Before I had a love of art, I had a love of literature. I loved to read, it was my escape from life, my place of comfort, I could think of nothing better than disappearing into a world of love and adventure, of long lost worlds and heroic characters, only resurfacing hours later when brought back to reality by my mother's voice; "can you set the table?!"
As my love of literature grew, I began to write my own stories and by the time I was 9 years old I loved to write as much as I loved to read, with 3 full length stories under my belt. Problems arose when I wanted to illustrate my stories (I didn't think I could draw), I wasted no time in enlisting the help of my older brother (I knew he could draw), who to my utter surprise and dismay (at the time and now a little bit, if I'm honest) ''had better things to do with his time!". What was a girl to do? Well, I taught myself how to draw and their began my love of art, but sadly in the process of learning to draw (to my surprise I was actually quite good at drawing) and discovering a love of art , I forgot to keep writing. I forgot that my first love had been a love of reading, which grew into a love of writing, I forgot that at age 9 I had endlessly begged my mum to pay and enroll me on writing courses (she didn't of course, the prices were ridiculously high), I forgot that I had dreamt of owning my very own typewriter and writing murder mysteries, a Black Jessica Fletcher, (not so much solving the murders, I much preferred the writing bit, with a cup of tea in hand in the comfort of my own home...well my mother's home anyway).
It has been many years but I am back to writing, and I hope, through this blog, able to merge my two loves of literature and art. I am now ready to write, or in Swahili kuandika, please read if you wish and comment if you like (or don't like, all feedback is helpful, right?)
As my love of literature grew, I began to write my own stories and by the time I was 9 years old I loved to write as much as I loved to read, with 3 full length stories under my belt. Problems arose when I wanted to illustrate my stories (I didn't think I could draw), I wasted no time in enlisting the help of my older brother (I knew he could draw), who to my utter surprise and dismay (at the time and now a little bit, if I'm honest) ''had better things to do with his time!". What was a girl to do? Well, I taught myself how to draw and their began my love of art, but sadly in the process of learning to draw (to my surprise I was actually quite good at drawing) and discovering a love of art , I forgot to keep writing. I forgot that my first love had been a love of reading, which grew into a love of writing, I forgot that at age 9 I had endlessly begged my mum to pay and enroll me on writing courses (she didn't of course, the prices were ridiculously high), I forgot that I had dreamt of owning my very own typewriter and writing murder mysteries, a Black Jessica Fletcher, (not so much solving the murders, I much preferred the writing bit, with a cup of tea in hand in the comfort of my own home...well my mother's home anyway).
It has been many years but I am back to writing, and I hope, through this blog, able to merge my two loves of literature and art. I am now ready to write, or in Swahili kuandika, please read if you wish and comment if you like (or don't like, all feedback is helpful, right?)
Lovely blog, well done Sylvia. Here's my blog http://joyandjoebaby.blogspot.co.uk/
ReplyDeleteThanks JoyandJoe! I've checked yours out too and it's great so inspiring.
DeleteThank you Sylvia, for sharing your Love!
ReplyDeleteit is especially great, to know that it is never too late to pick up our long but not lost love and run with it.... when we are ready!
I cannot wait to read your stories.... I hope you go all out and illustrate it too. I find that as adults, our books are excluded from the world of illustration, just because we are adults!!!