TEENAGERS WITH EXPERIENCE

Some people love reading and can easily pick up a book and get lost in it, while others might not enjoy reading as much. For me, reading was always an activity I loved, and I adore finding the next book to read. I have spent countless hours in libraries and bookstores, browsing shelves and picking out books from various genres: non-fiction, fiction, sci-fi, graphic novels, biographies, and more. It may seem daunting to find a book to read, especially if you do not know what you specifically like, but you should not hesitate to explore.

Most individuals have had books assigned to read at school, but it is always beneficial to learn how to find one based on your interests. There are multiple ways of going about finding a book to read: asking friends and family for recommendations, searching up books that are currently popular, asking a librarian, or simply by genre. All of these methods are acceptable when looking for the perfect book to read. Another good idea is to look back and reflect on which books you enjoyed reading more than others. Once you realize what you like or dislike, you will be that much closer to finding a book to read.

As this year has progressed, I realized that I have not been reading as much as I would have liked to. When I wanted to read, I had difficulty discovering books that interested me, but I was fortunate enough to find a way to find books that interested me. The book that I am currently reading, I discovered through my Health Psychology class. My professor assigned us a chapter to read, and after reading the assigned chapter, I found the book interesting because of the content covered in it. Although I found a book to read through my class, I also had luck finding books through websites such as Barnes & Noble - by viewing different categories sorted by either genre or popularity. Based on the title and cover of the book, I click on it and read the description. Although everyone has their own opinions regarding books, I like reading reviews written by people who have read the books that interest me before buying or checking that book out from my local library.

Recently, I had a friend tell me that she was having trouble picking a book to read. For her, most books she picked up did not interest her to a point where she genuinely wanted to read more. I told her that maybe she was choosing the wrong books to read. If she has a desire to read, she should pick a book that covers topics she is interested in. After probing her mind with questions, we have come to the conclusion that subjects such as fashion, cooking, and health peak her interests. Afterward, finding books that she was intrigued by was both easy and enjoyable. 

People are different, and what each person enjoys reading also differs. For those who have been reading for as long as they can remember, finding a book to read may not be a difficult task in comparison to someone who wants to begin reading and is unsure of their preferences. In this case, it is important to know that there are many books to choose from that cover a variety of topics and span many genres, that you are bound to find at least a few books that you will enjoy. Narrowing down the topics that interest you, and seeking recommendations from individuals who have read books and have a lot of knowledge of books can simplify your search. Keep an open mind and an open eye - you never know what books you will find yourself enjoying.

For most high school athletes, being on varsity by the time one hits junior year is expected. Almost every junior gets onto their sport’s respective varsity, has a great time, etc. However, I was a very special case. 

I play on my school’s basketball team and at one point, I wasn’t exactly the best player. I lacked the work ethic and skills of my teammates, and spent most of my time on the bench. Additionally, I disliked playing basketball, which made me not try during drills. The JV coach was verbally abusive and made me feel useless. After the JV team lost its first coach, we had a replacement who was better, but that did nothing to boost my confidence. It had already been lost.

For the 2020-2021 school year, basketball tryouts were a bit different for me. I almost managed to skip out on joining the team, but my mom insisted that I would have to join since I needed more exercise. I’m glad she insisted or I would’ve missed out on the joy of basketball.

Taking a different approach from last year, I decided to try to enjoy basketball instead - which started with trying my hardest at every drill. I have to admit: I was severely out of shape. Additionally, the requirement of wearing masks made exercising much harder. Although I was the only player who had to constantly take breaks (and was called out for it), I still tried my best, hoping that I could be one of those people on varsity, especially since there weren't enough people for a JV team.

My math was a little off. At the end of tryouts, I was informed that I was going to play JV. The coach informed me that teams were going to be a bit smaller, which meant lots of playing time. I was devastated and humiliated. I had never thought that I would be on JV. I was disappointed and sad. But honestly, when I look back, my placement on JV was justified.

Looking back at it, I had some weird coping mechanisms. At first, I really enjoyed making jokes about myself being a benchwarmer. I suppose that could be credited to my low self-esteem. Eventually, I stopped making self-deprecating comments and instead made jokes about JV standing for “Jade’s Varsity.” After joking about my supposedly miserable circumstances, I finally admitted to myself that doing this wasn’t going to be helpful at all.

