Well hello there! Fancy seeing you here.
I'm really not sure who's more surprised right now: me for finally finding a good use for a sorry streak of insomnia, or you for coming across this freshly planted seed of an idea. Regardless of our initial reactions- we're in this together now. How bad could it be?
While I've peaked your initial curiosities, I suppose I'll spell out to some degree who the heck this curious character you've just happened upon really is. My name is Brittany Fisher, and I am an avid explorer, over-thinker, learner, and most importantly for you: writer. At the moment, I am on the cusp of 19 (though I'd wager many of you would probably assume that's 19 plus a few if ever introduced personally.) And I am currently splitting my time between the bustling dorm-life of State College, PA and a newfound home in New Hope, PA. Luckily enough for me, both of which I get to live alongside my best-friends: my spicy college roomate T and my dearest mama and pup, respectively. In either spot, one can usually find me pioneering outside on a good walk or introverting indoors to the trusty tune of my Apple Music Genius Shuffle (which is superior to spotify's en mon avis.) Though don't be fooled, most of my time is spent studying the complex minutia of Statatistics and/or contemplating my existence.
Now that we have a few of the formalities out of the way... let's get to the juicy stuff. By now, you're probably wondering what's the point of this anyway? And while I'm sure you're waiting with bated breath for the dissertation explaining the intricate vision behindTakeaways, in the spirit of honesty I'll coyly admit that I don't have any of that. When it comes to exactly what I want this blog to be you might be remised to hear that I really don't know. Now, before you go and curse the internet for leading you down yet another pointless rabbit hole, let me give you some context for this relative uncertainty.
I feel it's only fitting to start this explanation by disclosing a bit from the small chronicle that begot this idea to begin with. Picture this: it's a dreary December at the tail end of my first semester in college. There I was finals week, stress levels through the roof, dismally fighting an uphill battle that many college students know all too well: trying to salvage a semesters worth of inadequacy in the dwindling final weeks of the term. Needless to say, I was far from successful. Add on some untimely insomnia (starting to see a trend here..), some school-induced social isolation, a failed love story, and not to mind a global pandemic. One can correctly assume that I was -to put it lightly- going through it. Emotionally, physically, and spiritually, I felt disconnected and disingenuous. The totality of which came to a head mere days before 'Ol St. Nick was supposed to shimmy his plump rump down our undecorated chimney. Spurred from friends' well-placed criticism, a desperately long night of tearful unloading ensued. After which, I unsurprisingly uncovered the intense need for some indepth introspection. Practiced through some spiritual exploration, an unusually heavy reliance on daily dog walks, and a heavy dose of some good old fashioned sleep, I now found myself rejuvinated.
Except this satisfaction was shortlived, as I quickly found myself longing for an outlet to help others just as I had so freshly. With that, I started my 4am brainchild "Broadening Hour with Brittany". Quickly, to my delight, a 90 minute 'How-to' workshop for self-confidence and self-worth manifested itself under my pen. Yet, after completing a successful test-round on my ever-supportive girl friends, halfway through the creation of my second workshop I encountered an all-encompassing writers block that lasted for weeks. I felt limited by my own pigeon-holed portrayal of myself, and quite frankly, frustrated at my apparent inability to communicate the nuances of these seemingly basic tools. And to my dismay, no amount of self-help books or expert opinions I employed seemed to be enough to entirely expell these feelings of discomfort. Now, I understand that these flags of discomfort were really just masked insecurities (hindsight is 2021 I guess.) Because no matter how 'healed' I said -and at times genuinely felt- I was, my gut knew deep down that I was just too close from the start of my own journey to be a sound leader for anyone elses. And so, in personal protest to this unfortunate fact, I meekly put the venture on the backburner. Mentally pushing it from daily relevancy with more compelling distractions and obligations. Until one day, the Gods suggested a new approach. Which to me, was the Newton's apple on the noggin needed to rouse my spirit with newfound possibility.
This opportune fruit came in the form of a casual conversation. Flash back a few days, and during a lackadaisical Monday night after a long day of studying, the idea was propositioned to me by some of my friends to start a blog. Blogs? I thought, aren't they dead? A curious Google search later and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that, in fact, blogs are not dead! According to many, not only are they not dying but they are actually continuing to grow in number by the year. Hmm, I still wasn't totally convinced. Yet, as the days elapsed and I went about my usual routine, I found my mind kept quietly wandering back to this idea. Like a silent monk beside a reflective pool, my thoughts continually meditated between genuine desires to initiate and valid fears of failure. Yet, in the end, all it took was a few sleepless nights and a rush of impulse for me to put the final nail in the coffin and ultimately bring Takeaways to fruition.
So what finally pushed me over the edge? Honestly, I think it was the idea of having a comfortably-carefree creative outlet to share my experiences. In my eyes, this is an exciting opportunity for me to pull inspiration not simply from the highs I was trying to immortalize in my workshops, but from my lows, and range of other interests too. I want this platform to be a place where my truth can help to inspire and motivate others to their own- all without being too overbearing or rigid. The name Takeaways comes from my hope that everyone who visits will be able to take something meaningful away from my shared experiences. Generally, I see the larger dream of Takeaways as readers being able to regularly use my reflections as personal invitations to inspire more timely, and valuable reflection of their own.
If you've made it this far congrats, you can say you've made it through your first long-winded briefing by yours truly. In all seriousness, I am entirely grateful to anyone who decides to support Takeaways and embark on this novel journey with me. Maybe with your help we can prove once and for all that blogging really isn't dead!
3.9.21