Friday, June 19, 2015

I'm Not A Writer

Hey there, so I guess it would be appropriate for me to let you know a little of who I am. My name is... well what I go by and what most know me as, is "JD". It's something that has stuck with me since middle school because there were two of us with the same name (different spelling) so because of my last name, the music teacher decided that I would be "JD".  I've used it ever since and RARELY use the name on my ID and birth certificate. :)
What do I do? I do a lot of things, mostly revolving around creativity. I started middle school marching band and have loved music ever since! Although my first instrument was the trumpet, my true passion was the piano. I have now been playing for seven (going on 8 years). I do performances here and there, not exactly a professional performer, but I do enjoy playing and composing. Maybe we can talk more about my music history later. I also like to paint (another thing I started taking seriously in middle school), run, cook, and teach.
Why did I start a blog in the first place if I am claiming not to be a writer??? (see title above) Honestly, I (as the name of my blog says) am a minority of the minority. I carry with me many labels. (i.e. male, YouTuber, musician, teacher, artist...) but also other labels such as; Native American, albino, visually impaired/legally blind, and I am also a member of the LGBTQ community. Quite a bit of minority groups I identify with...
Now yes, as mentioned I am a YouTuber. Most of my videos started because I wanted to talk about my visual condition and my albinism. I did not come across many blind or low vision people on YouTube so I decided to talk about the things that annoyed me, things that needed to be heard, and just to share my story with whomever wanted to listen. Not too long after I started my channel I was also getting ready to come out to my friends and family. This was also during the time I began watching more and more gay YouTubers. The first video I uploaded talking about my sexual identity was for the ItGetsBetter Project. Since then I've done topics related to gay issues, my experiences on being visually impaired, and more recently about my cultural heritage. My channel is not set for a specific group of individuals to watch, whoever wishes to watch, listen, learn, and contribute is welcome to my channel. 
Now, my friends tell me that I am an articulate person. I understand why they see this quality in me. But I have really found myself not to be the strongest of writers. I enjoy talking (laughs)... I can guarantee you that a conversation with me can go on forever. :) But lately I have been thinking that I honestly want to say so much more. And the amount of work that goes into my videos, can take quite a while to put together. Especially when I am a person striving for a certain level of "perfection". I guess it's just the artist in me. I tend to be picky about how I present my projects. 
So that is where this blog comes in. I have more I want to share and more that I want to discuss with others that wish to join the conversation. Like my YouTube channel I will talk about all of these identities that I claim for myself. My ethnic background, my disability, my creativity, my genetic condition, my sexual orientation, and even dive into other experiences that spark certain thoughts. I believe that creativity and learning stems from sharing. This is what I have to share. Will you join me?
Thanks for reading ALL of these words. I will try my best to keep this thing filled with a variety of topics important to me. If I really start to like it, I will keep you updated should I come up with a schedule. Thanks again!
JD