Opportunities Brought About By Journaling
3 years ago in Helsinki, I was working on launching my journaling course. At the same time, I was working together on another project with a colleague. We were supposed to come up with an organization that would provide a place for BiPOC (Black indeginous and people of colour) to experience art or be part of art. It was the height of the Black lives Matter Movement. Also, somewhat felt disenfranchised being in the Open Mic community. Yes, I spent time going to Open Mics then. From performing to judging. There were some nuances in poetry or in storytelling that my colleague and I then felt were missing in the Open Mic Community. Our goal then was to create a safe space for people to tell their stories or poetry without facing skepticism about the authenticity of their experiences. It's worth noting that the Open Mic scene has since evolved significantly.
I remember working on that project and feeling like an outsider. They had the name ready, the mission behind it and we were writing a proposal to get funding. Slowly, I started to feel like they did not need me and chose to let them know that I would focus mainly on events. Later on, after being on the scene doing other things, I wanted something bigger. They wanted to bring in a family member and I started to feel outnumbered and a hint of resignation. Fast forward to a few months later, when we were to submit the project. I got let go from the project.
The way they did it wasn’t in the way I would have liked. I was disappointed however, I knew that this project would go on to flourish without me. It was just a confirmation that our visions were not aligned. Did our friendship remain? --Yes.
Later on, during the summer, I had been approached to work on a VR project and we went to do an impromptu shoot at Seurasaari. I took my journal with me and I spoke with the director and it was a fun project. The intention of the shoot was to get some funds for the project. My director had a great vision for the project but the funds were limiting what we could do.
Fast forward to 2021 where we were awarded close to 10,000€ to move forward with the project. Things started to become real. In 2022 the funds quintupled. The project is the first VR project funded by the Finnish Film Foundation. It includes 3 different artists telling their stories of how they make art in their dreams. I am part of this trio, narrating how journaling aids me in writing and generating ideas. Without my journal, these events would be mere fragments of memory.
I had the opportunity to visit the FFF(Finish Film Foundation) studio for voiceovers, be in a 3D studio, and meet incredible people. Just this week, I learned that the project is finally complete and will be available in the Spring of 2024, presented in Finnish, English, and Swedish. Jag talar inte svenska, men jag växte upp omkring det (I don’t speak Swedish but grew up around it). I eagerly anticipate people experiencing the joys of creating.
Despite the previous project not materializing as anticipated, I now see it as a blessing. It provided the space to explore my storytelling style in my languages. A noteworthy fact is that Finnish is my second language. While I had written stories and poetry in it privately, this project allowed me to share my work publicly. Sometimes, rejection is just a way of saying "not now."
PS. If you are interested in journaling for free you can try it out here. I recently launched a journaling course centred on self-compassion you can check out here