Self expression comes from a lot of different sources. Some people choose to create art in the form of painting, sculpting, or even digitally. Some people choose to express themselves using their body. That could mean how they dress, or maybe they love to express their feelings and emotions through dance. Music is another way to express yourself, either singing, writing, or playing music are all amazing creative outlets and talents. If you're like me, we express ourselves through writing.

For as long as I can remember I have loved writing. I have always expressed myself better using a pen and paper than I ever have using my voice. I am not artistic or musically gifted but I can absolutely write about both. I have way too many notebooks filled with daily thoughts and short stories. I have over 100 notes saved on my phone of more daily thoughts and other things I have written. I have documents saved on my computer with poetry and many starts to potential novels. I have so many unfinished projects but that's not really the point. The point is, I just love to write.

If you're like me and you love to write, then maybe you're also like me in the sense that I'm so shy about my writing. Although I use it as a creative outlet of expression, I have always been so scared to share my writing with people. What will they think? Will they judge my punctuation and sentence structure because I have a tendency to write how I speak? Will they judge and laugh at me? Will they catch on that without spellcheck I am the worst speller ever? I know that this kind of self doubt is a fear that most people have when it comes to the things they love, so how can we change that fear?

This is where Odyssey comes into play. I remember reading Odyssey articles that had been shared on Facebook all the time. I remember looking up the different communities on The Odyssey so see if my school at the time had a group (they didn't) and trying to figure out how I could be a part of it. Could I possibly be the creator of one of these articles that has hundreds of shares?

When I transferred schools it took me about a month to join the Odyssey team. I was still very nervous but also really excited. I had no idea what type of commitment I was getting myself into and initially I was really intimidated and overwhelmed. We have to write an article every week and that was a lot of work on top of my school work. But even though I struggle some weeks to come up with a topic, I am so happy that I am a part of this community.

Odyssey forces you to produce new content each week. Because of that, you're constantly practicing your skills and using your imagination to come up with topics and things to say. Odyssey also forces you to get over your fear of sharing your work because once you submit it, it's out there for the world to see. Odyssey gives you a sense of confidence and also a safe space to express yourself. Not only are you in a community of content creators from your school, but also nationwide! You are included in a huge community full of people who love to do the same thing.

Maybe I'm not even good at writing. Maybe I'll never have a career in writing. Maybe no one will ever love my writing, but thats okay because that's not going to stop me from doing it. Because of Odyssey I know that I am practicing at this skill every week. I know that if I ever wanted to try and turn this hobby into a career, I would have the confidence to do so. Because of Odyssey my writing is out there in the public, all of my feelings and vulnerabilities, and fears are on display. Without Odyssey all of the years spent writing in notebooks at home would have been a huge waste of time if no one every got to read them.

Am I the creator of an article will 100 shares? Not yet. But I'm also further ahead than the person who is too scared to try. Do I still get nervous that my articles aren't good enough, funny enough, or relatable? Absolutely! But I'm trying to concur that fear.

If you love writing, and you go to a school where there is an Odyssey community, I highly recommend giving it a try. It is so great to be apart something that you want and love to do and being involved with people who love the same thing.