Brainstorming

I am currently in a Creative Writing class because I am trying to enhance my writing ability. I love writing and all, but I hate assignments, as does probably the whole population of the world. I've had a couple of assignments to write beginnings of short stories and poems (which I cannot create for the life of me), and since this quarter is slowly coming to an end, I was assigned to write a six page short story. Now, at first, this sounded fine and I was sure I'd come up with something before it was due... it is now four days before the due date and I have nothing.

Complete writers block.

What to do, what to do? Well, I've been researching brainstorming ideas and we even did a cool brainstorming activity in class (which would've helped a lot if I actually had a topic). So I decided to share some of the brainstorming activities I've come up with/ researched.

This brainstorming activity I believe was a part of author John Gardner's "Vivid Continuous Dream" (as stated in my English class), and it requires one to get completely relaxed and really see what they are trying to write about.

1. Close your eyes and get relaxed.

To get to this relaxed state, one must concentrate on their breathing.

Push everything from that day aside and breathe in.

And out.

2. Pick a scene from your story/ piece of writing.

Concentrate on a single scene.

Visualize it, walk around, touch the objects in your scene, listen to the sounds in your scene.

3. Visualize what your main character or yourself is doing.

Picture what that person is wearing, what the fabric feels like.

Picture what that persons face, hair, body looks like.

Picture how they walk, how they talk and what their facial expressions are

Optional step 3a. Visualize a secondary or tertiary character

Repeat step 3.

4. Have your main character interact with your secondary character.

How do they interact, what emotions do they feel?

What are each of your characters facial expressions?

Imagine what they speak of, how they act.

5. Open your eyes and write!

Take in everything you just visualized and write down just how you felt, smelled, heard and saw it.

I think this is a very helpful method, especially if you are stuck in a rough spot trying to describe scene or action. It can help you be there. It's called "Vivid Continuous Dream" because after doing this exercise, basically almost like making up your own dream, you can write down what you saw in this fake dream. The end result is that it will sound continuous with a lot of detail because it was as if you were actually there.

Other brainstorming/ getting your brain to work activities include:

• making lists
• taking breaks between writing
• reading other peoples works to get ideas
• taking a walk outside and getting some fresh air
• drink tea! (this is just something I do, it probably has no actual benefit...)
• sleep on it
• watch some T.V shows
• listen to your favorite music or listen to classical music
• force yourself to write for a given amount of time, say 15 minutes (I was told that after you get everything you want to say out of your mind after the first 5 to 10 minutes, your subconscious starts to work and you can get some pretty cool stuff down on paper)
• keep a daily journal writing down anything that inspires you or doesn't
• write down your dreams
• eat a healthy meal
• exercise
• look at art 
• go on websites like Pinterest or Stumbleupon

That's my list so far... If I think of any more, I'll add them later.

This doesn't just have to be for writing, it can be for drawing, painting, sculpting, crafting, music making, anything really. 

My Thoughts:

Inspiration is something I really lack, so I rely heavily on these activities to make my brain work creatively. Most of the time I read scientific articles and books about psychology which really doesn't promote creativity, so when I have the chance to sit down and write or draw, it's hard for me to do anything. My brain is basically fried by the end of the day, which is probably true for a lot of people who don't work in any creative field.

Art is what keeps me going most of the time, so when I lack the time and inspiration is when I'm at my worst: most stressed, most angry and most irritable. When I have the time to get my thoughts out on paper in any form of art, writing or drawing, it is almost therapeutic for me. The fact that one's brain can slow down for 10 minutes and not have to be attentive or alert can really help eliminate stress. We live our lives going 50 miles an hour daily and it's nice to have those days where you only have to go 5 miles an hour to slow down and really be here. Really be alive and in the present.

This being in the present concept hit me a couple days ago when I realized I'm 21 now and it's already February. I've been 21 for almost a month now and what do I have to show for it? Stress and unhappiness? I want to live my life to the fullest, not watch myself grow older. I have a bucket list and I really do plan on doing everything on it, as long as I have enough money for it.

Also with this epiphany came my realization that I really do want to get a PhD (completely irrelevant to the topic). I know it'll take a lot of work, but I think in the end it is what will benefit me the most and make me the happiest. That being said, I don't want my life to start after I get a stable job and a house and stuff, I want to be able to enjoy life right now - moneyless and tied to school. (impossible, right? We'll see..)  

