Column by Nick Erickson, Assistant Features Editor

After overcoming a period of writer’s block, it can be truly remarkable to look at something that was once only a conscious thought of yours, now staring back at you from a piece of paper. Despite roughly four years of studying journalism, English, poetry and creative writing on my resume, I still struggle with articulating my thoughts properly. That alone has become a prominent subject matter that I bring up in my own works.

However, while writing, I sometimes find hesitancy in putting my thoughts into words. I feel like it’s because there’s a feeling of permanence, as if extracting them from my head makes them more real, absolute or overpowering than they already are. It can simply be terrifying.

With that being said, I’ve found that I have no choice but to push myself into working through it. For me, there is no better release from anything that’s been bothering me than to unleash it; not only through writing, but creating something in general. Being able to open up is an ability I’ve grown to cherish. Even if what I create never meets the eyes of another person, freeing my ideas from my head for me to view is therapeutic.

We are immersed in a world full of creation. Some may argue that it’s made it oversaturated. Others will argue that despite similarities, one’s own work cannot be an exact replication of anything else, provided it comes straight from the heart, mind and soul.

One of the biggest pieces of advice I’ve absorbed from these past four years of trying to figure myself out is if you have something to say, do your best to say it. Use any means you feel comfortable or necessary to do so. Grab your guitar and write a song confessing your feelings about a special someone. Grab a canvas and paint how the calculus exam tore you up inside. Do whatever it takes for you to work through your adversity. We all are struggling with something; some are just better at hiding it.