Yes Internet, it has been 8 years! It has been 8 years since I have been gracing your screens with articles of an opinionated nature. 8 years ago today The Montreal Gazette published my very first Op-Ed which was an article about the right to peaceful protest. The piece was published both online and in print and generated a strong response from the readers. This day marked a stark shift in my personal life, a turning point in my mental health, but also a determinant date in my writing career as I transitioned from academic to writer at large.

Prior to this date 8 years ago I had only written blog posts online, mostly anonymously. But on February 18th, 2012 I stepped out as someone who was willing to share her opinion for something bigger than herself. I instantly saw haters emerge where I didn’t think they were before that day; it is easy to figure out who is on your team based on who applauds your accomplishments. Since this date 8 years ago, I have been published on multiple sites online including but not limited to: Thought Catalog, Mogul, Unwritten, F.A.C.E.S. Blog, HotNewHipHop, Global Grind and AskMen. I am proud of my efforts to continue as a writer on this path with all of the growing pains that come with it.

Writing to me has always been an outlet. The decision to start sharing my work publicly was a natural evolution for me in many ways even if some were surprised. Perhaps it was my content or perhaps it was because it was me saying it that shocked people. Either way, it was this day eight years ago when I caught the publishing bug.

I stick to mostly non-fiction pieces online, basing my work in our common reality that is stranger than fiction. I pride myself off providing you with a different perspective that I know is as much my own as any person’s can be. I try and protect my perspective as greatly as I possibly can given what we are inundated with daily on social media and in our personal lives. There is value in my perspective beyond what companies have paid for, and so I continue to write.

My identity as a writer has only gotten stronger as time has gone on. I work on my craft daily, get better every day, and share when I feel my voice needs to be interjected into the conversation. I am just one voice, but I can make a screen or two tremble if I feel so inclined. Mostly, within every piece, I am trying to spread positivity even if there are cutting words. While certain realities may need to be shared in their raw form, a human being is on the other end of what I am expressing. We all have the right to express ourselves but that does not mean that we shouldn’t express our right to think about what we are going to say first.

On this anniversary, I celebrate my initiation into the world of mass dissemination and into the media game. My innocence may be gone, but at least I am no longer bound by the weight of my beliefs or the judgements of others. It was this day 8 years ago that I freed my inner-creator. As I said in my song Broken Promises, “you can hate it all you want, but my spirit will love so deep. The truth about broken promises, is you learn which ones to keep.” I’m going to keep my promise to myself to continue to do what I love and what I love to do is write.

The question is not if I will write, but where. The question is not how I will write, but what.