Being on JV was actually beneficial for me. Due to the lack of pressure from varsity games, our practices were more relaxed and slow-paced, which was great for an out-of-shape Jade. Sometimes, not all of the JV team members were able to attend practice due to other sport practices going on at the same time. Practicing with varsity was great as well, because it gradually taught me how to play at a faster pace. 

Being on JV allowed me to practice my skills. Surrounded by teammates whom I had played with last year, they created a place where I wouldn’t constantly fall behind. Moreover, the new JV coach was extremely encouraging, which boosted my confidence even more.

This increase of confidence led to better performances during games. One of my biggest fears in the basketball world were the games. I hated the pressure because I felt incompetent. However, my confidence allowed me to begin to dribble on a regular basis. This might sound stupid, but I was scared to even dribble during my sophomore year, because I didn’t believe in myself. Soon, I had enough confidence to try to shoot the ball.

For me, being on JV for another year was great. After two years on JV, I think I’ll be ready to play varsity during senior year. Even if I don’t get to play varsity during senior year, being on JV again sounds great. So maybe being ‘that junior on JV’ isn’t so bad after all.​

A hobby is defined in the dictionary as 'an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure.' Many people have a lot of different hobbies depending on their interests and what they enjoy doing in their spare time. It could be singing or painting, or it could even be something like cooking or gardening.  

Something that is also widely discussed is whether having a hobby is beneficial and productive. Hobbies can sometimes be seen as a waste of time where, unless there is an end product that can be shown off or displayed, there is no point. Hobbies take up time where someone could be doing their homework, getting extra credit at school, studying, or helping with the housework. While this is true, this doesn't mean that hobbies are useless or a waste of time. They can actually be really beneficial to mental health and a person's mental state. Let me explain why. 

One of my favourite hobbies is amateur dramatics. I love to act and particularly enjoy musical theatre where I get to sing and dance as well as act. When I am on stage, I get the opportunity to forget everything else that I am dealing with in my real life and fully engage with and understand the character I am playing. I feel like as long as I am on that stage, whatever is going on outside can't touch me and is irrelevant. Being on stage makes me happy and sometimes, that time away from focusing on my problems even helps me to see it through a clearer pair of eyes and find a solution.

One way in which having a hobby helps your mental health is by providing a break from thinking about your issues. If you are focusing on something else other than your problems or your feelings, it means you are fully engaged in something else which can take up your time. This can be really helpful for those who struggle with a busy school life as  it means that you can have some 'you' time where you don't have to think about your issues. It's always good to take your mind off things for a little while and then come back to your problems with a clear head and a fresh view. For example, when I was stressed about my exams, I would stop revising and instead watch some YouTube videos. Those videos would relax me, make me laugh and sometimes even give me new ideas on how to revise more effectively.

A second way in which a hobby can be beneficial is that it can be used as a stress reliever. Every human being has what I call a stress container. Everyone's stress container is different sizes and shapes and with this stress container comes a little tap where we can let our stress out if our container is getting full. If our container overflows then that can cause us to feel really overwhelmed and lead to mental health disorders such as anxiety, PTSD or depression. Hobbies are one of the things which we can use to activate our little tap and let some of our stress out so that our container doesn't spill out. Hobbies are a way to unwind and feel more relaxed and better equipped to deal with the stress and problems of everyday life.

A third reason why hobbies are amazing and can make a real difference to our emotional health is that they can help us form connections with other people. Hobbies don’t always have to be something that you do alone. For me, my acting is something I do with a lot of other people who I wouldn’t have met had I not started acting. It's helpful to have a common interest that you can bond over and make a strong connection with. Friends are important and having a hobby can sometimes be one of the best ways to make new friends. Having friends gives you a support system that you can turn to when you are struggling with your mental health and that can be really helpful and beneficial. There are also statistics from a study that found people participating in team sports and team activities were less likely to experience stress, anxiety and depression. If that’s not a great reason to have a hobby, then I don’t know what is! 

These are just three of the benefits of having a hobby but there are so many more. Doing something you enjoy can be both an escape and benefit your mental health. That escape can be the perfect time for you  to take a step back and breathe. So make sure you think about what you enjoy and what hobbies are important to you. You never know, looking at it from a new perspective could help you come up with the perfect solution.​

When attempting to find a topic to write about for this month, I was stumped. I couldn’t think of anything. Finding inspiration for any type of writing can be tough, especially if you are experiencing ‘writer’s block.’ 

