28 Comments
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Neeraj's avatar

Beautiful piece! Thank you for sharing. There's a passage from Hemingway's A Moveable Feast that I'm reminded of whenever I think of the creativity inherent in longing and momentary crushes.

"A girl came in the cafe and sat by herself at a table near the window. She was very pretty with a face fresh as a newly minted coin if they minted coins in smooth flesh with rain-freshened skin, and her hair was black as a crow's wing and cut sharply and diagonally across her cheek.

"I looked at her and she disturbed me and made me very excited. I wished I could put her in the story, or anywhere, but she had placed herself so she could watch the street and the entry and I knew she was waiting for someone. So I went on writing.

...

"I've seen you, beauty, and you belong to me now, whoever you are waiting for and if I never see you again, I thought. You belong to me and all Paris belongs to me and I belong to this notebook and this pencil."

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camila's avatar

oh what a read. as a daydreamer for as long as i can remember and an avid denier of my own creativity this really struck a cord. i can never call myself unimaginative or uncreative ever again! we all have it within ourselves. i'll remember this.

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Jenni Johnson's avatar

CAN YOU WRITE A BOOK WITH THIS TITLE

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Maalvika's avatar

my dream 😭😭😭😭😭

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Forrest Hikes Forests's avatar

“we divide the world into "creatives" and everyone else. we convince ourselves that imagination belongs to a special class of people, not to us ordinary mortals going about our ordinary lives.”

This hit so hard!

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karuna's avatar

makes me feel so much better about my capacity for unrequited yearning

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Arsim's avatar

This is so beautifully written. I am in awe how beautifully you can write.

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Sania's avatar

ummm what!!! amazing!!! “and like any crush, this attentiveness transforms you. it makes you more alive to nuance, more receptive to beauty, more capable of wonder. it turns you into a collector of moments, a curator of experiences, an archivist of the extraordinary hiding within the ordinary.” about to print this and stick it to my wall😭💌

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cherie's avatar

this piece is a work of art. i’m gonna reread it multiple times. your writing is my crush. thank you.

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Madilyn Warner's avatar

LOVE this! Creative praxis as romance and possibility as the through line— gorgeously done. Thanks for sharing 💜

I’ve similarly written about a crush I had last year being a route to self-actualization and a fun, if not uncomfortable experiment in relinquishing my control. Linked here if you’re curious: https://open.substack.com/pub/scribbledmilk/p/for-the-hope-of-it-all?r=jclq7&utm_medium=ios

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Faith Mason's avatar

Absolute perfection! The separation between “creatives” and the “other” is something that has always tugged at my mind and the way you bridge that separation is fascinating!

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sne's avatar

i think about this piece atleast once everyday

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Delise Fantome's avatar

I love the part where you say creativity, and crushes, require not just attention but contemplation and Fascination. It's just so elevated, I love that.

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zachariah's avatar

what a read. this was absolutely delightful. i love how u write

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Monique's avatar

This entire read has made me so happy. Thank you

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Kayla Adella's avatar

after reading this and reflecting on my very single life i feel much more grateful💌 i realize i breathe in life and art with the same lingering hope i would have if i had a crush

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Nirja Shah's avatar

THIS IS A MIND ALTERING PIECE THIS NEEDS TO BE A REPORT

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