Ever since I started putting words on paper, back in the 90s in Alicante, people responded with "I liked your text", "you're funny!" or "you should write more". That last one has resonated in my head for over two decades.
I have written though. Quite a lot, actually, but in Spanish. Two blogs, for friends and family, with personal stories of my life in the Nordics. Another web -the first stevecarrison.com- just to test new styles and topics. One of those texts got featured in a book, granted me a short interview in a local radio and raised hundreds of comments in what was the wildest ego-boost I have ever experienced. Unfortunately, I made a mistake: once that wave was over, I gave up. I glimpsed the fun and turned my back away. Justified myself with the no-time and real-job excuses. "Plus, no one is reading anyway". Then write more, write better, write funnier, write deeper, but don't stop creating, you fool!
You cannot silence your passion. I want to tell stories. Short or long ones, funny, sad, critical, absurd. On written, on video, I frankly don’t know yet. I quit my job two years ago to start my company with a fairly uncertain goal. I just knew I had to try something. Now I know that no matter where my income comes from, words, cameras, sounds and stories should be part of my life.
To the ones who ever told me to keep writing: thank you. Also to those who said I was funny during meetings, parties, events: that is my response to being overly insecure -happy to see it works. Thanks to my closer friends who read some stories on my personal wall and told me I made their head spin, their heart shrink or took their soul for a quick flight. Even to the ones who more recently told me I should put my face in front of a camera -"I don’t know why but you do have charisma- and to the ones that assured me I could be quite “entertaining in social media”, whatever that means. And since I am on a roll, thanks also to the two flight attendants from JFK that nicknamed me “funny guy” after a 5 minute chat with them. Well, here I am, at last.
English is not -and will never be- my mother tongue but, do you mind? And who knows, maybe you will learn some Spanish along the way. Maybe some French too? Swedish, Finnish? We might even have some fun with Google Translate…
Congratulations, you made it this far. Promising start!
[Published originally on Fb page]