Journal logo

A Day Of Creative Passions.

The time that a simple idea began turning into a reality finally.

By Jonathan TownendPublished 3 years ago • 5 min read
6
A Day Of Creative Passions.
Photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash

It always amazes me when I look back at the first 'clunky' typewriter that I was bought for a Christmas present, back (hmm?) a few decades ago now...

I used to love typing onto fresh white, blank paper. It was a great medium for me to let my mind wander into a world of fantasy, make-believe, and to put onto paper, the true moments that occurred in my life as I began growing up, that I wanted to remember for as long as I could - so typing was just great for doing that.

Although my fingers did not quite like me for the typewriter. Do you remember just how you would always end up trapping your finger downside the edges of each of those keys? You could always recognize when I had been busily typing away because the tips of my fingers would be reddened and scraped, from the metal raised parts of each of the keys. Oh yes, and do you remember the annoyingly dirty job of having to change that damned ribbon when it would run out?

My hands spent more time under the running water being scrubbed than I ever actually spent time on doing my homework from school.

By Wilhelm Gunkel on Unsplash

You could pretty much say that I worshipped my typewriter...

It became my trusted friend over the many years as I grew up. It captured the many changing aspects and happy moments for me, as they happened. Then of course we had the great introduction to an electronic typewriter didn't we, and these are still used by many today of course.

Just a little factoid for you on the typewriter historyđź’ˇ.

🖨For a start, did you know that it was first designed & built by Christopher Latham Sholes of Milwaukee (USA) in 1867 invented, later sold, and turned into the successful Remington typewriter? An improved prototype by Sholes still sits in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History (USA.)

And then, of course, the dawn of the electronic typewriter came into fruition

đź–¨ James Fields Smathers was the next person responsible for the invention of the first power-operated typewriter in 1914. In 1920, after returning from the army, he produced successful models which he then turned over to the Northeast Electric Company of Rochester. From 1925 onwards, Remington Electric Typewriters were produced with power from the motors that Northeast Electric Company of Rochester had.

And that my friend is the last little factoid I am intending to 'twitter' on about (if you will excuse the pun!)

I sadly gave up my intense interest in writing, which had occupied my younger years, as I made a choice to start a career in mental health nursing which spanned all of a 30-year span. Definitely, a regret that I hold close to my heart now.

I imagine many of you reading this will be wondering to yourself as you read this,

'why is this bloke waffling on about such a regret?'

And I hear you, it is a valid point. You see writing has always been a strong & very effective way forward to vent your thoughts, experiences, and feelings, when you simply are not ready or willing, to actually talk about these areas with anyone else. Psychiatry taught me to recognize this unique ability and indeed has been in use for a very long period of time in mental health - acting as a powerful therapeutic exercise, for those patients affected by anxiety, depression, and those suffering from any traumatic event in their lives.

Writing therapy can be done individually, with just a person and his pen, or it can be guided by a mental health professional. It can be practiced in a group, with group discussions focusing on writing. It can even be added as a supplement to another form of therapy.

This type of therapy can prove extremely helpful for the user, whether it helps them improve their memory, record important bits and pieces of their day, or just helps them relax at the end of a long day.

Positive Psychology, 22nd March 2021

Anyhow, I did not manage to pick up a pen and write on a piece of paper for many years, once I became engrossed with mental health nursing. Oh, how I did make attempts to regain some of my lost writing but, it certainly was to no avail.

And then what happened? Well I'd like you to take a read of the first article I wrote earlier this year, after the decades of having written nothing at all (well, apart from an overwhelming amount of care plans at work), this was what reignited my passion again for writing.

The above article talked about the Covid-19 pandemic, which was the turning point for my life. It is true that having contracted the virus did change more than just my career path, but it changed my whole compass coordinates for my journey through life itself. Faced with the truth that I was not physically able to return to the work environment, I decided to try my hand at writing once more.

The article above? Well, this was my first piece. It fed my hunger for writing again.

So I continue onward through this renewed walk in life, with the sole intention of continuing to write more and better myself. I have plans of writing my very first science fiction novel, and whilst writing on mental health & other topical daily pieces of interest, I have ventured into my first attempt at fiction writing too (which can be found below.)

But I am excited to tell you that a couple of days ago, I decided after many weeks of procrastinating, to set up and open a new publication on Medium -

As you can see from the link, I have set up aiming at not just one area of interest but, five. If you would like to take a look at what is on my new publication then, go ahead click on the link above. If you would like to join either as a contributing writer or simply would just like to follow my publication then, I would love to welcome you aboard...

Simply click on the link below for more help in joining Medium and more information within my new publication for the types of articles that I will accept.

So as you can see, I have regained my love of writing. Although it is not with pen & paper anymore, moved along like the rest of us, to the age of the laptops now, albeit I do still scribble notes down in a pad of paper, every now and again that is.

*****************

Follow me here on Vocal and subscribe too, so you can follow what I write here. If you liked it then please give me a heart. Tips are always optional but, they keep allowing me to push my creativity forward too...

If you'd like to join Vocal then please click here.

If you'd like to read more of my articles already on Vocal then please click here.

You can also find me on Twitter @JonathanDTowne1

career
6

About the Creator

Jonathan Townend

I love writing articles & fictional stories. They give me scope to express myself and free my mind. After working as a mental health nurse for 30 years, writing allows an effective emotional release, one which I hope you will join me on.

Reader insights

Nice work

Very well written. Keep up the good work!

Top insights

  1. Excellent storytelling

    Original narrative & well developed characters

  2. Expert insights and opinions

    Arguments were carefully researched and presented

  3. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.