Evans_Tamieka_Wayfarer Mag Final

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Wayfarer Magazine

Transcript of Evans_Tamieka_Wayfarer Mag Final

WayfarerMagazine

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11 || Writing Vanni Layne on where to find inspiration

08 || Travel Making Moves: 2016’s best destinations

46 || Design Vancouver’s own Bri Torrnington

35 || Fine Arts Spotlight on the Toronto Arts scene

06 || Lifestyle How to fall in love with yourself

24 || Photography How to make your food photos sparkle

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Contents | spring 2016| 2016

Cover Photo: Abigail Keenan

Renowned essayist Vanni Layne tells us what it takes to be a top notch writer.

photo credit: Pavan Trikutam

Writing regularily has helped me find my comfort zone, and then proceeded to knock me directly out of it. I struggled with social anxiety for over half of my life. Yet, I have discovered a love of writing in public spac-es. Actually, cafés, subways, and parks are my absolute favourites. These are ideal because they allow you to practice keeping focus, but you can still feel connected to the rhythms unfolding around you. Make sure you are also reading, constantly. In order to write with confidence, you need to know what works, and what you like. Consider your favourite author. What are they doing, and why do they inspire you? What works for me is constantly keeping a journal at my side. I pull it out for anything, and write my thoughts. If I’m smitten with a particualrly attention-grabbing quote, I write it down. Don’t be embarrassed. It’s an excellent habit to get into!

The biggest piece of advice I can offer to a fledgling writer is this: don’t get discouraged. Instead, push through the frustration. Write every single day. Jot down a few lines, or write out an entire chapter. What I can’t stress enough is that inspired writing takes regular practice.

When we create, we are channeling our deepest dreams and fears. Entire universes are created from our imaginations, and put to paper so that others may discover what we already have. There is power in that gift, and there is strength. The right blaze of inspiration can spark a fresh outlook, and keep us focused on the things that matter. Your creative voice is your most precious gift. It is the kindling that fires your life. It is too valuable to throw aside. What ever you do, don’t put it down.

You are a creative goddess. You are a beautiful, fierce, and uplifting force of nature. Whatever you do, don’t hold back.

Don’t ever hold yourself back.

As wild and beautiful creative souls, inspiration is the air we breathe. It comes to

us as sun on a rainy day. It trickles in from the trees outside our bedroom windows, from little moments of laughter, and of course—from the books we read. Nurturing that inspiration and letting it grow is sometimes easier said than done, especially when faced with the dreaded writer’s block. If you’re at all like I am, you’ll find that writing often feels like stumbling around in a dark room, blind and alone. Words don’t always come as easily to us as we expect, and it can be a source of eternal frusration. What we seem to forget in these moments, is that writing is hard work. Channeling our inspiration into something beautiful, something worthwhile,

something that takes on a new and strange life of its own, is— well—even harder.

Sooner or later, life comes out of nowhere and knocks us on our feet. It’s difficult to avoid feeling unmotivated or uninspired in those times… especially when we are emotionally vulnerable. Worst of all, we can feel motionless and stuck if we’re not happy with what we create. The frustration can be overwhelming and discouraging. The key to keeping creatively active is to place yourself in a mindset where you are no longer holding back. Instead of stalling by telling yourself “no”... write. Instead of saying “I can’t”... write. The point is to take that vulnerabilty, that doubt and hes-itation, and turn it into something productive. Something beautiful.

“The biggest piece of advice I can offer to a fledgling writer is this— don’t get

discouraged”

Spotlight || Writing Spotlight || Writing

photo credit: Startup Stock Photos

photo credit: Chiara Pinna