:Confessions of an Unhappy Young Mom" by Meredith Bland

         One of the things people find difficult is how to express themselves.  People are either too afraid to verbally say anything. Or not ready for the response from people on the outside. A way that many people use in hopes of expressing themselves is through writing. Many people will never understand the positive impact the  subject of writing has on society.  Writing can be expressed in stories, articles, readings, and within many different genres.  One of the writing styles in particular is a narrative. The definition of a narrative is a spoken or written item of affiliated events.  Looking into the website narrative.ly I finally found an interesting story.
          To begin with, the narrative that I had chosen was "Confessions of an Unhappy Young Mom" by Meredith Bland.  While reading this the first thing I asked myself was what is the purpose of a goal?  A goal is a choice made by yourself.  It is a task or an option that a person is striving to live up to.  One of the goals that the majoirty of society is trying to obtain is living the American dream.  The American dream would be labeled as a lifestyle.  A career, children, house, and a spouse is what this lifestyle consists of.  The protagonist of the narrative is a new mother.
          One of the things every woman wishes to have are children. There are some women that have no problem reproducing. But unfortunately there are many women that are not capable of having a child. The protagonist stated "From that day on, getting pregnant was all I thought about. We tried again immediately, got pregnant again, and then lost that baby after a week."  It took the protagonist two years before she finally was able to hold a child. The struggle and emotional battle brought along not only one child but two, she had twins.
          Within the narrative she mentioned "I have suffered from depression for most of my life and have been on medication since I was twenty-one."  The protagonist had been dealing with the issue for a while. When people hear the word depression they think it is a little sadness but they are wrong. Depression is actually a very distrubing mental disorder. This mental issue caused the protagonist to feel such sadness towards her babies. She knew that all of these issues weren't any of the babies faults.  The things she was going through she herself had to overcome on her own.
          The narrative highlighted "A year ago I would have wept with joy if I had seen my future. And I would have hated myself if I could have predicted the regret I now feel."  What once seemed like the only thing she thought about quickly took a turn for the worst. The mother could not deal with the crying, changing of the diapers, and everything else a baby brought along.  I think that she was grateful for what she had but just needed to become used to being a mother. This was something she always wanted. Being very fortunate she received the advantage of bringing two babies into the world.
          Depression and many other negative factors tried to bring the mother down. Although she had her days and regretful moments, she still remained a mother. Being a mother can have its rough days but it is definitely a privilage for many.  There are women in the world paying millions of dollars to find ways of having a child of their own. The protagonist ended the narrative by saying "But it’s when my twins start to play together, develop their lovely personalities, and tumble into my lap in a mess of hugs and kisses that I finally say, “I am so, so lucky I have twins."  Sometimes everyone has to go through the worst, in order to see the value and greatness of things they are given.

Final Workshop Reflection

          Writing this post makes me feel like I am introducing my self again.  During the introductory post I mentioned my passion for writing. Everyone has their different hobbies, talents, or gifts that they enjoy doing. One of the things I can not see my life without is writing. This element and subject gives me a chance at expressing myself.  Lots of people would never understand that expression is very valuable and found in many different forms.
           To begin with, I first thought that the meaning of being creative only dealt with artwork.  If you ask me I could never draw or even sketch to save my life.  So in my younger years I felt as if I was not creative because of this but over the years I learned that I was wrong.  In order to be creative a person one has to have the ability to turn anything into a unique piece.  I feel likr I am creative person because of my writing and ways of thinking.
           When I write I try not to be so vague nor basic.  In order to catch the readers attention and keep their attention it is best to always have your mindset outside of the box.  Throughout this Creative Writing Course we have written plenty of writing pieces.  I have been assigned Vignettes to Creative Profiles to Memoirs.  These were only half of the things we studied and learned.
          My favorite writing piece was the Creative Profile. For the creative profile I did an interview. I loved doing it so much because it was both fun and extremely informative.  Interviews are looked at as advantages to me.  Even if someone is interviewing a friend, associate, co-worker, family member, etc.  There is still always something that you may not know about them or eager to know.  Going through the interview process I chose my friend Nicole Nelson, who is a makeup artist.  It was such an exciting opportunity to learn new things about her. In addition, she also gave me her give me her deep thoughts on her education and her life style.
          Another part of the class that I enjoyed was completing the historical photograph blog post, visiting the narrative.ly website, and responding to Prozac Nation. I feel as if all of these assignemts and work dealt with social issues. As I mentioned from the start of the class I love reading, learning, and writing about things based on non- fiction.  These issues are very realistic and more common to relate to. In my opinion, I find it much more interesting to read and respond to something I can reasearch more on.  Fairytales, horror stories, or fantasies are cool but I would prefer non fiction over them anyday.
           After taking many classes and semesters in Laguardia Community College I have come to really find what I am interested in pursuing.      Throughout my whole life I always felt like I was a critical thinker.  Any subject, situation,  or issue I endured, I strived to find the deeper meaning.  It did not only educate me but also enhanced my critical thinking skills.  With that being said I would love to focus on gender studies and sociology, preferably dealing with females.  There are so many females in this world seeking help and support while dealing with these social issues. There are victims of domestic violence, rape, homelessness, poverty, and the list goes on. It isn't always about yourself but actually being able to help someone else around you.
          Taking this Creative Writing Workshop just made me want to continue writing and focus more on the career I want to pursue in. This class has showed me that it is okay to be different and not always follow by a regular writing structure.  Writing flows better when using dialouge, imagery, literary elements, and thinking outside of the box.  Sometimes it is okay to step out of your comfort zone and recognize the the significant results you will receive.

