In the summer of 2020, when I decided to write a book based on a 'feeling,' I may have appeared delusional. But then, this was what I had intuitively felt like doing. Yet, as I risked it all and chose that little inner voice, an incredible thing happened – I felt like I was "in a state of flow", or in other words, in sync with Nature's course as opposed to fighting against the current, and the route, as if, presented itself.
In hindsight, not only did I write and self-publish a 300+ page Novel called “MORNING: the purest feeling” (the book got me shortlisted for "Best Fiction Author 2021" at the “India Author Awards 2021”) but I also accidentally created a growing global Nature Poetry Community called NATURE GYPSIES, and planted the seed of a personal content brand called STORYTELLER GYPSY. This further motivated me to start working on another (two-book) fiction series, a novel, and a collection of short stories (a by-product of all the writings). Phew!
Not that my journey has been a cakewalk, but rather a head-on fight with resistance and frustration stemming from the uncertainty. At every step, my choice has been to either surrender to my unconventional desires or carry on, painfully. And every time, it is a deliberate conference with myself that acts as the guide. Because only I can see through my drama, likes, and dislikes - only I know what I truly want, regardless of what the world tells me I should or must.
And interestingly, every time I have chosen myself, I am "inspired" to do, be and make choices that do not always seem like the conventional notion of cool but would feel right. I would call this process as being "self-aware”. And this act of “self-awareness” has enabled me to weave my moments into a living experience that I like, as opposed to one I that I’d have to compromise in, to meet the external ideas of success, etc.
To explain my above statement with an example, I will be using the theme of my latest novel - “MORNING: the purest feeling". So MORNING is the story of two people – a "traveler" who gets tired of travel itself and another who longs to "walk away from a meticulously built life" to taste the thrill of uncertainty. Their respective contrasting desires get in the way of their beliefs, eventually culminating in an existential crisis. Only in acceptance do they not just find peace but also rely on "self-awareness" to figure out what they truly want. They realize that we are powerful, deliberate creators, and we choose how our circumstances impact us instead of being a victim.
While "MORNING" goes on to delve deeper into relationships, identity, careers, and featuring off-beat Indian locations, this concept of “self-awareness,” I realized, equally reflected my other writings, especially poetry. This gave birth to my poetic-content alter ego called STORYTELLER GYPSY. The "gypsy" soul of my "storytelling" refers to a connection (via my words) that transcends universal (societal) identities to connect at the soul (singular) level. This also explains the brand tagline - "friends with your inner voice". On a lighter note, it is written content that is uplifting and carries the answers to questions that I have experienced and have realized in the process of writing.
Organically, the next step was "attracting like-minded people” and the accidental creation of NATURE GYPSIES (NG). NG is a good-feeling/uplifting space to “collectively appreciate poetry about Nature” and in the process "bring the focus and conversation back to Nature" - thereby amplifying and showing solidarity to the frontline Nature awareness and conservation efforts.
NG's own origin story sheds light on its purpose: While working on my book MORNING, maybe because I was happier and more self-aware than ever, that I began to pay attention to Nature’s little things/beauty in appreciation. This would inspire me to write poetry, especially post spending an hour close to Nature daily. As I started sharing some of these nature poems online, I felt a sense of connection to others like-minded, eventually leading to the formation of Nature Gypsies.
With both STORYTELLER GYPSY and NATURE GYPSIES, the idea is to host a space for not just my creativity but also co-creation with fellow writers and creators such that we can better our living experience. In the process if we manage to make an impact, that is equally amazing.
These developments have further strengthened my "Self-Belief", adding value to my life purpose, and more creative inspirations. Ultimately, it is a daily job of making choices that are in sync with me. And although my journey seems like "The Road Not Taken"* at least it feels like I am headed home.
No matter what the world tells us, we write our own stories, regardless. Thus, I believe "self-awareness" gives us an edge, enabling us to choose our narrative in a way that makes our living experience worthwhile. Aren't we then the "Authors" of our lives? If anything, I hope my journey stands testament to that.