A lack of inspiration can stem from a variety of reasons including boredom, environment and emotions. 

Here are a few tips that have come in handy when I find myself dealing with writer’s block

1. For creative writing, I find it helpful to use prompts. When using this tactic, try to keep in mind that not all creative writing prompts will stimulate ideas for a story. It might take a few, or even ten prompts! Your end product might not even be related to the prompt, but they can be excellent sources of information. I've written a few articles here at TWE that contain many creative writing prompts that I’ve created myself. Check out my superpower-themed one here and my fantasy and sci-fi ones here.
2. For articles regarding experience, ideas tend to come to me easily, compared to other types of writing. A lot of people believe that it takes a life-changing experience to make their experience worth discussing. When it comes to targeting a teenager-based audience, I like to write about things that I encounter daily. Sometimes, it's important to use relatable topics in your writing. Hobbies, service and even your own learning experience at school can all be engaging topics to write about. Do you play a musical instrument or do a sport at school? For articles about your experience, the possibilities are endless. Sure, it may be difficult to narrow it down to just one  at first, but writing about your experiences can be one of the easiest ways to find inspiration.
3. Utilize your surroundings. Stephen King, an acclaimed horror author, once spoke about how “a creaking door gave him inspiration.” Sometimes, the most ordinary objects can be indicators of sinister danger lurking around the corner. 
4. Read other people’s writing. One of the most interesting things I’ve discovered is that reading another person's writing can benefit your writer’s block. According to a study done by the University of Graz (located in Austria), “individuals who read other people’s creative works came up with more original ideas compared to individuals with no exposure to other people’s creative works.”

These are all great ways to find inspiration hidden within you.. How else do you find inspiration? Let me know in the comments below!​

Isn't it interesting how you can make various designs using only a hook and a yarn? Crochet is the process of creating fabrics from yarn using a crochet hook. It is not only a relaxing and enjoyable hobby but you can also use your creativity to create something useful.

Crochet has become my favourite hobby since May 2019. Before that, I used to watch my mom create home decorations using some yarn and a hook. This caught my interest and I wanted to learn this amazing skill from her. So she promised to teach me after my 10th-grade final exam. 

At first, I learned how to hold the hook, slip knot, chain, and a few basic stitches which are the foundation of any design. The size of the crochet hook needs to match the size of the thread or yarn that is being used. Crochet might be difficult at first and it is a  skill that needs patience. I had to do a lot of practice before being able to  make any design if I tried. 

After the covid lockdown around March 2020, I got depressed thinking about how I would spend my time as I couldn’t go out. Then I thought of my favourite hobby,crochet. I started making one design or project after another to decorate my home and some small projects which I might give to my friends or relatives as a gift. I found a useful way of using this skill too. I made some woolen hats and scarves which I donated to some shelters. It made me happy to be able to contribute a little to our society. The projects I did up to now are woolen items, wall hangings ,and table runners. 

Crochet helped me relax by managing my anxiety and restlessness. It brought calmness to my mind by making the mind focused so it doesn’t have repetitive thoughts. I felt productive and better about myself while creating the products. Crocheting helped me get  nice sleep without bad thoughts and prevented insomnia. It calmed my mind whenever I am in a bad mood. I even got involved in virtual communities of crochet and knitting. I learned a lot about what crochet items are used all over the world and some tips too. I have got a sense of satisfaction in completing a project and wearing something unique that was made by my own hands. It also helped me change my screen time habits during the covid-19 lockdowns. It made my idle time enjoyable, usually while watching TV.


Some Amazing facts about crocheting and knitting:

1. In a CNN report, in one study of more than 3,500 knitters, published in The British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 81% of respondents with depression reported feeling happy after knitting. 
2. The counting has served as a productive outlet for people with anxiety associated with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder as well as eating disorders. The Craft Yarn Council reports on one study that showed nearly ¾ of women with anorexia found knitting to be calming and anxiety-reducing. 
3. Researcher Yonas Geda, MD, a neuropsychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic, completed a study that showed how knitting is neuroprotective and may reduce dementia by as much as 50%.
4. Knitting, crocheting or any form of needlework can provide the same stress-busting benefits as yoga or meditation.

