As a young woman who considers herself a writer , I have found it difficult to know who I am unless I know my history as well as the history of those who came before me. In order to figure out who I am and how I want to impact the world, I had to immerse myself in texts that resonated deeply with me. After a few years of reading, I came across a piece of writing called “Uses of The Erotic: The Erotic as a Power”. This essay is a part of a compilation of pieces of writing that were created by an author named Audre Lorde. Lorde was an activist, poet, advocate, and scholar in her own right. She used her knowledge to speak for women, specifically women like her and break down barriers that prevented feminist ideals from women of African descent from being heard and taken seriously.
After being introduced to Lorde’s work I became a bit obsessed with her thought process. Her mind was so agile and so advanced that she created literature that is still relevant years after she wrote them. One of my favorite sentences ever written can be found in Lorde’s poem “A Litany for Survival “. This poem states that “When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak.” After reading this sentence in Lorde’s poem I realized how important my individual voice as a writer actually is. I also acknowledged the role that fear plays in hindering the creative process of most writers and thinkers as well. As writers, we become aware of the effects our voice can have on people. Our fear of offending other people prevents us from completely speaking through the passion that drives us. However, this quote afforded me the opportunity to grow into my true self while also encouraging me to write my own motto, which I live by until this day.
My Motto is as follows: “I choose to let my work speak for me, with hopes that my accomplishments define me as more than just a writer but also a revolutionary in my own right.” This motto, which was inspired by Audre Lorde’s words pushes me every day to live my life without regret and without hesitation. Each day I work towards placing myself in uncomfortable positions so that I can get comfortable with discomfort. In doing so I have put myself in the position to be prepared to stand firm when obstacles are placed in front of me, while also surpassing expectations from those who seek to limit me. Lorde’s writing inspired me to write truly, passionately and unapologetically. I only hope that I can one day inspire someone else to find out who they really are inside and find a way to impact the world positively, creatively but most of all fiercely.