My experience at Black Writers Weekend

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Welcome back to my blog. It's been awhile I know! But I am back so enjoy today's post about a conference I attended two weeks ago.

I heard about the Black Writers Weekend (BWW) through my best friend back in May or early June. It was a four day conference set in Atlanta, Georgia from August fourth to the seventh. BWW  included workshops, panels, screenings, and networking. There were different types of creatives like literary writers, filmmakers, and podcasters! What a great start to an ending summer, just what I needed. So, why was this weekend significant?

                                                          Legal Career vs. Creative Career
I spent the past three years in law school working towards a Juris Doctor degree and finally graduated three and a half months ago - yay me! But that wasn't the end. The second week of May to July 26th was reserved for studying for the California bar exam. BWW came a week after I took the exam. Great, a chance to spend most of my time working on creative projects while I wait for results! Law school was a lovely challenge that didn't leave much room for developing my fictional stories. I want to create content for this blog, for my ASMR YouTube channel (fading sunlight asmr), and write my short story. It's exciting to devote my free time to creative expression and build my creative career. Writing is fun and expressive. I want to indulge in it as much as I can before I dive back into legal land. I have so much to say, it would be a crime to keep it all in. BWW was a mental reset to get my mind back into writer mode/creator mode.

                                                          Practical Advice vs. Motivation
During BWW I attended several sessions such as how to get a literary agent, creating social media content, access to Hollywood, and MORE. I gained practical advice and motivation through the speakers' inspirational words. Those two go hand in hand. Sometimes hearing the steps you need to complete something is not enough. You know what you gotta do, but where's the motivation? The sessions I attended that had speakers sharing their successes, failures, and insight were just as necessary as the speaker who taught us how to approach a literary agent. Imagine having a car with no key. Yes, you have a mode of transportation, but nothing to make it start. You can't drive anywhere if the car doesn't turn on. The car is the practical advice and the key is motivation. My mind is ever flowing with ideas. Sometimes I don't know how to bring them to fruition while other times I don't have the motivation to physically work on them. Sometimes it's fear! Following your dreams takes courage. What if I publish a book but people hate it?! What if someone gets offended by a line in my poem?! What if I get laughed at?! I think it is natural to have these thoughts, but I can't let them stop me from putting my work out there. I appreciate the speakers for being vulnerable and authentic and for taking the time to encourage us creatives. The conference renewed my creative spirit. 
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I hope you readers stick around to follow the content that is soon to come.

*Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash!