Author: Sven Jurčević
An article about articles and art, about expressing yourself and a little bit about
ancient philosophers, too – from a person that knows pretty much nothing about it all.
You might ask yourself why on earth someone should read this. Will it help you to write the perfect article? No. Will it guide you through the process of putting your thoughts into words? Also, no. But it will encourage you to change the world, won't it? Sorry, but that’s still a no.
This piece of writing aims to inspire. It wants to inspire you to listen to your inner voice and give it a platform when no one else will.
As we all know, in this world nothing is given for free – except for compliments, maybe. Compliments do not cost you anything. So why not start this with one?
Your thoughts are valuable and they matter.
Sounds too cliché, right? Okay, let's calm down. First, your thoughts are actually only as valuable as the amount of value you put into them. Second, you and your thoughts still matter anyway. And you deserve to express that in any way you feel is right.
So how about writing your thoughts down and sharing them with the world? It may sound very demanding or even scary for some, and many would not even know where to start. So they don’t start at all. But let’s not overcomplicate the simplest thing here: Expressing yourself in writing. If Aristotle could take a pen and paper (quill and papyrus?) and write about physics, poetry or psychology in 300 BC, then so can you!
The hardest bit of this journey is the start. I know, we’ve all been there. But honestly, just start somewhere. If you have something that has been on your mind for days, months or even years, write it down. It may be an idea for a worthy cause that some day becomes a movement, or a rhyme that could turn into a poem, or a story that could turn into a book, or a travel blog that will preserve the memories forever. Yes, literally anything works. And remember, it does not have to be perfect as you can always organize and reorganize your thoughts later and edit what has been written (unless you are using a typewriter, then good luck). But no pressure, take your time and write, when you feel like it. You will be surprised by what you are able to produce when you just write little by little. Rome wasn’t built in a day, either... Just saying.
After you have overcome this first hurdle and you are happy with what you have written, it is time to think about what you want to do with it. If it is too personal and you want to keep it for yourself, keep it. If you want to share your writing with your friends, show them. If you want to publish it, publish it. If you cannot find anyone to publish it, publish it yourself.
In this day and age, nothing is easier than putting yourself out there. Social media, forums, blogs – they are all connected by the World Wide Web and provide you with a variety of (free) options. Make use of the technology that our ancestors did not have and be the writer, author, or journalist you have always wanted to be. And the best part about taking matters into your own hands is that you can do with your thoughts and ideas whatever you want: Writing articles is not your thing? Express yourself through pictures on a blog. You like to draw? Post your art on your Instagram page. Your eyes shine when you see a microphone? Sing your song, record it and upload that video on YouTube. That is the thing about art: It is what you make it. Writing is art, music is art, every form of expression can be seen as art. So start expressing yourself.
As you might know, Radiyo Active in Zenica offers a great opportunity to young local people to find their way into journalism and gain first experience in the world of media. Why not join? Pick a topic that you are passionate about, open a file on your computer (or the note app on your smartphone, or ask Baku for a piece of paper and a pen) and start writing. Send your article(s) to: radiyoekipa [at] outlook.com () and, who knows, maybe you will soon become our newest writer.
Article series “Youth Voice: We can!”
This article was written by participants of the project “Youth Voice: We can!”. The media literacy and intercultural exchange project was organized by the Swiss-Bosnian diaspora platform “i-diaspora” from Switzerland and the Association for Care and General Rights of Children “Our Children” from Zenica. The 15 participants from Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina met in Zenica from 25th to 31th of August 2022, took part in journalism workshops and created their own radio show “Burek and Fondue” which was aired in the program of Zenica’s community radio station RadYo Active Zenica.
Editing: Paula Steiger, Mirnesa Agović, Aleksandra Hiltmann
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