Inspiration will come to me.. it can't be lost forever.

Tea Makes Everything Better!

Tea is like my best friend. I drink tea 24/7. I think on average I drink like 3 cups of tea a day, maybe more if I'm super stressed. I need tea in the morning like most people need coffee. However, I HATE coffee, it is the most disgusting drink in the world. I don't know how people drink it, but to each their own I suppose.

I guess you could say tea has the same effects on me as coffee does for other people. In the morning, it wakes me up and during the day it keeps me calm (does coffee do that? I don't know, I hate coffee). If I don't drink tea in the morning... well, I'm a bit cranky. Maybe because I'm used to it or maybe because it actually does wake me up. I realize some teas have caffeine in them, the teas I drink have very low amounts, however if I really need caffeine I just make myself some Green Tea.

There are many different types of teas and they all benefit you in some sort of way, whether it's just awesome tasting or it actually has real health benefits.. My personal favorites include Jasmine Green Tea, Green Tea, Herbal Teas and Earl Grey. There may be more, but I haven't gotten around to trying every single Tea flavor in the world because I'm a poor college student ):

So I'll start with my favorites:

• Jasmine Green Tea - Is a part of the Green Tea and Herbal Tea family with Jasmine flowers added to it. It is said that the Jasmine part has really no benefits but the Green Tea does.

• Green Tea - Green Tea is very popular among the general public because it tastes good and has some common health benefits. It is very high in antioxidants and has EGCG which is said to protect against cancer, heart disease, etc. Green Tea can be caffeinated or decaf (I switch between both). Different plants/ flowers can be added to Green Tea to create any taste you like such as the Jasmine Green Tea I've stated above.

• Herbal Tea - These are usually not caffeinated and contain some mixture of dried fruit or herbs (flowers), such as chamomile, jasmine, dandelion root, lavender, peppermint, etc. They are the tastiest in my opinion. My mom always had me drink peppermint tea for tummy aches and chamomile was for going to bed. That's why there's teas called "Sleepytime" by Celestial Seasonings and it does contain chamomile. Fun fact: If you eat or drink peppermint, it can make you more alert to your surroundings.

• Earl Grey - Is a Black Tea which is also very high in antioxidants and has almost as much caffeine as coffee (coffee has 50 to 100 milligrams, Black Tea has about 40). I personally love Early Grey. English Breakfast tea is another Black Tea. It is said that this tea can reduce strokes and keep cholesterol low.  

Other Types I have not tried:

• Oolong Tea - According to the internet, apparently this tea can help in weight loss, whether or not that is true, I don't really know because I haven't ever had this tea. It is on my list though.

• White Tea - This tea is said to ward off cancer and heart disease as well (seems like tea is just all around good for you). I think I've tried this tea once, it was one of those flavored Lipton white Teas and I wasn't all that fond of it. But then again, I don't really like fruity teas, I'm more of an herbal tea person.

*To learn more, obviously Google the tea you'd like to try and read reliable articles, this is just a friendly overview.*

Teas can come in bags, which has a pre-measured amount of tea and you steep it for a certain amount of time, or it can come in containers as loose leaves, which one should be more educated on how much tea to put in a cup and the steeping times (I'm too lazy to do the second method so I just buy the bags).

That being said, the brands of tea I buy most of the time include:

• Twinings

• Lipton

• Celestial Seasonings

• Bigelow

I used to be crazy about Teavana but then figured out their little marketing plot so now I basically stay as far away as possible. I don't like places that treat their customers like crap/ just try to suck them into spending tons of money (which I don't have!!). 

I've also started to get into organic teas, and one brand, Two Leaves and A Bud, which can be bought at any Whole Foods store, has served me well so I recommend trying those. 

Yogi teas taste nasty but they apparently have a ton of health benefits so I sometimes force myself to drink those. I like the stress reliever ones. 

And last, Tazo teas are okay as well. I like the iced teas you can get at Starbucks.

My Thoughts:

So that is my take on Teas and why I love them. Tea is a huge part of my life, and don't even get me started on my Tea mugs... I have tons. My newest one was given to me for my birthday by my boyfriends mother, which I absolutely adore. 

Some of my favorite mugs....

 

                                    This one my mother bought me for Christmas!                 This one my boyfriends mother bought me for my birthday!

