The Aesthete Blogger Award

Thank you Cosmic Taryn for nominating me for the Aesthete Blogger Award. I am humbled by your nomination.

Taryn is a blogger who writes book reviews as well as publishes her own material. It is a pleasure to interact with and follow Taryn. If you haven’t already, check out her blog and Twitter page (linked above.)

I am happy to take up the baton and will pass it to other bloggers, if they choose to participate.

Aesthete Award Rules

• Use the official logo/graphic of the award and display it on your blog.
• List the rules.
• Show some love to the one who nominated you!
• Mention the creator (Asmita @ the Fictional Journal) and link it back to the original post.
• Tell me a something about this world that you admire.
• What is your favorite form of creativity?
• Nominate 7 lovely people and notify them by commenting on their posts; spread some love!
• Ask your nominees 4 questions.
• Share something you created. (Can be anything!)
• And lastly, just so you know: I LOVE YOUR CREATIONS!

Tell me something about this world that you admire.

What I admire most is the uniqueness in the commonality. There are so many writers in the #WritingCommunity but not one writer is the same as another. Everyone has their own writing style, interests, habits, talents and hobbies. The list goes on.

I appreciate, overall, how many people I have made connections with on Twitter and how, even thought we live in different parts of the country, of the world, come from different cultures and backgrounds, we all support each other and share a common goal: to be a writer. It is truly amazing how all of us can come together and talk (literally) all day about writing. I’m continuously inspired by everyone with whom I interact and appreciate their support.

What is your favorite form of creativity?

I enjoy many forms of creativity! All throughout my middle school and high school career, I thought I was going to be an artist. But when I was applying to go to community college, I chose to be a journalism major instead.

Throughout college, I did a lot of writing, specifically poetry (and journalism writing, of course.) After my bachelor’s degree, I worked as an ESL teacher for a school year, and as I worked with my students, I realized how much I missed and appreciated academia and decided to return to school and earn my master’s degree in writing.

As far as other forms of creativity, I enjoy knitting, crocheting, photography, and baking. I love expressing myself through my work.

Share something you created.

I recently had a travel writing piece published, and it is a piece of which that I am proudest. It is a narrative about my study abroad trip to China from July 2017 and my experiences as I traveled through Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai. I hope to build upon the piece and publish it as a chapbook-like book or a hybrid novel of some sort.

Taryn’s questions:

Can you share with me your favourite book cover?

My favorite book cover is The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger. I like the simplicity of the illustration and the colors.

What was the most unsettling film you’ve seen?

The most unsettling film I’ve seen is The Silence of the Lambs (1991 – the film adaptation of Thomas Harris’s 1988 novel.) I like Anthony Hopkins as an actor and Jodie Foster did an amazing job.

“It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.”

Jame “Buffalo Bill” Gumb, Silence of the Lambs

What’s your cure for hiccups?

I use different methods to “cure” hiccups, but I recently learned a trick that I haven’t tried yet: a spoonful of peanut butter.

What message would you share with your future self?

I think I would tell my future self that I’ve done a pretty good job with everything thus far and remind my future self that the past cannot be changed, the future cannot be predicted, but all I can do is do my best and hope for the best.

My nominations

Sarah (@thesweetpaisana)
Compass (@compassstories)
Wordy Ghost (@idgiestark)
Helen (@hhensell)

I couldn’t come up with seven nominations, but these are the people I could think of who I thought might participate. To my nominees: you don’t have to participate, but I thought it would be cool. *shoulder shrug*

Questions for my nominees

1. What is a writing ritual that you have? And if you do not have one, what is your go-to writing or reading place?
2. What are your hobbies, other than writing?
3. Who do you admire the most in the writing world?
   (This is vague on purpose. You can name an author you like, a publisher that you appreciate, a specialty–like editors, etc.)
4. If you could travel through space or time, where or when would you go and why?

Note:

I know this is late. I meant to post this when I was nominated, but life happens and I have a pretty busy schedule these days. It was still fun to participate anyway. Thanks, Taryn!