University changed my life for the better – I became a better person through it, had many amazing experiences, a few heartbreaks for good measure, and came out 15 pounds lighter. (That wasn’t a typo.) It was a great time except for one thing: I had given up on my creative writing.

My personality had changed drastically. Although I was inspired but much of what I’d learned, I never again found any fiction that would inspire me to write. My reading was dry scientific textbooks or depressing German literature where everyone died at the end, just like in all my high school English classes. (And sometimes they died at the beginning: I read a short story about a man going to a funeral. The deceased? God. It held my interest, but it was still depressing.)

I was so busy trying to find the right answers to all the questions on all the tests that I never set aside time to let my mind roam free in its own, new world. It’s been 20 years since I’ve made any serious writing endeavours.

One New Year’s goal for this year was to break that dry spell and write 10,000 words of creative writing by December 31, 2015. Well, I’m happy to announce, I hit that goal a couple of weeks ago.

Sometimes life gets in the way of serious creative endeavours, and we ignore our artistic selves. Regardless of whether these interruptions appear beneficial or negative, ignoring our soul’s expression in such changing times can increase the stress these events sometimes bring upon us. (I suffered for the lack of creativity during my studies a few years later.)

It’s one thing to set your creative projects aside for a few days, maybe even a week or two, if time is that tight. But if you’re heading into a new phase of your life (e.g., full-time study, a new job, growing your family, whatever it may be), be sure to somehow find time for your creative self and let your soul speak.