Creative Profile

               In life we are exposed to many different people.  These people either educate, demonstrate life lessons, or inspire us.  Throughout life I have come in contact with plenty of people.  Each of them has had some type of effect on me.
               One person in particular is my friend Nicole.  Great friendships are hard to come by.  Having the opportunity to meet such a cool person in high school gave us a chance at watching each other grow.  Always going to one anothers house.  We were always having photoshoots and playing in make up. Now this phenomenal young woman is twenty years old and pursuing a career as a make up artist.
               An inspiration is something that mentally stimulates a person. Nicole Nelson is truly a prime example of one.I never looked at the deeper meaning of make up and how much of it exist within the world. Thinking out of the box and digging deeper to find out more about beauty, what is more efficient that to proceed with an interview.

1.) What is your job and duties?

2.) What is your definition of an addiction? Is being beautiful an example of an addiction to you?

3.) As a make up artist what are some of your favorite products?

4.) What is your definition of natural beauty?

5.) What has inspired you to become a make up artist?

6.) What are your outlooks on education and attending college? Is that where you started?

Blog Assignment #3

What is more important to a person, one’s personality or their physical traits?  We live in a world where people do not understand the significance of this question.  People in society often have a bad habit of judging the people amongst them.  Before people give someone else a chance to be themselves, they base everything of physical appearances.

The rectangular seat was labeled wet paint.  A tannish brown color was all that appeared in my eyesight.  I wondered why this man would be sitting on wet paint. This man was not dressed like a regular person would dress.  But then again how is a regular person supposed to dress?  His face was filled with nothing but dramatic colors, causing him to look pale.  Starting off with his hair which was short but visible enough to see it hanging down.  The hat he was wearing took the focus off of his hair.  It could have been possible that he was trying to hide his hair.  A hat is worn to be stylish or even worn due to a bad hair day.

His eyebrows were really dark and very thick.  The man’s nose was blood red and shaped like a mini ball.  The circular red colored nose is either fake, Rudolph, or a clown.  The lips on his face were very dull looking. Chalk must have been the new lip balm that morning.  The lines on his face were drawn in on his lips but not to express a smile.

Sitting on the bench, his shirt and pants were all ripped up.  The question I asked myself was why was he doing this?  The body language he gave off did not symbolize much happiness. Sitting on the bench with his head placed down and looking lost.  Not lost as in sense of direction but lost in his mindset.

The man on this bench was in fact a clown.  Back in the day people with physical defects were used in circuses. Being in a circus gave people the opportunity to receive entertainment.  Those who were too tall or small, ugly, or looked a certain way were chosen for the part.  In a circus, it is normal to see elephants, acts of entertainment, magicians, and most importantly clowns.

Self-esteem and insecurities are well known issues. Within society people are always self-conscious about themselves.  People find it hard trying to fit in without being judged or made fun of.  This clown in the photograph looks like he is going through things. It is not exactly clear as to what is going on but he isn't his normal self.

A clown is looked at as always being silly and the entertainment to the crowd.  Everyone has another side to offer in their life.  This man isn't a clown 24/7 neither was he born a clown.  Many are afraid of the word expression. Being that lots of people do not know the correct way of expressing themselves, they begin to crave attention. A cry for help isn’t always through tears and screams but can be silently done.

