Tag: creativity

Finding Your Passion

Ashika George1 Comment

It took me years before I finally realised what I love doing and what I’m good at. As a child, I firmly knew that I loved arts and crafts. I used to spend a lot of time trying to be creative and while my Mum encouraged it, school ultimately won over my time.

Once I was into primary school this flame inside me, of drawing/painting/being creative, was decreasing into nonexistence. My parents were more concerned about looking at top scores and grades on a piece of paper rather than my passion and interests, which truly made me happy instead of maths or science.

Secondary school was the worst. I was thrust into a hectic schedule of studying and GCSE’s invaded majority of my time. While choosing my GCSE options, I was determined to choose photography and music. However, my parents convinced me to not take photography because it wasn’t worth a GCSE to take pictures. Music was ruled out because it wasn’t “academic” enough. To say I was incredibly frustrated is an understatement. I ended up doing subjects I didn’t even enjoy. Sometimes I wonder what life would have been like if I had followed my heart instead of my parents. It didn’t help that my grandfather told me that medicine was the best path for me, despite the fact that I absolutely detest science.

Then came college. This current part of my life so far has been a significant improvement. My parents are now more accepting towards my career aspirations after they saw the hell I experienced during GCSE. I took subjects that I was genuinely interested in for once, although I still regret not taking photography once again.

Perhaps the problem underlies in the fact that my culture is rather restrictive when it comes to an individual’s passion. I’m sure you’re aware of the typical Indian stereotype of every student being forced to take either medicine or engineering. Believe me, I’ve been to India several times and pretty much everyone I’ve met is either studying to become a doctor/nurse, engineer or accountant. I can’t help but feel sorry for them. Good for them if they truly love these career paths but surely, there are many Indian youths who would rather study something else. My oldest cousin was originally studying accounting or something related to economics/business. But he simply didn’t want to go down that route and our family realised that it wasn’t working for him. Now he’s studying hotel management and is seemingly a lot happier. Unfortunately, India has still yet to move forward in this area. Anything that does not fit the traditional standards is usually seen as a hobby rather than a potential career choice, such as art. Being raised in Britain is certainly a blessing as it has opened doors for me that would not have happened had I remained in India.

My struggle in finding my passion wasn’t just about my future career, but also in discovering what I’m good at. Some of the biggest things in my life which I am upset about is not being able to develop my art skills. Since I was continuously forced to study, I never had much time to practice drawing or painting. Thus, my artistic skills are still very basic compared to my friends who are now almost at a professional level. Now that I have slightly more freedom, I’ve been returning to my beloved world of creativity and will keep working to hone my skills.

My advice to you is to go ahead and follow your dreams. Don’t let anyone judge your aspirations and keep practising so you’ll become good at what you love doing. If you’re still young then I cannot stress enough how you should do so, because later in life you will look back at that former glory and regret not following your heart just like I have. Explore different things, find what you’re good at and what you love and it can be anything. Then stick to it because it will be the key thing that will define YOU.

A Tale of Two Cultures: Poetry & Thoughts

Ashika GeorgeLeave a comment

Being brought up

in two cultures

is a blessing.

The door to opportunity,

ambition and reality

is open.

Take what you like

to add to your

identity.

But nothing should

define you

other than

yourself.

– Ashika

I’m British-Indian. I’m ethnically Indian and migrated to the United Kingdom when I was a clueless 2-year-old with my Dad. Growing up in two cultures was fascinating but challenging, to say the least.

British culture has allowed me to be open, ambitious and encouraged to chase my passions and dreams. It has also taught me tolerance, respect and kindness to others. My Indian heritage has also taught me similar philosophies. But what I truly cherish from India is our diversity as a nation in language, religion, culture and much more. Our clothing and festivals are so vibrant and it sparks happiness when I show my British friends the wonders of my country.

I used to detest one or the other as I grew up, believing that it is not possible for me to value both as much as each other. I felt as if I can’t be British enough or I can’t be Indian enough. There were times where I was discouraged from “becoming too British”, as in not becoming like those English kids at school who do whatever they want, swear, have families that are split and not perfect. Even embracing my Indian identity had me scared for some reason, as if others will laugh at me for talking about curry or might snicker discreetly when I show my churidhar in class. But I love my English friends, I love the roast dinners and fish and chips at school, I love the carefree nature of those I have come to know living in Britain. I also love when my friends say they love Indian cuisine, I love showing off my traditional clothing, wearing them to school events and having classmates say it looks beautiful.

