You feel something is off, but you don't have the words to describe it. Every time you feel like saying something, you feel like it won't come out right, or you might confuse your words, or what you say won't make any sense. Even if you go over it in your mind several times like you are preparing for a speech, you still fear that it won't come out the same if you actually speak it. Not being able to talk to anyone about whats on your mind or how you feel, you instead bottle everything up inside or use the same three words whenever someone asks you whats wrong: "I don't know". So, instead of talking, you decide to use your creative skills to show how you feel. Even if its crappy and has many mistakes, you still created something that represents how you are feeling inside. This is a start to get your feelings out to someone you know and trust without saying a word.

There are many ways to communicate to one another. Some people have an easier time communicating to another by simple doodles and sketches on a piece of paper. Others use their own native/creative language to describe how they feel. Some use music. Writing. Sign language. There is no wrong way to communicate to someone how you feel if you are uncomfortable using a particular method. As long as you are comfortable opening up to someone you trust, you will get your point across.

Even though you can visually manifest how you feel, there are times when one needs words in order to fully understand what is wrong with you. Drawing, writing or playing music based off your problems and how you feel is a small step forward in opening yourself up to talk about whats on your mind. You need to use your words, even if you mispronounce or misuse a few. The more you speak to someone about how you feel, the more successful you will feel about telling someone whats on your mind and the more comfortable you will become about using your words to express whats on your mind than hiding it.


artwork © 2014 Alex Cockburn