But one fact that bewilders me is that crocheting is an International art. Though the necessity or items are distinct, the basics and stitches are always the same. For example- woolen items like hats, capes, scarfs, sweaters are used in Europe or America or cold countries. Asian or African countries prefer table runners or home decorative items over woolen clothes.

Now how can you start crocheting?
I learned the basics of crocheting from my mom ,but you can always use youtube for starting or any courses available around you. Here are some useful links to start your journey in the crochet world:

1. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1oMQJvgqSQki-Vz-1sf3vA/about 
2. https://www.youtube.com/user/sa8rah56 
3. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUTuOCgFBGp2yag_FtVh-bQ 

Hope you enjoyed reading about my hobby and it encouraged you or your friends to start crocheting soon!​

With summer on the horizon, summer camps aren’t really much of an option for many teenagers before. I remember being that awkward teen at basketball camp, the oldest kid there. Despite the camp being for ages 7-18, teenagers clearly weren’t the exact audience for camp. 

The teenage years represent the last few years of your childhood; how will you make the best of it? While some families have pre-planned summer vacations, many families don’t. Although schools expect that many people go on vacation during the summer, the kids who don’t go, often feel left out. I remember the times I’ve had to write essays about my summer vacation. I didn’t have much to put and it was rather difficult to write the essay.

Here are three creative things to do during the summer.

1. Acquire an internship. 

For the academically motivated or those who are interested in learning more about white-collar jobs, you may be interested in an internship. Internships give you a small picture of how a certain career works. However, internships can be difficult to find. When I acquired my first internship, I used LinkedIn, a platform used by many people to find jobs. On LinkedIn, I set job alerts for jobs that had key words such as ‘high school intern’. For those looking for STEM-related internships, the John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth’s Science Internship page is extremely helpful. Although most high school internships are unpaid, these internships can teach you more about the work environment, while providing a key perspective on the career of your desire.

2. Apply for a part-time job. 

Applying for a part-time job has many benefits. Many teenagers tend to choose this option during summer to provide themselves with valuable work experience. Part-time jobs can vary from working as a babysitter or cashier at the local supermarket. 

3. Explore your passions.

Being a teenager might make you realize that the last summers of your childhood are slowly fading away. While you have the time, explore your passions. During the 2020 summer, my activities were greatly limited due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, this provided me with the unique experience of rediscovering my passion for biking. For me, biking was a great way to explore and discover new places. Biking also taught me new navigational skills as well.

Although summer only lasts for three months, it’s important to savour the time you have left. Find something productive and fun to do! ​

By J.D

Although this period is quite tough and draining, I have found that lockdown during the covid19 pandemic has given me the opportunity to discover my passion for writing. I have always known that I’ve loved writing, but since GCSEs were cancelled, I have had a lot of time to explore this part of me. Who would’ve thought that this year, instead of revising for 20+ exams, I would’ve taken a course in screenwriting and began writing a book? If you’re interested in writing but you are unsure of where to start, I’d like to share my experience and hopefully inspire you!

First of all, on a website called FutureLearn, there are many different FREE courses you can do. I have recently completed an introduction to screenwriting which was 2 weeks long and I’m now on week 3 out of 8 of a fiction course. Both courses have taught me SO much these past few weeks and they’re suitable for beginners and experienced writers alike. One thing I found especially useful in my screenwriting course was the various links to different websites to develop my skills and a list of scripts that I can read. There was even a video on how to actually write a script which was super interesting! Even if I don’t want to take up screenwriting in the future, I have learnt a lot about creating characters, dialogue and the structure of stories. 

If you don’t want to complete the courses or simply don’t have time, here are a few simple tips to help you get started with writing that I’ve learnt:

1. Brainstorming! Maybe you have the name of a protagonist or a place for the setting. Whatever it is, write this word/ group of words in the middle of a page and just blurt out everything that can be linked to them. Think about fears, the conflict between needs and desires, quirks, backstories and personality traits.
   
2. Think about something you’re passionate about- whether that’s psychology, sports, music or greek mythology. It is proven that you will write something much more amazing if you have a passion for it than if you’re writing about something just because you think people would read it. You could incorporate this passion in different ways- maybe it could be the protagonist’s hobby or something they have a conflict with. 
   
