Song of the Week:
Beanie Baby Blues by: Hanna Mars
Introducing Co-Collective
Welcome! All the lovely people here today to introduce blog number 20! If you are new here, just a quick recap, I am the writer of T.U.T and it has been a mission to get to this point. I have over 15 posts in my catalog that feature what I love to talk about. But if you already knew that then, wow you have been with me through thick and thin! And everyone here is probably wondering how I got here. A little behind the scenes on The Unfinished Times, secrets of The Unfinished Times perhaps.
Write to Me
It comes as no surprise that every Wednesday you can expect a post from The Unfinished Times. You may be wondering, what is the magic behind the scenes? What goes into creating and sustaining a blog. How does that even happen? But most importantly, what happens after? These are the biggest questions that I get and even what I myself thought when I became a writer. I think it is safe to say I am a writer now since I hit 20, ya know?
Personally, what comes to mind is I work towards the next blog post duh. But to be perfectly honest that does not capture the full process. It is both a truth and a lie.
Letās tackle the first question of what I do to prepare a blog post. I will call this stage the Beginning, the brainstorming phase. I usually start on Sunday to start writing and be done by Tuesday. If youāre anything like me chances, are you are suffering from procrastination that stems from results of working under pressure. Although, if you seriously are like me, you have Florence and the Machine blaring through your headphones. I blame our education system funny enough, because of the years of AP and college courses, paper after paper, essay after essay, page after page. Each teaching a valuable lesson about writing. AP taught me I can write an entire essay, from start to finish with evidence, topic sentences, zero fluff in a matter of 30 minutes. That is half an hour to produce an educational essay about whatever topic! I passed all my AP classes so that must mean I am good at producing such essays. This quality or delulu reminds me all it takes is 30 minutes. 30 minutes to write about something, anything for that matter. There are 168 hours in a week, I can wait no later than Wednesday 9:00 AM to start writing. After I get that post done, the clock just resets! And I am back to having 168 hours to create a new blog post! In my mind, āthere is sooooo much time, youāll be alright.ā Logically, I have to set myself straight, obviously, it is not smart to wait ALL 168 hours. And on the downside, it does help fuel my procrastination a bit further knowing this fact so, I just compromise.
On the other hand, all my college level philosophy papers helped me improve my writing skills. In college, professors would assign papers one month in advance and like the good student I was, I would start a week before. Sound familiar? Sometimes I would have two big papers due right around the same time but guess what? They would be turned in a day before. I was that student in college unless I forgot but that was rare. This further enhances the idea that I can write pretty fast even about topics I love. And that with time I can actually plan out time to write and get them done in a span of a week. I have written enough to know I am pretty decent at it, and I have enough experience to see if I like it or not. Turns out, I love it.
Sharing is Caring
When it came to trying to find my niche in this big world, writing was the only way to voice my thoughts and opinions. Not just because I have been doing it my whole life in school but because it is the only way I feel safe to express myself. To put it, frankly, growing up with emotionally immature parents led to self-soothing internally which is how I became good at my internal dialogue and self-realization. Verbalizing how I feel is very uncomfortable, so uncomfortable the words donāt even come out. They just stay in my head. So how do I get them out? As a kid I turned to journaling and now as an adult the habit transformed into this community. Months after graduating, I could feel my thoughts pilling up, the urge to express myself became the forefront of my mind daily. It was only 6 months. What can I say? I am a professional yapper. My partner was fed up with me LOL, he quite literally stops having answers for me. Which triggered my thoughts to come up with a way to get all this shit out there. I wanted something with no borders, no box, just to be free and nilly. A place where I can be myself, my true authentic self, every time and just share so I can process what is going on in my life. Of course, I couldnāt do it immediately, I still have trouble even trying to accomplish this simple task. But then, there is music that comes to my rescue.
