Memoir Is More Than.

Yesterday I wrote about my crises as a writer—not knowing where I fit in, not wanting to pigeonhole myself into the trap of only writing about one thing—and my longing for creative freedom.

I had one of the best and most unexpected comments that made me stand up and yell, “yes!”

Thank you, thank you,

KSHERNANDEZ

!

This sentiment resonated with me so much. It took me back to a college essay I wrote on creativity and how everyone is creative in some form. There is creativity in everything from writing, painting, and photography to working with numbers, science, and fixing cars.

Memoir is more than a written story that follows a set guideline. We can tell a story all sorts of ways. My creative partner

Christopher Robin

spends a great deal of time painting wonderful artwork and he’s grown a great deal over the past work. His paintings are abstract ink and watercolor for the most part, but every time I see a new one, it screams a story to me. That has to be the case because I imagine when Chris sits down to paint, his current feelings and emotions—even if he’s still and focused—pour out through his paint strokes.

Here I’ve spent so much time fretting about the meaning of memoir and whether I should change the name of my Substack, and the answer came to me as soon as I read the comments on my piece yesterday. The answer is no…no, I should not change the name. Why? Because everything I write—whether shitty, nonsense, poetic, educational, or a memoir in the traditional sense of the word comes from a place of emotion and creativity.

It’s a freeing feeling.

The Art of Memoir—much like Chris’ artwork—is my art. It’s the art of me. So, I’m just going to forge ahead and post what I like. I think perhaps I’ll keep coursework and writing lessons on a paid subscription and everything else just shout out into the wind.

Yes. Suddenly I feel free. And not dragged down by insecurity and an inferiority complex. I’m ready to create again! I’m looking forward to finishing my second literary journal—The Memoirist Quarterly—and returning from hiatus for The Unfocused Writer podcast.

Looking forward to sharing all these things with the world.