3. Conflict is essential when writing a story. Conflict with other characters can lead to inner conflict or it could be a conflict with something in the outside world, for example trying to escape danger. 
   
4. Character arc. This is the development of your protagonist(s) as the story moves forwards. Will their change in personality be positive or negative by the end? Maybe they don’t change at all, or revert back to how they were in the past? Creating a character arc will help you to figure out a plot so I recommend writing this down first.
   
5. Have a notebook dedicated to writing down anything you see/ think of. You could honestly find a story idea just by observing people around you. I’ve found that this is crucial for me; when it’s late at night and I’m just minding my own business, an idea often creeps into my mind and I have the urge to write it down! If you prefer, you could always do this in the notes app on your phone. I do a mixture of both, depending on which is more accessible to me at that moment.
   

Finally, what often keeps people from writing a lot is fear that is holding them back. If you learn not to question yourself and just write without self-censorship then you’ll enjoy writing even more. Don’t be disheartened if you can’t find your writing style straight away. I don’t think I’ve found mine yet and that’s okay! If you find it fun, then why not? Especially during this period, if you have more free time, there is nothing to lose from it. Even if writing in your notebook isn’t something worth sharing, don’t worry, because this is something just for YOU and you’re writing with the door closed. You never have to share this with anyone, so pour your heart out.
 Good luck and happy writing!

Futurelearn.com - A great website for free writing courses (there are courses for other subjects too, so I strongly recommend checking it out!)
Jerichowriters.com- This website contains great articles for writing and it’s essential to avoid beginner’s mistakes.

I hope this article has inspired you in some way and I wish you all the best with your writing journey!
-Nicole

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The pandemic has caused a really difficult time for a lot of industries. Whether it’s a restaurant, a pub, a clothing boutique, a beauty salon or a hairdressers salon, everyone is struggling with not being able to open up and conduct business at usual. As hard as it has been for all businesses this year, there is one industry which means a lot to me and has particularly struggled - theatre.

I have loved the theatre for as long as I can remember. I don’t remember a time in my life, when I didn’t love going to see live shows and singing along to musical soundtracks. I don’t remember what the first show I ever saw was, but I specifically remember going to see The Lion King with my mum and my nan in the West End in London and being mesmerised by the amazing things happening on stage in front of me. Not only did I love seeing theatre, but I loved being a part of theatre productions - acting, dancing and singing. Acting has been in my family for a while. My grandad used to perform in shows, when he was in the Navy and he even did drag shows sometimes to raise money for charity. My mum and dad were part of a local community group who did cabaret shows in the local pub to fundraise for various charities too. It was only commonplace that I started a children’s theatre group when I was 3 years old and continued to participate in 2-3 shows a year until I was 18. But I didn’t stop acting then - I left the children’s group and joined the Lindrick Players which is the local amateur dramatics group for adults in my town. I love every second of it, but due to the pandemic, I haven’t performed whatsoever on a stage in 10 months since my pantomime in January and won’t be back until the middle of next year at the earliest. That also means I haven’t set foot in a theatre for over 8 months - 255 days to be exact - and it sucks.

Because of the pandemic, theatres haven’t been able to open in 8 months and that means that actors, actresses, box office attendants, stage managers, directors and everybody else who is integral to performing a show have all been out of work for a long time. Shows have been unable to be performed or even rehearsed because according to the British government and Rishi Sunak, theatres aren’t essential and ‘[we] can’t pretend that everyone can do exactly the same job that they were doing at the beginning of this crisis’ referring to performers in particular. Those who work in theatres have also not been given the same furlough opportunities as everybody else during this lockdown so many of them are losing their jobs as the theatre cannot afford to pay them. Theatres have been given a £1.5bn cash injection, but this is not enough to keep them open for what is almost definitely multiple months or even years. We could see theatres being shut for a long time to come, and that just cannot happen in my opinion. I cannot see a future without the theatre in it. 

