Welcome to Candid
I initially wanted to start the year by launching my publication with a kick-ass profound article that demonstrated my “skilled penmanship” and dazzled my handful of readers. I mean eventually, I hope to get to that point, but to speak candidly (I’m sorry, it was right there I had to) I did not feel like it. I lacked the inspiration and it felt forced —and I sure as hell do not operate that way. I aim to infuse purpose and meaningfulness in everything I do while being unapologetically me. I wanted my first article to be genuine, to set the pace for what is to come. I didn’t want to feign anything but rather express myself freely. Because I struggle with that at times, I decided to throw caution to the wind and I created Candid. A safe space to share my honest reflections.
Throughout the day, I have internal dialogues with myself oftentimes triggered by something I came across on the internet, in a TV show or movie, a book, or simply triggered by a random thought. And it’s in those moments that I wish I had a cameraman or a stenographer in the room with me, magically popping up at the exact moment to record my unheard gems. Until I realized that I could be that person. I can write down these thoughts and share them with whoever cared to take a gander. You can therefore think of Candid as my public journal where I share my thoughts on any given topic of interest, in any format I want. Whether it is the standard essay, article, journal entry or through the medium of free writing, the goal is to rid me of any constraints I previously complied to, and simply flow with my creativity and let go of all the rules and expectations to simply deliver a message I feel is worth sharing. As I put it in my About section, the goal is to be as honest as possible in divulging my reflections, hence the name of my publication. I feel this growing need to express how I feel and what I think freely to counter the insidious tendency I developed to censor myself. The current climate has engendered an increasing hostility towards dissenting opinions, which is ironic considering we are in the age of “amplifying and empowering the voices of the misunderstood”. So here I am: amplifying and empowering my voice.
What can be expected with this publication? In short, you can expect transparency. As mentioned above, this is a public journal of sorts through which I explore anything and everything I want. Namely, my favourite topics such as culture, race and identity, philosophy, history, literature, cinema, music…any personal inquiries and wonderings I may have about life, really. And when I say transparency, I mean just that; the literal transcription of my thoughts, as I think them. No beating around the bush. As I write this the backspace key is calling my name and urging me to rewrite that sentence because the thought of exposing myself in that way is frightening. But I want to venture off the path of political correctness, embrace my boldness, and stick to my guns. My takes can appear brash, judgemental, and overly critical on one hand, and fickle, ambivalent, or fair and agreeable on the other. That’s the approach I like to take: explore both extremes to find a happy medium. I do not subscribe to any sort of woke rhetoric or any of the entitlement or judgement that it breeds. I value individuality over groupthink, always striving for a balance between objectivity and subjectivity. I don’t like my convictions to be set in stone or dictated to me, I like having the space to grow and change my mind, and explore what’s outside of the mainstream. I want to be able to question everything, and push boundaries. I like to look at things holistically, deciphering the origins of why we come to believe or act the way we do, and always taking into account the past and respecting it because we wouldn’t be here without it. Point is, I want to ask questions, spark conversations, push the limits of my imagination, and exercise my critical thinking. And Candid is the place dedicated to all of that.
On that note, I want to welcome you to Candid. I am excited to begin my (amateur) writing venture. Stepping outside my comfort zone can be scary, and I’m not one to jump at the chance to do so. But I’m shutting my eyes tight and taking this leap of faith. This is a new journey for me, so I’m glad to have you join along as I explore the terrain, learn and practice, and engage with your insights. So I thank you ahead of time for granting me the space to simply be me.