Tag Archives: poetry book

One Year of My Debut Poetry Book ‘If I Bare My Soul’!

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One year ago today, I took a leap of faith (no pun intended), and released my first-ever book. It was something that had always been this distant dream of mine, but one that seemed like so far-fetched of an idea. However when I found self-publishing, I was finally able to officially pursue this project last January. By July, I had a complete collection of poems and strings of stories woven together straight from my heart.

July 10th, 2024, a day that was supposed to be marked by excitement and self-fulfillment, instead had a dark cloud looming overhead. By this day, it had already been three days since myself and many of others in my whole city had been without electricity. Though I was briefly able to find just enough cell service to share my project, by then every place around me that once looked so full of life, seemingly turned into a ghost town. I spent many sleepless nights in a car, in the thick of summer’s heat, just praying to get out of this testing time as I’d deliriously watch the rise and fall of the sun. It wouldn’t be until two days later that I’d be able to celebrate my debut book having been published.

Fast forward a year later, as I observe all the lives affected by the recent devastating floods in my home state of Texas, I’m reminded of my gratitude for life. While my journey as a self-published author didn’t begin as planned, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I know now that we  can have all these things in our lives meticulously planned out the way we’d hope for them to go, but these expectations might never come to fruition precisely as such, and we have to be accept with that. 

When I say I poured my all into this project, I truly mean it. Admittedly, I haven’t found the words to say (or write), since I spilled my entire soul on those pages bound in this book. It’s a tough feeling, that maybe this book is all I had in me, that I’ve got nothing left to say. Still, I continue to seek inspiration everywhere. I’ve learned to never force art, but to let creativity find me. So while it may seem like I’m achieving nothing in this period of stillness, I am giving myself this time to soak up life like a sponge, to examine the world’s stories, in order to authentically create as I feel the passion to do so. This is only the beginning of my story and I can’t wait to find out what’s next for me.

I want to express my deepest appreciation to anyone who has ever supported me along the way in this journey I’m on as a writer. To any and all family members, friends, or strangers that have purchased my book, I could never thank you enough. To me, this book wasn’t about the performance or numbers, but simply about having a physical representation of my passion for written expression. This was to prove to nobody but myself, that I can set upon anything I put my mind to, and that if my art should speak to anyone else in the world, then it will shall its way to the right people. 

Happy one year of If I Bare My Soul!

✍🏻📖🫀

Letting Expectations Go in 2025

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When an unpredictable rainstorm swept through my town on the eve of my 23rd birthday, I thought it was unfortunate, but I didn’t let it get my spirits down. A couple months later, when my entire city and nearby towns completely lost electricity for multiple days in the thick of Texas’ summer, I tried to keep reminding myself, “I’m not the only one going through this.” However it was the fact that this mass power outage just so happened to occur over the same week that months before, I had pre-planned to release my debut book, that made it difficult to not question if this was more that just a stroke of bad luck.

If you know me, then you know I try to remain positive in any situation thrown my way. I’ve gone through too many trials and tribulations in my life to let the small inconveniences break me. A quote I still live by, five years after first introducing it on this very blog, is the words of Victor Frankl, who said “Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation.” I cannot divine when a patch of rain will turn into a flood, I cannot control when strong winds will shut off electricity for thousands, nor for how long. What I can control, is the decision to remain positive in any given situation, to understand that all storms will eventually pass.

If this year has taught me anything, it’s that you can have everything planned out according to the way you hope things pan out, but things almost never actually happen in the precise way we would like. Expectations only lead to disappointment, so expect nothing. Do not fear the unexpected, for all you could ever dream of could just be awaiting you. Dream big, set goals, and work hard, but expect nothing. What’s meant for you, in time, shall be yours.

I used to dream of having my articles published by a big time company, or to have my works published on bookshelves across every bookstore. When I realized that this dream in reality was just too far beyond my reach, I redirected my focus and took matters into my own hands. This year, I self-published my very first book—something I never thought I was capable of doing. I can now say, “I am a published author”, because I stopped tying myself down to the expectations I had set upon myself.

So did I ever imagine I’d be celebrating my debut book’s release in the passenger seat of the car as we were going on almost three days without power, in the loosest-fitting close we could find to accommodate the Texas summer heat, just begging for one bar of service so I could share this moment with the world? Absolutely not. But I also never expected to see my name printed on the cover of a book. I never expected even one person would buy my works, but I made a promise to myself one year ago, and all of that—I accomplished in 2024.

So while I vow to free myself from the burden of expectations, I will continue to believe in the power of manifestation, I will keep faith in myself and continue to work hard to achieve everything I set upon in this life.