to say I made it, whether you like it or not, approve of it or not, I’m satisfied with my creations. You should be too.
I feel as though my writings have gave people the courage to be themselves. To practice the things they don’t have down perfectly. To face criticism, eye to eye & smile. Writing things down on a calendar has helped me stay track of things I want to accomplish. By giving myself a deadline, I can find force myself to produce something. Even if it isn’t perfect, now I have a tangle item I can manipulate & fine-tine to the way I like it. It takes trial & error to find things that work for you, this is just my process. So now I pass the paper, pens, & pencils to you. Take some time today to write down something. It could be big or small. Long or short. A poem, an open-ended letter, or even a doodle of something. But take some time to physically write something down. I promise you, you’ll enjoy it so much more.
Don’t worry about it being perfect or neat. Just jot it down & reflect on your thoughts about it. Life is too short to care what others think anyway. Be you.
Peace & Love from the 413