The Artist's Signature

He always believed that he could never write as good as his peers. He just felt that he is incapable. Good writers, which he encounters from time to time simply dampened his spirits. But his gentle conscience encouraged him to write still and write as if it was just a mere hobby and not for reasons to impress everyone or get an acceptable grade. After all, his objectives for taking such huge project a year ago is not to show off, but to develop his known talent for making things immortal.

Two weeks ago, this student was in a panic mode after realizing that he had never done anything yet for his first big project for an advanced non-fiction class. Prior to his attempt to begin writing for his desired subject, the moderator asked him to change his initial plans of going to a gay bathouse to write everything he would see there, in a creative non-fiction way of course. Instead, he was asked to write something about his job, which the student half-heartedly accepted believing that it would create a conflict of interest between his livelihood and his academics.

Nevertheless, he followed what his heart never wished to go and still, came out with a relatively praiseworthy essay that was workshopped this afternoon. A classmate who works in a magazine said that with little refinement - particularly in the areas of grammar, it would be an excellent publishable material. Others approved that the student ended it with a very human touch, considering how artificial and decieving the contents of his essay was.

There were others whose essay were also workshopped this afternoon. But the student felt relieved knowing that his work stood out despite its shortcomings. "It wasn't really bad, as I thought it would be," the student said.

The coming weeks would be full of essay jobs which the student, still is unable to grasp. There would be fiction essays, opinion essays, autobiographies and many others, which are areas he is not familiar of. But his first major victory for this year - against his own detracting self, proves that even without his full confidence and spirit driving his work, his capabilities as a writer endures.

So thus begin another year nurturing his artist's side.