Express Yo'self!
I just finished reading Daisy Jones and The Six. In fact, I devoured it in just a few days, not a normal occurrence for this lover of short form content. For the first few days, I was under the impression that it was based on a true story, amazed that I had never heard of this “famous band”. Later after searching for a song of theirs on Spotify did I realize that it was actually not a real band but inspired by one, one that I and every other self-proclaimed witch loves very much, Fleetwood Mac.
Oops.
Anyways the story was told in an interview format. For the entirety of the book each character gets a brief moment to share his or her perspective on whatever scandalous event had been unfolding at the time.. I loved the style because it allowed you to get in the head of the character and understand where they were coming from. It also meant that sometimes characters recalled different details, which is indeed how memory actually works.
The whole book was great, and I recommend reading it, but there was one quote that stood out to me, and is the reason why I am writing this post anyway. No, I will not be getting into Book Reviews on the blog, LOL, I just really wanted to share this…
““Self-expression is about what it feels to live, not whether you had the right to claim any emotion at any time.””
Daisy, the main character, said this towards the end of the book when she was reflecting on a song that she had written. Though she held a different perspective than she did at the time she wrote the song, she wasn’t apologetic for the expression. And I just love that so much.
As a writer who gets most of my inspiration from the people I meet and the places I visit, I sometimes question whether I should be sharing intimate details. At what point does it become exploitative? And that’s where the quote comes in handy - your self-expression whether it be song lyrics, a painting, a short story, or an interpretive dance, is an expression of how you felt in that moment. And every feeling is valid regardless of the context. Point blank, you’re allowed to feel what you feel and you’re allowed to create art that demonstrates a particular feeling.
If you are struggling to express yourself, write your novel, or share your gifts with the world, I hope this quote gives you permission to take up space. Because whether or not your feelings are “right”, you have a right to express your feelings anyway :)