To help the theatre industry as much as we can, we need to do everything possible to keep them open and keep them operating whilst they still have the funds to do so. So here are some of the following things which you could do to help theatres and shows which have been forced to close:

• The obvious way to give theatres and shows some extra funds is to book tickets to go and see them. I understand it is a very uncertain time and so many of us may think ‘I don’t want to book tickets in case the show gets rescheduled/cancelled’ and I get that - even I’m trying to book as few tickets as possible in case the show gets rescheduled. However, the way you need to think about it is most West End/Broadway show dates will get rescheduled eventually and so your money won’t go to waste. Also, if you need the money back for some reason when it gets rescheduled, you will always be offered a refund so it’s not like the money is gone forever. So if you can afford to buy tickets right now and there is a show you want to go and see, please book those tickets.
  

• If you don't feel comfortable going to actual shows, many theatres and actors are putting on virtual shows. This means you can pay for a virtual ticket, which is usually a lot less than an actual theatre ticket,  may I add (I've seen tickets for as little as £7) and then you will get a link or a code to a virtual show that only ticket holders can watch. The Theatre Cafe have done shows including actors like Carrie Hope Fletcher, Oliver Ormson and Jodie Steele among many others and they're not the only ones. So many theatres have done one off virtual events which you can watch for a very reasonable price so keep an eye out online for those. Andrew Lloyd Webber has also set a YouTube channel called The Shows Must Go On! where every week, a professional recording of a new show is posted which you can access for free for 48 hours. There has been The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, War of The Worlds and there are plenty of others left to come, including some concert recordings from musical theatre giants like Michael Ball and Alfie Boe. What more could you ask for?!
  

• If you would prefer to wait until after theatres reopen to see a show, you can always buy merchandise from the show. By merchandise, I don't mean search 'show merchandise' on Amazon, please buy it from the official show’s website. Not all shows have official websites, and not all shows sell merchandise on their website either, but if they do, it's a great way to support them. I would always buy a t-shirt or a programme at the theatre if I was going to see a show so for me, buying that merchandise online is a pandemic-friendly solution.
  

Please please. Do whatever you can to support theatres before it's too late. We cannot afford to lose this incredible industry.

• Kenzie.
  

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Music is the universal language to the ears. Regardless of where you are from, the tunes you listen to can incite joy in your day whenever you are feeling gloomy. Nowadays, the popular genres of music include rap, R&B, hip-hop, indie and more, and may have individual fan bases to support their favorite artists. However, music shaming continues to be a factor that makes many music listeners feel inferior based on their preferences, or feel “out of the loop” with whatever is considered tasteful at the moment.

Music shaming is evident in many genres and artists. The foundation of music shaming is made up of prior stereotypes that many people have nitpicked based on its origins and overall style. For instance, Taylor Swift continues to be music shamed because it is assumed that her general fanbase is made up of adolescent girls, or that her whole discography consists of songs that she produced based on her long list of boyfriends. However, no one applauds that all of these hit songs were personally written by her, which is very telling of how artistically talented she is when showing her personal storytelling through her writing. While not enjoying an artist is valid, it is unreasonable to project animosity toward them or their fanbase simply because their music preference is not in line with what others believe is considered to be “cool” at the moment.

I’ve personally experienced embarrassment through my enjoyment of K-pop. I enjoy the genre simply because many songs are incredibly well produced, and the artists sacrifice a large amount of time in executing choreography alongside it for the sake of aesthetic. Whenever people ask what my favorite genre is, I always avoid the word “K-pop” because I am aware of the numerous questions alongside it that may lead me to feel inferior. It may brand me as a generic Asian who supports a genre that they cannot understand, or a psychotic fan whose whole life revolves around obsessing over idols, buying tickets and albums, or even targeting other fan bases on Twitter. Of course, I will always remember whether a certain song cheered me up on a bad day, or how proud I was whenever my favorite group made a comeback and delivered incredible content for their fans. That itself should not make me feel ashamed to be a K-pop fan, regardless of anyone’s opinions.

No one’s music preferences should be shamed because it is a reflection of your personality. I have personally learned that you should confront your fears and go against the prior assumptions made by others. If you feel isolated based on your music taste, here are some ideas that may make you feel more comfortable:

Communicate with your friends about their biases:
Although it is difficult to do so, try to give them the opportunity to voice out their opinions. You can simply dismiss these claims if they are false and even provide them a perspective of how your music taste is a significant part of your life. 

