My best friend created a zine that captured his writing from middle school to college. We became good friends in high school and grew closer over time. I share all my lol memes with him. I tell him when I am depressed. I know him well. Very well.
And his zine opened parts unknown to me. I was invited to his inner world – distilled inner world over time. His thoughts. His feelings. His perceptions of the world. His lived experience. His observations. His questions. His doubts. At that specific time he was in. I didn’t know I would be able to know him better and love him more. But reading his writing made that possible. He also dwelled on those life questions as I did: birth, death, happiness, love, friendship, pain, and the meaning of it all.
I am grateful that he took the time to write. I am so happy that he took the time to put this zine together with minor edits – to honor what he felt and thought at the time. I urged him to write more because I read his 174-page zine in one sitting. It was so good!
He was not writing about anything earth shattering. The most touching parts are the small details of his life. The people who touched his life at the time. Conversations between relatives. People he could not remember anymore. People who have passed away. They are in his life story, forever.
Because of his zine and my experience of his zine, I am urging you to write. Because there is no other creative form that invites you into another person’s inner life the way writing is able to. And there is only one of you. People are curious about what it is like to be YOU. You don’t have to be perfect to write. Far from it. You don’t have to sound literary. You don’t need fancy words. You don’t even need to sound smart. Just write what comes to you easily.
One of my hopes for my creative work is to inspire other people to create. If I can write, my best friend can write, so can you! You don’t need special degrees. You don’t need to look like a writer (not sure what that looks like). Just write what’s true for you. We are born creative. We share the need to express ourselves. Let yourself create something small/bad today. Then give yourself that permission again. And again. The magic will follow overtime.
Do it for yourself or someone you love. It is a generous act.
Giving you permission slips to create,
Xiaoyu
