The Inspired
Growing up I was over weight unconfident, shy, and overall unhappy with who I was. As kid I remember always being invited to hangout with friends just to be the one they made fun of to get a laugh out of it. To most people this may seem like bullying witch they would be right, but to me this was normal everyday life. I got so used to it I believed this is how friends were supposed to treat each other. It wasn't until I was 16 years old when I met this friend who showed me true friendship and kindness.
After meeting this new friend my whole life changed. It was like someone turned on the lights in my head and I woke up. I was angry and upset with myself for not realizing what was going on right in front of me but most importantly I was inspired; inspired to be the person I had always wanted to be, inspired to become better than those who bullied me as a kid. I didn't know where to start, so I stopped doing everything I knew I shouldn't do.
First thing I did was change my attitude and become more confident in myself. To do so I had to start working out and eating right so I could finally look they way I’d dream of. Secondly I Started dressing the way I wanted without caring what others said to me. Finally after two years of Fixing myself I had learned the most important lesson. To become the person you want to be the first step is to love who you are and stop caring what others think. To this day my friends will still make jokes here and there about the way I dress, and other stuff, but it doesn't effect me like it once did. I was content with who I am so their words have no power over me anymore.
If I could go back and pick my friends all over again I wouldn't change a thing. If not for them I would have never been inspired to learn about self love and positivity, I would have never become the person I am today.
Artist statement:
In this short story I used POV writing to show the childhood of a kid who was bullied until he finally broke free of the bullies. I used this method of writing in the las project we had as well. Over this semester I have grown fond of this writing style because it allows me to write stories in the eyes of the characters. I especially like when I write it was the older self of the character is talking about/ telling a story from his past. While thinking of the story line I looked at my own experiences along side with other students and their experience with bullying at a young age and how they handled it. This story line stood out to me because I feel strongly about bullying in school. I know many people deal with their own struggles with different type of bullies, so I wanted to write a story that others could read and learn its possible to overcome the bullying. Some challenges I faced when writing this were trying to come up with a story most people can relate to and not be focused on one specific insecurities one may have. I overcame this challenge by adding multiple insecurities the character had to overcome. This semester I have learned that creative writing isn't as easy as I once believed. I have come to appreciate the work and time it takes to make an interesting and quality short story.