Engage with the fanbase online:
Every social media platform, especially Twitter and Instagram, have many accounts that engage with a specific community of music fans. If you ever feel isolated, you can simply visit their pages, enjoy their content, or even comment. I personally know of some fan bases that create special days in order to collectively listen to an artist’s music on Spotify, and doing so can make you feel accepted.

Unapologetically listen to your music:
Blast your music in your room! Your family may hear it, and who knows, maybe they may actually enjoy your music and listen to it with you in the future.

Ultimately, everyone is uniquely different and one’s music preference should not be discriminated against solely because it does not fit with whatever is popular these days. Regardless, confidently embrace your music preferences and what it stands for. At the end of the day, the only thing that will fully appreciate whatever you choose to listen to are your ears.

​​Lana

A dynamic truth! A fair judgment to be done! And just another level of stupidity! In fact, it's an indirect one… The time we spend on things we love is way too little than the time we spend on social media. Oooh no! Let me check what Peter has posted this week on Instagram. Or perhaps, it will be so cool and so nice to check on what Mary posted on Tik Tok… But, time still counts, “Tick tock tick tock" And death comes like Boom! We then become addicted to our so-called social life partners.

Old days seem more astonishing than the current days… Just to be more precise, the difficulties in doing things made people intelligent and hardworking. But, right now right here, you light up a house with one click on the switch then on it goes! The lights! Such a thing, demanded several trials on a log rubbed smoothly but roughly just to create fire. Sounds interesting right? But, what do we learn from the many trial and errors that gave us a lesson every single time? It actually gave our elders the ability not to give up. It actually made them understand that the world was full of trial and errors which later led to better infrastructures like The Egyptian Pyramids. But come on… wait first! What was Elon Musk's latest post on his newly bought-possession Twitter? Ooh no! Why am I still obsessed with what I am just criticizing? I don't know for real…

To be honest, I have had this experience where we are just bonded or perhaps married to a wife or husband named “Social Media” with a full-amazing-gold ring. This might sound harsh but it's actually a truth we have to tolerate. The life principle, which I actually don't know about, tells us that the only people we will be bonded to a lot are our life partners. Ha ha, just kidding! The depth of its effect is far higher than the depth of its advantages which leaves us with an understanding that probably we might be expecting divorces from our life partners. That is what will happen when social media platforms get banished due to the effects it will have caused. We might find ourselves in a drastic confusion of what to do after getting the divorce from these social media platforms. A question just popped up in my mind, actually it's a question I have seen before, which says "What would you do when the internet gets off to replace the time you spend on it?" Huh? Is this a stupid joke or just a mere example of how the crazy people prank the intelligent people? You know, it's actually a thought from someone who might be crazy or just insane enough to speak such bullshit. But, the reality remains that these kinds of people are the most intelligent ones because they realize the depth of the disadvantage. They realize that these platforms which tend to connect people are the same platforms which destroy the role of humanity on earth. Just a simple question, how many people feel absolutely comfortable speaking with people physically than online? Probably very few… But why? It's mainly due to the drastic push we get from our so-called "Life Partners" or let's just say "Destructive Life Partners" named Social Media.
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Boom! So this is what I have learnt from the Social Media platforms: Well, like lightning it strikes and brings terrifying effects on earth through the breaking rumors it gives out. Like sun rays it gives us the pretendence-like heat unless the ozone layer is tempered through fake-true news it offers. We still survive knowing that we have more to face but unlikely knowing its effects. We live, we survive and we still spend time with our so-called-partners named Social Media. Did I just say something about time? Ooooh no! Wooohooo! Here comes the worst part! Just relax ok? I took time and spared some to check my screen time. I was puzzled and actually surprised with what I saw. Like seriously!!! Did I just spend 6 hours only on Instagram? Ooh come one! Was I stupid to spend 7 hours on ticktock? Mmmh! This sounds fun but how come more than half of my day is just spent on social media? It's magic right? Huh? Still sounds sarcastic… Anyway, let me check what Elon has posted on Twitter this time.

