Creativity and Inspiration - College Diary #4

      When I joined Engineering, I had hid safely behind a mask. Silent - that is how I had portrayed myself. I was happy inside the comfort zone and stepping out of it was out of question. I saw many of my friends join various activities, create a foothold and get recognition. But that never bothered me. Spotlight wasn't something I craved (I don't crave for it now either) I was happy sitting back and watching them grow. I spent the first 2 years of my Engineering life like this and then, it all changed.

       I was in the third year of Engineering. I would have continued with my sit-back-and-watch-them attitude if not for the COSMOS coordinator of that year. (COSMOS is the name of our branch fest) That year's coordinator is one of my favorite lecturers who inspire me a lot. Every Friday he used to come up with some or the other competitions. Yes, there were the common ones but that was not what caught my attention. There were many new things - 'What is your Name?' where we had to describe our name without saying it; 'Insituation' - where we were given a situation and an hour to prepare, after which we had to enact it in a group; 'Creme de la creme' where we had to take a theme and present all the talents of our class. The competitions were many but there was one thing that was the basis of all these activities - Creativity. 

(My Painting for 'What is your Name?' competition)

       Participating in these competitions, I underwent a huge change. I still detested spotlight, yet there was a burning desire in me to prove myself. I enjoyed participating in these creative events. I don't remember which event exactly led to this; probably it was 'What is your Name' and 'Creative Writing' but something in me changed. I shed the mask I so painstakingly had created for myself. I shed my inhibitions and fears which sometimes held me back and took one bold step. It was during that time this blog was created. And am I glad? I will be forever grateful for the encouragement I received from him (my lecturer) at that time. Knowingly or unknowingly, he had guided me towards my destiny. And even today, he continues to be a source of inspiration for me (Though probably, I will never find the courage to tell him this!)

       Since then, I have learnt one thing. Creativity requires you to step out of your comfort zone and probably try something new. You have to get rid of the fear of failure before trying new things. And the end result? It is totally worth it!

PS: Linking this post to Day 1 of Write Tribe - Festival of Words #4.

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)