I grew tired of this pointless clash between cultures. There are bits and pieces that anyone who grew up in a multicultural family can value close to their heart. So I decided that I’ll embrace both my Indian and British identity, after all it makes me more unique as an individual and I shouldn’t run away from that. I also found that such an identity encourages a deeper understanding of the world and that reality is a door for endless possibilities and splendour. My eyes opened and witnessed the beauty of a culturally diverse person. A culturally diverse person is intelligent, aware, respectful, tolerant and possesses a kind and curious soul and thus can pass on these qualities to others so that may be the same.

Embrace your heritage and value your other half as well, for it is truly a blessing.

The Beauty Of The Rain: Poetry & Thoughts

Ashika GeorgeLeave a comment

The rain is ambiguous

The rain is ambitious

Tears of the lost souls fall

Your painfully sweet voice will call

These droplets are meant for sadness

But you say that is madness

Let’s make our love blossom with the rain

Let these raindrops wash away the pain

– Ashika

The inspiration for this poem stemmed from the Korean drama series, Love Rain. Although the content of the two differs, the series really made me appreciate the beauty of the rain completely.

The rain tends to connote sadness, loss and overall negativity. But what’s to stop it from being so meaningful, loving and beautiful? I used to wonder why kissing someone in the rain was romantic. Then I realised that people in love don’t care about anything around them or what will happen. The rain falling is making them wet and they’ll have to get dry, they could also become ill. But that love is so strong between them that even the evil bows down and changes for good.

The rain, to me, is also a metaphor of cleansing. These droplets, that can be considered the tears of those before us, are silently telling us that we should not dwell in sadness and instead, refresh and make ourselves new for the future. Its simplicity renders us able to imagine how wonderful the rain is, and it doesn’t have to be all negative.

So the next time you see or feel the rain, instead of complaining how it will affect you with useless problems, appreciate its beauty.

Journaling: Ideas, Prompts & Reasons Why You Should

Ashika GeorgeLeave a comment

Alright, I’ll admit that I only began journaling last year. But as the months passed, I knew that I held a deep passion for writing anything that meandered in my mind onto paper. Not only that, I wished to create aesthetically pleasing pages that I could cherish.

Since then, journaling has really helped me in more ways than one. I will attempt to inspire you to start journaling as well!

To begin with…

• Buy a journal!

The first thing to do is to buy a journal, obviously! You can find empty books in your local arts & crafts stores or you can order online. I own several because, frankly, I’m obsessed with gorgeous notebooks and journals.

• Make sure you buy a journal that speaks to you

Buying a plain-looking school notebook will not do. You need to make sure that your journal is of good standard and screams who you are. Try buying journals with pastel colours, inspiring quotes, high-quality paper and if you’d like, a hardback cover. Beautiful journals will motivate you to write in them.

• Decorate them!

If you can only get a hold of a plain notebook or good journals are expensive, just decorate them! Look through your local craft stores for washi tape, stickers and even paints to spice up your journal, all usually at a cheap price.

Next…is the writing process!

• If you’re keeping a diary-style journal, all you need to do is write an entry every day/week. In a diary, you are free to write about anything from the day’s events, your philosophical thoughts or just how you feel about certain people. The choice is yours, but ensure that you keep it secret!

• If you’re ambitious and love art, make an art journal! I only thought about creating one literally a few days ago. In an art journal, you can paint, draw and stick in quotes or book/newspaper sections. If you want some accompaniment, write a poem to match the art piece you have created. To get more inspiration for art journaling, please check out Noor Unnahar and Areeba Siddique, they have the best art journals I’ve ever seen!

• Travel journaling is something that I’ve decided upon doing because I’m extremely wanderlust. Write a list of places you’d like to visit, places you’ve been to and plan out your trips beautifully. You can write a review after you’ve visited somewhere as well.

• Other examples of journaling that you can try are keeping a gratitude journal, a poetry journal or even a bullet journal. Bullet journaling is basically a more creative way of planning.

If you are really unsure of what to write in a journal, you can just buy a Q&A Journal! These books from Potter Style basically ask you a question every day for the next five years. It’s easy and fun! There are different versions from a regular to a Q&A for writers. It is quite pricey (£14.99 in the UK) but it’s honestly worth the money.

Reasons Why You Should Start Journaling:

• It’s beneficial for your mental health. I can get quite emotional and I have anxiety, so writing down little things has helped me to release the tension and relax.

• It prompts creativity. Instead of just lying around, make your brain active by decorating and writing. The best part is that you can do whatever you wish.

• Discover yourself. Since you’re thinking a lot, you will realise more about yourself, what you’re good at and what you need to improve. You might even recognise a hidden talent that never shone before!

• It keeps you organised. If you bullet journal, it will make your life a lot easier! Organising your schedule and plans to do whatever it may be, can be done in a fun and simple way, thus more motivation to do so.

So what are you waiting for? Go get started and remember to have fun!

Happy journaling! 🙂