This photograph was taken for a reason. The reason being that everywhere a person goes they are being looked at differently. Depending on their physical appearance someone is always around to break their spirit.  It is up to the person to figure out who they really are and ignore others.  Once the clown wipes the extra make up off and doesn't wear clothes with rips and holes he won’t be a clown anymore.   The steps to creating a change within your self can be simple yet so hard at times for humans.

Blog Assignment #4, Prozac Nation

Shatavia Branch

Blog Assignment #4

Creative Non-Fiction Workshop

“Prozac Nation” by Elizabeth Wurtzel

The reading “Prozac Nation” by Elizabeth Wurtzel is based on a woman who is suffering with depression.  When people hear the word depression they assume it is a minor mood swing or a feeling of being under the weather.  But these assumptions aren’t completely correct.  Depression is much deeper than feeling a bit of sadness.  Depression is the feeling of severe despondency and dejection.  The protagonist is confined to being by herself.  She's always feeling constant sadness and is unsure why.

 Being confined to one location gives the protagonist a lot of spare time.  Within the timeframe of being by herself she analyzes and thinks a lot.  Wurtzel stated “hoping it will awaken my feminist consciousness”.  In order for a person to be conscious they have to be alert and  maintain a feeling.  One of the things that the protagonist does is watch television.  Everything that she watches, she compares it to her own life.  The majority of the things that are on these television shows closely deal with women.  Watching television had quickly became a hobby for her and also a way to educate and develop her thinking process.

 Viewing other women has caused the protagonist to want to be like them.  For example, one of the women in the story is an ice skater.  The different tricks and how she presents herself shows a sense of strength.  An ice skater is being viewed by thousands of people and she slways keeps a smile on her face.  The protagonist is all by herself and still finds it hard to even smirk.  She believes and starts to feel that she wants to find her sense of happiness.

 Solitude was the only thing she had known.  Every line that I read within the story forced me to create a question in my mind.  One part of the story mentioned “it’s a gift to be natural, it is such a responsibility, and it is so hard to be a natural”.  Natural means to have no add on and for one to be nothing but them.  This woman was striving to find who she really was as a person.  Her sadness and mixed feelings was a major blockage in trying to do so.

 It was a thrill for her to see other people happy.  If others were so happy, why couldn’t she be?  Observing these women in society made her feel like her happiness was impossible.  One of the things that she had noticed was that lonely existed in others besides herself.  “People magazine, that I learn that all these women suffer the loneliness of the road”.  People only reveal what they want others to see.  A person would never bluntly speak about being lonely and their problems.

 Wurtzfeld touched on so many issues that this woman was having.  Rather than just telling what was going on in the woman’s life she showed it.  From talking about the shows on the television to how bad the Xanax made her feel.  Reading this story I felt like I knew this woman.  It made me feel like I was her therapist or doctor.  I was the one in charge of figuring out a way to break her out of this stage in her life.

Vignette.

Title: "Pink"
Introduction: Sleeping is the root of all happiness.  Imagine having the feeling of comfort and being at ease all at the same time, but it comes to an end.  The soft fluffy pillows lah underneath my head and the warm sheets wrapped around me.  The feelings of perfection in my bed are instantly snatched away when it's time to wake up.  Normally mornings are the enemy but October 20th, 2013 was different.  "Tavia wake up its time to get ready" This line repeated itself so much in my head that morning.

In life we as people have lots of needs and wants.  The difference between these two words is that a need is a necessity; something extremely important in life.  Everyone has their wants but what do we as people really need? Something that we need in life is good health but not everyone is fortunate.  For my writing piece (vignette) I decided to write about my experience at the Breast Cancer Walk.  Breast Cancer is a common disease in women but can also effect men.  I normally participate in a numerous amount of walks.  The Aids Walk, March for Babies, etc but this time around was different.  This walk was different because I was walking in honor of somebody.  Her name was Jocelyn, back in the year of 2007 she sadly passed away.  The Breast Cancer Walk gave me an opportunity to support my cousin and honor the life of a great soul and person.

Introduce Yourself

Hello, my name is Shatavia and my major at Laguardia College is journalism.   Throughout my years growing up I always had a passion for reading and writing.  Reading has always been a great way of educating, informing, and making me much more knowledgeable as a person.  I can honestly read anything that is given to me but I prefer reading my favorite subjects and genres.  One of my favorite genres is actually non-fiction.  I enjoy focusing on topics that closely deal with sociology and social issues.  Going back to my major of journalism I am aware of their being plenty of areas to go into but I want to write articles/stories. I would like for my articles to focus on the various social issues that either go unseen or become unheard of.