Made To Do This

During the Ready To Do This mastermind that i’m currently enrolled in, one of the tasks was to create a promo flier for our offer. I had the initial idea created and Jenniffer helped me refine it. I didn’t realize that Canva can turn this into a pos… — During the Ready To Do This mastermind that i’m currently enrolled in, one of the tasks was to create a promo flier for our offer. I had the initial idea created and Jenniffer helped me refine it. I didn’t realize that Canva can turn this into a poster. Now, this reminder of my accomplishment sits proudly on my bedroom wall.

As I turn my head and look at the wall behind me, I see the promo poster for my book ‘A Poetic Journey, Staying At Home.’ It seemed impossible to imagine at this time last year, but a lot has happened in a year’s time.

I go back to that fateful Sunday afternoon, January 26th 2020. The combination of my inner resistance and recently putting down a deposit for a trip to Italy kept me from signing up for Made To Do This, but the spark was lit after Cathy Heller’s five day challenge the preceding week. I was at the NY Times Travel Show, and in the 3PM hour I found an email from Cathy herself. She noticed how active I was in the group and mentioned that there was an open partial scholarship, andthat it was mine if I wanted it. Within minutes, I signed up for the program. As I had my bocadillo and bottle of Mahou beer at Mercado Little Spain afterwards, I was scrambling to introduce myself prior to the first call at 8pm that night. It was a bittersweet introduction for the next 12 weeks, as the shock of Kobe Bryant's passing that evening loomed large.

The following week brought the first meeting of our accountability pod. I had never used Zoom or any video related platform before. I was reluctant to show myself on camera after babbling through my introduction on Marco Polo, but my podmate Wendy insisted on turning the cameras onduring meetings. In time, the resistance of showing more of myself would begin to weaken.

Getting to my thing was a slow process. I kept up with all the homework and the coaching calls from week-to-week. I wasn't expecting that a conversation would change everything.

It was 10pm on the night of March 22nd- the weekly coaching call. When it came time for the hot seat, Cathy called my name and the chat blew up. I was terrified as I didn’t have much to show for my efforts after nine weeks in the program. I wanted to run away from the moment, but my friends Wendy & Chari wouldn’t let this moment pass me by. As the call continued on, there came a moment of spark as she read one of my poems from my Instagram feed into the call. It was in that moment that Cathy introduced the mantra that would move me forward, “Words Are Art.” The next morning, I created my first post “Awakening” with my new mantra; to my surprise there was quite a positive reaction to it.

Graduation came the week after Easter. A moment of light appeared after a month of difficulty being furloughed from my day job. I was one of the 16 classmates chosen to appear on Cathy’s podcast, “Don’t Keep Your Day Job”. I couldn’tbelieve it as everyone else on the Honorable Mention list had a stronger case to be interviewed than I did. Two weeks later, the interview was cut.

I was still looking for something to show everyone that I made progress in 12 weeks, so I put it out to the group that I wanted to publish my poetry in a formal setting. It was my colleague Kelly Simmons who mentioned that Inch Magazine from Bull City Press was seeking submissions of original writings. In an attempt to submit something before the May 15th deadline, I hastily assembled a dozen of my poems for a manuscript. From that 20 seconds of courage “A Poetic Journey” was born. I was still seeking to publish a compilation of my works,but Kindle Direct Publishing felt too daunting to attempt. There was one other person that answered my post, Jenniffer Rivera, and together we would plot out the Poetic Journey.

The summer continued on and I joined my fellow alumni for a second go at Made To Do This. This time, I was wiser about where I wanted to take my writing. The poems would keep coming while seeking additional opportunities to push my writing forward. One such opportunity came up, thanks to my colleague Jennifer Chambers. She co-publishes a literary anthology named Groundwaters who was seeking submissions, but I had no idea to encompass five poems. It then hit me, an imagining of my Italy trip that was postponed. In one afternoon I became “An American Tourist In Italy,” and to my shock, my set of poems was selected for the anthology.

As the fall began, the final push began to bring A Poetic Journey to life. We agreed upon October 27th as the release date, nine months and one day since Made To Do This began. The countdown would also come with a new website, set to go live the day before the release. I felt so proud. Even more so after the book was released as people actually bought copies. Inevitably, the thought turned to wondering where should I take my writing from here.

An eventful 2020 came to an end. I was bummed to see it go into the night with so much good happening in the midst of a difficult time. I look ahead to 2021 and see the follow up to A Poetic Journey coming out this fall. It’s part of an intended four book cycle, covering each season with poems written during summer, fall and winter.

I couldn’t have gotten here alone. A big moment of gratitude goes to Cathy Heller and her team. Their unwavering faith in me helped bring all of this full circle. To Wendy Harrop, Kristi Nellor, Kristina Welsome, and Heather Johnston for their encouragement when my doubts got the better of me. For Cindy Rodriguez and her organization, ElimuGirls, as my words made their way into the inserts of the cookie kits and paper dolls. To Kelly Simmons, Jayati Vora, Erin Minogue, Jen Liss, & Jennifer Chambers for having me and my words on as a podcast guest. And to Jenniffer Rivera, as without her and her design prowess, there would be no Poetic Journey. I also want to thank everyone that I’ve met along the way. Every interaction has made this last year one to remember. I've stepped out of the box, from the live videos to having two Facebook groups. All of which came from these 12 weeks.

The events of this year reaffirm…

I was Made To Do This!

“Awakening”, written the morning of March, 23rd 2020. After the hot seat with Cathy the night before, I had a moment of inspiration. I didn’t see any of what’s next coming. But, i’m thankful that everything happened as it did.

Oswald Perez

He writes to share the world through his eyes using words, photos and prose. He inspires people to tell their stories because their stories are ART.

http://www.oswaldperez.com