The Internet Can Help Give You A Voice
Sharing your creativity can be scary, but it's also worth it.
Most Millennials use the internet on a daily basis and know all about it. Pretty much everyone has Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, etc., which, of course, can get out of hand if they are used too much.
However, these platforms can also be extremely helpful tools in letting you have a voice in the world. With the internet, you are able to share your thoughts with hundreds of people, and if that doesn't blow your mind, I don't know what will.
The amount of potential there is for you to be able to speak your mind and have your voice heard by others is immense.
I have always loved to write. I’ve been sharing my thoughts and creating stories ever since I was a little girl. English class was always my thing and I loved writing my thoughts and ideas in journals. My ultimate goal in life is to have a book of mine published and read by other people. This will forever be a dream of mine, but in the meantime, I’ve realized that there are a lot of other ways, nowadays, to have your words read by the masses. Many of them involve the internet.
"You can't use up creativity, The more you use, the more you have"
~Maya Angelou
It wasn’t until very recently that I began to consider the huge opportunities that are available to people through social media. Blogging, Instagram and Twitter are amazing tools to use to be creative in your work and build your following. Your creative work could be anything in the world that you wish it to be as long as you are passionate about it (if you are not, this will easily show).
I would suggest starting a blog if you are really into writing long, drawn out thoughts or creating articles. Also, keep in mind that if articles are your thing, then try joining a writing platform like Odyssey. Blogging and writing articles are great ways to connect with other people and to write extensively about topics that are meaningful to you.
I use Wordpress for my blog and I find it very easy to use. I tried using Wix at first but found it to be too complicated for editing. There are a lot of other platforms out there that you could use as well, but Wordpress is what I'm most familiar with.
If you are the photography type, then Instagram is your thing because of how image-based it is. Work on taking photos of things you love and just have fun being creative. I’m personally not the best photographer, but I am certainly trying my best.
If you are witty and can come up with great one-liners, I would suggest focusing on Twitter to build yourself up. Twitter is super fun for talking with other people and seeing what they have to say. It is also a great platform to complement your blog. You can share blog posts and find new blogs very easily through retweets.
"The scariest moment is always just before you start."
~Steven King
I understand that starting to form yourself online and post your thoughts can be a very scary thought. This requires you to be vulnerable and opens up the opportunity for judgment. This was and is still kind of a big thing on my mind. It actually took quite a lot of courage for me to join Odyssey and write on this platform.
However, I did it because I knew it was going to be an amazing way to share my thoughts with other people. If you are struggling with letting other people read what you write, I would just like to say that I know it’s hard, but your voice deserves to be heard and the risk is definitely worth it.
The world today has formed so much online that it's a smart idea to start building yourself there.
Creating a niche for yourself on the internet could potentially help you in future jobs or it could just be a creative outlet. There are so many opportunities online for you to make your impact. Having a large following can help you if you want to start a business, write for a publication, make successful videos, advocate for issues or organizations you're passionate about and more. The possibilities are endless.
I don’t want to make you feel pressured in any way to start creating things online if you don’t feel comfortable doing that. I completely understand how scary it can be. I just want to encourage you to think about some of the goals that you have set yourself and to realize that you could potentially make them a reality by utilizing the internet.
Nicole Ma
