Writing: Gift or Practice?

Writing has always been a hobby for me, a form of expression. At 11, when new feelings and frustrations began to emerge, I started writing poems. Fascinated by sonnets and rhymes, I found refuge in pen and paper, a solitary way to externalize what was inside me.

Learning to put ideas, feelings, and reflections on paper led me to study journalism. However, during my final project, I left the group I was part of because I realized the topic had nothing to do with me or my aspirations. I spoke with my Literary Journalism professor, who agreed to guide me, and I started a new project halfway through the semester. I remember many sleepless nights writing that report book. I had support and help, which was very important to me, and I will always remember it. I didn’t have much time for revisions and edits, so the book wasn’t as good as it could have been. Initially, this frustrated me. But soon after, I lifted my head and said loudly to myself: I did it. That was when a spark ignited, and I realized I was capable.

That experience broadened my vision and gave me confidence I hadn’t had before. That’s when I decided to start a postgraduate degree in Literary Journalism, led by Professor Edvaldo Pereira Lima, one of the pioneers of this field in the country. What a master. The course, from the now-defunct Brazilian Academy of Literary Journalism (ABJL), was the first in Brazil. I feel completely honored and privileged to have been a part of it. More than a course, it was the longest immersion in personal development I have ever participated in.

Changes

The story is long, but the point is that I found something I loved to do. I studied and developed this skill. But life took a turn. The digital marketing market was booming, social media was the new boom. Shortly after completing the postgraduate course, I followed the market flow. I built a career in a multinational company, worked in startups, and technology companies, always in communication and marketing departments. Then the pandemic hit, and everything quickly fell apart. I lost my job and no longer wanted to follow the same path.

I started to rebuild myself in different ways. I rediscovered and reinvented myself. Unintentionally and unknowingly, I started to venture into entrepreneurship. What had been a shelved dream suddenly flowed and happened in an area I never thought I would work in: the wine market. Everything worked out, and I am proud to have built, along with my incredible partner, such a beautiful company that we love.

But wait! Amidst all this, where did my pen go? And the art of writing?

It got lost. Of course, I usually wrote in all my jobs; that’s how I evolved over the years. It’s something I studied, specialized in, and never stopped practicing. I always did it well, but I never recognized myself as such. This is new to me. Looking in the mirror and confidently affirming that I am good at this is something that was already inside me, but until now, I hadn’t acknowledged or had the courage to verbalize. I lacked self-confidence, self-love, and belief in myself.

Self-awareness

During the pandemic, before I knew it, I was writing a lot, practically every single day (always just for myself: in notebooks, note pads, documents on the computer, always something private and never public). I wrote texts, articles, poems… songs. I started composing; it was something natural, organic, magical. Now I am studying these other branches and improving myself.

Soon after, I had an epiphany, a quick and crazy process, during which Vi supported and helped me, to embrace this truth: Yes, I write well! I am a great writer, I do this very well. It was the first time I said this out loud. And wow, how liberating that was! It still is.

And I understood why I am good at it: I do it with passion. Except for some recent freelance work, I had never written for money. It was always for love, for a hobby, for passion. To express myself. Art for art’s sake. That’s where the magic of writing lies for me, in that place.

Only recently did I decide to make writing my primary job and no longer something that just “came along” in my roles as an analyst or coordinator in communication and marketing departments.

Eureka! This is my main activity now: Writing. After more than 20 years of practice and refinement, I discovered that this is my true essence and function. This is my place to serve. Feel free to call me, hire me. Nice to meet you, Ketlen, a writer.