Why Blog, Dawg?
Hello and welcome to my first ever, semi-exciting venture into the world of blogging!
With no preconceived notions of what this blog will entail and how I will captivate readers and visitors to this site, let me begin by thanking all those who are taking the time to read my innermost thoughts, considerations and opinions. I'm still trying to hash out the fine print and figure out exactly what I'll be writing about but, for now, I think I'll use this medium as a way to express my ideas: real, philosophical, political, etc. Shoot me a note if you have any thoughts on this matter and I'll take your suggestions into consideration!
Now, where to begin... I guess I'll start off by explaining the reason for this blog. It all started with my previous and first job; my premiere foray into the working world. In October of 2014, a mere 5 months after having graduated Brandeis University, I began working for a Public Relations Agency in Boston. After having worked there for a year-and-a-half, I left the agency with no specific work prospects in mind. Now, I'm attempting to freelance through a variety of platforms to get my start in creative and editorial work. A blog seems like the perfect way to keep the creative juices flowing and to keep myself on some sort of schedule. I plan on blogging once every week, providing readers with some insights into the inner workings of my life and mind, a place not as frightening as you might imagine.
The question that must be asked at this point in my seemingly endless narrative is this: "Liz, your life isn't that exciting. You are an unemployed 23 year-old living in suburbia. Why blog at all?" And to that I'll reply, "Well, reader. Why read at all?" And yes, answering a question with another question may be as "douchey" as that guy at the bar with the backwards hat and waaaay too much cologne who doesn't get the hint no matter how many times you tell him that you're just not interested; however, I digress. In my personal and very unsupported-by-factual-evidence opinion, reading and writing are tools that many of us use to validate ourselves as the people we are today. Human beings, in general, are as self conscious as they are narcissistic; we are constantly seeking approval, hoping that the people (real and fictional) we surround ourselves with will make us feel as though we are constantly "doing [insert: thinking, feeling, considering, etc.] the right thing." Reading provides us with stories, opinions, literature that supports our intellectual, ethical, moral tribulations. When we face dilemmas in our realities, we oftentimes turn to fictional characters that have faced similar, or sometimes completely different, challenges and rely on their hypothetical guidance. Yes, these fictional characters can come from television just as they can from books but I'm talking about writing, here so stay with me, people. This is not to say that we only read narratives that we relate to. Oftentimes, we read in order to sympathize with characters we never considered we would relate to; however, we relate to the humanity and the human impulse in any fictional character, making their struggles our own.
"Now, Liz. This all sounds ridiculous and far-fetched. If you want me to believe you, you'll have to provide me with an example."
Well, sassy reader, to that I say, "Challenge accepted!"
One of my all time favorite books, The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (yes, mom, thanks for everything) is set in a fantastical version of Moscow in the 1930's during the Soviet era. The characters in the novel range from a delirious journalist, a couple of communist cronies, a talking cat, Satan, the Master, Margarita (boss-ass chick, by the way), some demons, the ghosts of evil people, etc. (it's not, what you might call an easy read.) Despite the wildly eccentric characters and proceedings of the story (although, who knows, maybe Satan's German professor alter-ego and his "Rat Pack" did roam the streets of Moscow in the '30s), people for decades have read, re-read and re-re-read this novel in its entirety, sympathizing with Maragarita's plight, the Master's heartbreaking desperation and even the demons' mischievous pranks (seriously, people, if you haven't read this book, you should.) The reason people have been reading this book and enjoying it is that they/we are all hugely narcissistic creatures looking for validation wherever we can. I find validation in Margarita's willful nature. Her adventurous spirit makes me feel like it's "ok" to take risks, to feel vengeful and to act with spite. I oftentimes relate to her stubborn pride and resilience. Woland's character validates my opinion that everyone in this world, including the devil, can be made to act out of sympathy and kindness. There are plenty of other examples I could provide but, in the hopes that some of you may not have read this book, I will stop right here for fear of giving too much of the incredible, fantastic, wonderful piece of literature away. (Please read it, please!)
<--- This is Behemoth, one of the novel's best characters. Seriously, so good!
I read The Master and Margarita because I seek validation. This the same reason I am writing this blog. I hope that by putting my ideas "out there" I may find some semblance of creative fulfillment and self-approval that we all crave.
This past year has been hectic, to say the least, and many who know me well can attest that stress and worry have become regular emotional companions for me on a day-to-day basis. Worry not! I will not be using this blog to pour out all the emotional baggage that I have compiled over the past however-many months but, instead, I hope that my words may stir up emotions, conversations and maybe, even some feedback.
And on that note, I will end this particularly useless blog post as the introduction to future posts that I hope will be more insightful.
Thanks for reading, you awesome reader, you!
