AMPLIFY Digital Storytellers Scholarship

Various forms of media are increasingly competing for our short attention spans and I recognize that fewer and fewer people are willing to commit to reading extensive blocks of text. I am a writer, but I see this as a challenge, not a threat. I live for stories and believe that each person has a unique one to tell. So, I am excited to see thousands of people becoming their own content creators. However, I understand how quickly a person can drown in the sea of information overload and, because of this, I intentionally strive to write only what is worth my readers’ time. In fact, each sentence is guided by a single question. Hibernating in my home due to COVID-19 last summer, I discovered an old list in the Notes app on my phone titled, “Writing Prompts.” I opened a Word document and began to spell out my thoughts on these random topics. Liking what I saw, I spontaneously decided to launch a personal blog. As a multi-passionate girl intimidated by the idea of selecting a niche, the first 12 posts on “Trisney’s Tangents” covered a miscellaneous collection of topics like having an accountability partner or learning to accept compliments. But eventually, I began to notice I was tying everything together in terms of my personal journey to overcome anxiety and depression. While I recommend counseling and professional help, I have also found a form of self-therapy and been able to improve my own mental health through fitness, food, art, writing, and relationships. Out of this discovery arose my purpose-seeking question: “Does my writing bring healing?” Now, I write with clarity, seeking to share the scar in my story that motivates my mission. Finally, I am well aware that influencing is a very saturated market and it takes a lot to stand out and succeed. But again, this is a challenge, not a threat, and I know that if the content I create is truly valuable, inspiring, and worthwhile, my audience will find me. If I can grow my blog now, as a side hustle, I choose to believe that further down the road I might be able to work full-time, writing and creating from my own corner of the world. And if my dream ends up looking different than I imagined, I will be at peace knowing I seized every opportunity to learn the skills that might have been helpful in this pursuit. Read a sample blog post here: https://www.trisneyjanine.com/blog/living-the-life-i-wish-i-had