Ladies and gents, or let's say online-addicted ladies and gents, I have learnt that the physical contact we spend with our physical friends is far too little than the enormous-high-quality-comfortable time we spend on social media. And actually, my imagination leads me to thinking that we might make a movement on Heaven just to be spared some minutes to check out on our friends in hell and at least check their progress. Just kidding though, the reality is, we really need to look at the future we are destined to go through and at least think if our so-called-life-partners will be advantageous to that destiny. Are we really ready to sacrifice our futures just to waste time on our so-called Life partners or will we be ready to sacrifice the social media and spend more time to nourish our physical world. I am having a feeling that probably Prince EA has posted something today on Instagram. But, do I really have to check it out? You know, this thing is quite tempting and at times it's apparently impossible to just quit it out of the blues and get outdated. Who wants to be outdated? Who? Actually it's fairly no one. It's just not that easy to forget everything and have no information about the world out there. It's quite depressing at times and far away beyond impossible. But, I do have a feeling that there is a way to change and get back to the old days when physical life was much more interesting that the online life. I have this feeling that probably we could have learnt less than what we learn today but actually accurate, true and educative knowledge. We would actively gain knowledge rather than the drastic mixture of lies and truths we get now leading us to an awesome confusion. And who knows, probably we might be able to live a life we all enjoy, live in peace and love and get the natural beauty of our beautiful planet earth.  A lot has been happening to the online-addicted ladies and gents. I have been wondering how social media has made us not see the beautiful environment around us. It sounds even awkward that people selfie themselves at funerals these days. But, how long are we going to be torturing our eyes with contents from social media and still get nothing from it? This sounds ridiculous! 

I cannot stop writing because I feel like the devil we always speak of is actually our so-called life partners named Social Media. They come as a sheep but it's just a skin and when removed there comes a tiger and actually a Mongolian Tiger. It's fierce enough to strike the moment we fully believe it's a sheep. And yes! We have done that already and now we only have to wait for the ambush. Down within the narrow paths towards our destinies, we will be snatched like a chicken. With no one to hear our cries, we will be tortured like a roasted fish. And finally, with none to blame, we will be enslaved and killed mercilessly and Boom! Deal done! Oooh my social media, what have you done to me?

- Andreaa


 Helpline:
Be cautious with your social media platforms. Make good use of them and don’t let them exploit you more than how you exploit them. Be cautious!

https://www.makeuseof.com/how-to-quit-social-media/

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​The word “creativity” can mean a variety of things. For some people, creativity is visual art, like painting or pottery. For others, creativity takes a less physical form through things like writing and music. From dancing, to photography, to poetry, it is clear that this word has an extremely broad definition. What things do these art forms have in common? Passion. Creativity is what drives people, giving them such an interesting emotional outlet. While this passion is usually positive, there are harsh expectations that get in the way of people expressing their creative interests. 

    It is not easy to pursue an interest when there are so many pressures to face. One of the most common issues people struggle with is the so-called “failure” to meet their own expectations. When there is a clear image in your head of what you want to express, the reality may be disappointing. Unfortunately, this fear of a mediocre outcome is what stops a lot of people from attempting to begin in the first place. 

    In addition to the internal struggles, there are plenty of external factors that contribute to the discouragement of creative hobbies. Though many do not outwardly admit it, social media plays a major role in our motivation. Sometimes it can drive people to create art only to post about it. Unfortunately, many people get too caught up in posting about their work rather than actually falling in love with it, therefore building extremely high expectations for themselves. Additionally, comparisons to other people can make it difficult to have confidence in your own work, which can also build up high expectations that may be difficult to achieve. 

    A few years ago when I was stressed with school, I used painting as a creative outlet. When I was completely invested in my work, I could release all my stress and worries onto the paper. It genuinely didn’t matter to me if the painting was messy, I was only focused on the joy of creating the piece. This delightfulness soon haltered once I started posting about it. 

    The thought of posting my work on social media created an ocean of presuppositions about when to post, what to paint, and if it even looked good enough to hit the public eye. What began as a hobby quickly transformed into a chore. As time passed, I began to realize how disappointing it was to allow my own standards to stop me from doing what I used to love. 
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After several attempts to continue my passion for art, I finally found some lasting solutions. The first being my promise that I wouldn’t paint with the intention of posting it after. Instead, I would be painting for my own validation. This helped me center my focus on the process of the piece as opposed to the outcome.  Another practice that really encouraged me to continue painting was setting realistic goals for myself. Instead of expecting to finish my work in only a few hours, I would set a goal to finish it in two or three days. That way, I could take breaks without feeling overwhelmed or guilty.​