I love tea cups as well, I have a couple from Disney World that one of my friends bought me and they have little Alice in Wonderland details on them. So adorable. I would love to just have a huge tea party with a bunch of tea lovers! I tend to have them alone...

Europe is My Home

For the past several years I've had a bit of an identity crisis (not one where I don't know who I am and stuff you see in movies) but one where I didn't really know where I belonged. I was born in Europe but I live in America. All my family, save my parents, are in Europe. Poland to be exact. I may not remember much about when I lived there because we moved to America when I was two years old, but I do feel very drawn to my home country.

I went to Polish school since kindergarten up until graduation (which was in 11th grade or a junior in high school) and we spoke Polish at home. Polish was my first language, my first words were spoken in this wonderful language. Everything we had was European: the food, the clothes, the traditions, even the television shows at one point. It was as if we never left Poland to begin with. I knew who my relatives were and I read, wrote and spoke in Polish. My name was written in Polish on all my school records and I had even visited Poland at least three times before I turned 13.

That's when it happened. When I was 13, I became ashamed of my name, of my culture, of the food we ate. I was being made fun of in middle school and I thought it was because of who I was. So, I made my parents put down my American name on school records so teachers wouldn't struggle trying to pronounce my name and I made them buy me American food like wonder bread and bologna. I lost myself, I became someone new completely. I threw away my identity and wanted nothing to do with where I came from.

During high school, I thought I had make the right decision in Americanizing myself, but looking back... boy was I wrong. 

Now that I'm in college, I use my Polish name again. My real name. Even my boyfriend calls me by my real Polish name. I eat Polish food, or at least try to, I'm trying to relearn the language so I can be as fluent as I used to be. I write to my mother in Polish and we text in Polish. Even though I do not talk to my family in Poland anymore, mostly because I'm ashamed of how bad my Polish is and I'm afraid they will make fun of me (ironic, huh?), I still find ways to use my language and become better at it.

My mom once told me, during the years of crying and anger at her for making me waste every Saturday morning for 12 years, that I'll once thank her that she forced me to go to Polish school. I always looked at her as if she was crazy and said those words would never come out of my mouth. But, she was right. I am thankful for every painful second spent behind closed doors while other kids were playing, I only regret not taking it more seriously. During those years, I met some of my closest friends, some of whom came and went. Not only did I meet wonderful people, but I learned about my home and my culture. I learned about who I was, and only now I can appreciate that. I miss it, I really do.

This brings me to why I am writing about this... Every year I beg my parents to help me pay for a ticket to go to Poland, but since it's so expensive, I can never go. I tell them I want to go back to see my relatives and see my home, but it's so much more than that. I was obviously ripped from my home and didn't even get a chance to fall in love with it, I did so overseas. I have dreams of returning and living amongst my relatives and the wonderful landscape that surrounds the country. I am bitter towards America because I view it as what divided me from my home. My parents did this for me, they wanted to give me a chance, which I am more than grateful for. I did meet my boyfriend here so maybe some things were meant to be. But I have everything I need now.

Now I can make my own choices, I can choose to go back to Poland if I want, but the thing is, I wouldn't be able to thrive there anymore. I've lost the language and the culture. I can't read and write as well, but then I look back and think of how my parents came here. They didn't know the language at all but they came here because of love. They forced themselves to adapt and learn the language so I could have a better life. But maybe, this place doesn't hold that "better life" anymore. So, if I really wanted to, I could go back to my home. I guess I'm just afraid.

But, I will go back. Some way or another, I will go back to Europe.

I am Polish. I am European. No one can tell me otherwise. I am proud of who I am and where I came from.

NOTE

People often ask me "Well what's so great about Poland/ Europe?" and I have nothing to say most of the time except for, "It's my home, it's where I came from and I miss it." Which may or may not be enough of an answer. But, basically, I like the lifestyle better. I like that you can walk a mile and be in the mountains breathing in fresh air. I love how it takes only a couple hours to visit the greatest countries in the world. I love how much history Poland and Europe in general has. I love everything about it. Yes, Poland has a lot of poverty and life probably sucks there as much as it does here but I'm not happy here, and never will be. That's the difference.  

Now, keep in mind, I am NOT telling people how to feel. This is my personal opinion which I have thought through hundreds of times and it stays the same every time I go through it. Everyone has their own feelings about where they think is best. Like I said above, I am happy my parents gave me this opportunity, I just don't think I can ever be happy away from my home country.