Expression Through Words

Personally, it's hard to start to express what poetry means to me.  I really like this quote by Jim Morrison:

"If my poetry aims to achieve anything, 

it's to deliver people from the limited ways in which they see and feel."

Of course, my poetry isn't for the public, and it probably never will be, but I like the part of the quote that says it delivers us from the limited ways we see and feel. I can't stress how important it is for a developing, growing, healthy mind to see past limitations put on us in our everyday lives. For a lot of people, poetry can be a means of expressing your thoughts, opinions, and beliefs. 
Recently, I've experimented with my own poetry. I found out that I actually enjoyed writing it, though I found it extremely difficult to pick a topic. Not only did I have to have a few ideas per topic, but I also had to feel comfortable writing them down and allowing other people to read them. I've learned that some of the best pieces of writing are the ones we don't want to share. I've also learned that it's okay not to share them. It's okay to have a personal piece of writing that holds meaning to only you, and it's okay to never let anyone else's eyes fall on it. Poetry is about self expression, not pleasing other people. Sure, it's nice to have people relate to, understand, and appreciate your ideas and skills, but you really don't have to have anyone's approval but your own.

The Truth About Assignments

In all honesty, I don't believe school assignments are made to fit my personal needs. As far as time goes, I'm practically drowning in school work and it seems that all the teachers do is give me more work. Don't get me wrong, I understand it's not their fault, they're just doing their job, following the curriculum, and most teachers even try to help us students along as well. Still, take this blog post for example. I need it posted in thirteen minutes as of right now. It occurred to me just five minutes ago that I needed to get it done, but at that time I was working on my science project, and before that I had to run to the store to get project supplies, and before that I had to study Biology and before that I had to work on my English project. All the work I've done so far tonight is barely a dent in the total work that has to be done, and now I only have ten minutes left until this post is due.
The school board expectations put far too much stress on students, so I don't feel like these projects can meet my personal needs. As for the content in them, sure, some I can gear towards my interests, but most of them I can't. My science project topic was chosen for me, as were my group members (not that I don't like my group, I do, it just proves my point). The English project was made in a way that I got to incorporate some ideas that interest me, but the only assignments I feel are actually tailored to suit me are the ones in Writer's Craft, and this was the one course that I chose to take willingly, that wasn't needed for later in life. 
I have two minutes left. I could post this now, but I feel like I can say more. Sorry it's posted late.
I want to finish with what I meant by "later in life." I'm still unsure of what I want to do as far as choosing a career goes. I do know, however, that I need lots of A's to show up on my report card to get into any program that even remotely interests me. Oh, look at that, it's 8:00. Oh well. Aside from high school marks, I also need the knowledge required for me to excel in University, which I feel some 'assignments' fail to give me and my fellow classmates. If you want A's, you basically have to follow the assignments the way the teacher wants it done, to put it simply. I feel like assignments are a constant struggle of, "I like that idea, I'm going to put it in," and, "I like that idea, but I don't think my teacher will."
Overall, sure you can gear assignments towards yourself (only on select projects I might add), but when it comes down to it, my needs are A's, and if I want to achieve any program after high school that I'm even slightly interested in, it apparently means sucking it up and doing what's expected, no matter how creative or spontaneous or daring I want to be.
It's ten minutes past the due time, but I feel like these extra ten minutes were crucial in stating the rest of my views on this particular topic. I'm not even sure if I answered the question right, but I know I expressed myself right. Now, back to my science project for the rest of the night.

In Others' Words

Along with being an American author, Seth Godin is an entrepreneur, marketer, and public speaker. After growing up in New York, he obtained a University degree in computer science and philosophy from Tifts University. In 1986, he founded Seth Godin Productions, which later lead to Yoyodyne in 1995. Eleven years later, Seth launched Squidoo, which donated half the profits to the users and five percent to charity. He's created many other projects over the years, including ChangeThis, Startup School, and more. As for Seth's published works, he's written seventeen books, ranging from business to children books.

"If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try."

~Seth Godin

I personally love this quote because it can be applied for so many things, especially writing. Writing isn't about safety. It's about being vulnerable and putting yourself and your ideas out there to be criticized and ripped apart. It's a means of expressing yourself and your opinions; there's no point in writing if you're just going to write about what's already out there. Thinking outside the box and sharing those ideas with everyone from close friends to complete strangers gives them all an opportunity to judge you, which is a 'scary' thought for most people. In this quote, Seth says that doing these scary things is a good thing. The only way to grow as a writer, or even as a person, is to face your fears, which I think is a great view to have on life.