Empty Canvas

Jorge Viramontes
Aug 31, 2018 · 3 min read

Start with a clean, empty canvas.

There’s something liberating about it. An empty page is a beautiful opportunity to start fresh. An empty page has no rules or guidelines on the words you can write and the story you will tell.

There’s nothing holding you back on a blank page. There are no reasons against writing what’s on your mind. There are no rules that say you can’t just draw doodles. There are no rules that say you can’t write the most powerful statement you’ve made in your life. You are in control of where you wanna go, and where you go is totally up to you.

But then that’s a hard question. What do you even want?

I realized I’ve been finding my way through life — all along not knowing where I will go. I can plan and dream big, and yet, there’s still no way to know what life will throw at me, what life will look like, what failure will look like, and what success will look like.

I’ve been wanting to start a blog for several years now. I started off strong. I wrote a pretty decent article that I shared with friends, through Facebook and other means. I’ve been journaling in my Evernote (where this blog post started), and up until now have hesitated to post since then. I slid something under the radar, but didn’t really share it widely because I wasn’t comfortable with choosing which direction I wanted this blog to go.

I feel that I’ve been afraid. I’ve been afraid of putting time, work and intentional effort to share something that nobody may even read. What if my natural way of writing turns people away? What if the audience can’t align with my natural voice and what’s most comfortable with me? Shit, what if I use a comma in the wrong place??

The internet is a harsh world out there. Trolls are everywhere, and I feel like they’ll pounce to make an entertaining comment at your expense. But so what? That’s what happens when you make yourself vulnerable and try something new. That’s what happens when you tell your story. You open yourself up to connect with others and share something. Share something that makes life worth living, for yourself, and for other people. Let the haters hate — it’s easier to comment and critique than write a blog das on fleek.

I’d like to leave you with this — you know that one thing you’ve been really afraid of doing? That thing you keep saying that you’ll get to, and eventually do one day? That thing you’re waiting for the right time to do?

I’ll tell you this: it’s never gonna happen. Trust me. You might as well stop spending all your mental energy worrying about it and when you’re actually gonna start it. Because you wont. I’m sorry this isn’t the feel good blog ending you were looking for — just quit, it’s better this way.

Okay, how did that make you feel? If it made you feel angry that I’m questioning your abilities, good. I hope you prove me wrong. Make it happen.

I don’t know where I will go, what life will throw at me, and what future failures, successes, joys, and heartbreaks will look like. But I do know this: I am the sole person responsible for creating my own happiness. I am the one who can imagine what joy, happiness and success might look like. What I write on my blank page is a story that directly lines up with those intentions.

-JV 8/30/2018

Jorge Viramontes

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Escribo de la vida. Músico, visionario, y aveces gracioso. Pero no te creas, no me creo muy muy.