Letter of gratitude to Vocal community.

I don’t know how many people will read this article, since the probability of it making it to the top story is low, unlike my previous piece, which is the very reason I am writing these words. But even if a small percentage out of those who engaged with my content over the last two weeks will see this letter, it will be worth it. Perhaps one of the main reasons I had to write it, is me feeling that due to the busyness of daily life, I didn’t reciprocate nearly enough on the lovely feedback I received from you lot recently.

So, as the above title suggests, I wanted to say - thank you. For the warm and supportive words, for the encouragement, for the wonderful atmosphere of the community, which was so palpable that I felt it through the screen. In other words, it wasn’t just the information in your comments that moved me, it was also the energy that accompanied your words. They felt genuine and authentic, something that is of a very high value to creative people.

All of the above is so very important on this journey of following our passion. There is a narrative out there that I resonated with upon hearing it; something along the lines of the fact that we should first and foremost create for ourselves, in order to answer the call within us and stay true to ourselves. I agree that this is certainly the bigger picture of creativity ; us embodying the Creator’s aspect, painting with the divine brush (pen) on the plain canvas of the pages, without any need for validation. In the ideal world this dynamic would indeed be all the inspiration we need to keep going.

However, when it comes to real life, with its ups and downs, doubts and fears, insecurities and hesitations - having a positive feedback is very valuable, especially for those of us with the imposter syndrome. It reminds us of our worth, our purpose, our gifts. Especially on the days when we struggle to see these things for ourselves. And our purpose one way or another inevitably involves other people and the impact we have on them; without relationships, the interactions with other humans, not much would be learned and experienced in this realm.

The downside of this of course is the vulnerability to negative feedback , but it is worth to remember that our creations are not for everyone, and there is no point trying to please the critics. Perhaps this is when it is the most useful to acknowledge the ideology from the beginning of this text, namely that first and foremost we create to honour the spark within us. Consequently, our people will always recognise and appreciate our work, regardless of what the masses think.

Since I am very passionate about mental health, and since this article has unexpectedly developed an underlying theme of purpose, it is worth mentioning a research I discovered not long ago. Basically it turns out that multiple studies show that having a purpose in one’s life strengthens one’s resilience on the nervous system level. And the state of our nervous system is directly linked to better mental health, better immune system, and a host of other health benefits. And good news is, it is not necessary for our purpose to match the job we do to make a living, in order for the positive effect to occur. As long as the sense of purpose is present in our life, we reap the benefits. I thought this is such a powerful reminder to keep creating, whether it is something that pays one’s bills or not.

So thank you dear Vocal community, I really appreciate you taking the time to read, like and comment on my stories. It makes my heart full.