As a Black Asian woman many people find my music taste to beā¦… a wild card. They donāt expect it? Personally, I think my music taste is amazing, like I got blessed by God himself. But I know people are surprised that rap is not my top genre as a stereotype, but also because they donāt know me. I have always held the music I listen to unwraps because of it. Music is very near and dear to me, it has helped me in so many situations I can’t even count, thatās why I donāt want people to know what I listen to in my car when I am alone or what moves me. However, the more black alt-influencers break this impeding stereotype, the more it allows me to spread my wings. They give me comfort in knowing I am not the only one. I can only hope that I do my part for someone else.
And so, from Thursday to Saturday, I take this time to draw my music covers for song of the week. I call it the Finishing Touches. Since the topics are chosen months in advance, so is the song. So, I actually work on the music covers first, then I write. As a new creator, the hardest part of it all is not the writing, or the consistency or even setting up my website. The hardest part is getting awareness, you become a social media manager hell, an expert to try and get the word out.
The Future
The future is endless, quite possibly infinite, it could be a scary thought, or it could be a calming realization. When it comes to this blog, it used to scare the crap out of me, I didnāt know what I was planning, nor did I have a goal of what I want this to become. Looking back, funny now, I mean like literally 2 months ago, it was staring right back at me. The answer that I was so scared of was staring right at me, bloody hell, I was listening to it, āJust keep falling the heartlines on your hands because I am.ā (Florence + the Machine). It never clicked to me that the only thing I need to do is to continue to follow my path. The path that I already am on, writing, just keep writing thatās it. I know I am still new to blogging, a baby blogger if you will, people havenāt even heard of my own name. How in the hell are they gonna hear about my blog? I thought by now, I would be a hit sensation, a viral influencer, a big pop star. Deep down, that delulu keeps me going but, not seeing the results to back it up leaves a little pinch in my heart. It is this that almost got me to quit and I let you all in on a secret of how I got out of it. It is really easy actually; you just show up. And you keep showing up till the day you die.
Once I got that out the way, it was time to dig for the next thing I want to add to this blog. Yup! You are hearing it here first. It is time to expand but just a little bit yāall. I want you all to be a part of this. That is what I wanted from the start. And not you all listening to me blah, blah, blah all the time; I want a blend. I will call it the Co-Collective, the place where we meet, become friends, where you shine. If this is right up your alley, I have already created a submission form for those eager to jump on this opportunity. I have broken down three methods of writing styles that we can do together. The basic one is a simple interview, we talk back and forth. The second middle ground is a verse where we answer one question together. And the last option is an āadviceā column, I was wholeheartedly inspired by Dear Sugar, if you havenāt read Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed, please DO. I say āadviceā because I am not sure what I can give you is advice, but what I can give you is a platform to speak your mind, give you my undivided attention and most importantly someone who cares and can understand. I want you to choose which option you want to express yourself; I just want to be a part of the growth.
Is this your jam?
Overall, I have loved this journey so much and I am excited to see where things go. So let me introduce this weekās song Beanie Baby Blues by Hanna Mars. A Black artist who makes music that makes my heart sing! This song is possibly about a romantic partner, but I like to interpret differently. I see the lyrics as a person describing themselves in situations, they seem to find themselves in with platonic people. Where they are in their head and canāt seem to do much or say much. Thatās how I felt so you can see why I love this song: it has amazing vocals and lyrics; it has a unique sound/beat, and she gets me! If this your vibe, then stick around. I got plenty of more songs up my sleeve.
Stay tuned to next week as I dive into a sticky subject. Most people think art is in the eye of the beholder, but what if I tell there is actually a more bewildering answer?
Thank you for joining me on this journey at The Unfinished Times! Don’t forget to follow me for more insightful content, give a shout-out to spread the word, and consider signing up for our Co-Collective to be part of our vibrant community. And if you missed any posts from previous weeks, take a moment to catch up! Let’s continue exploring, sharing, and growing together! See you in the next post~ XOXO
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