St. John Paul II’s Letter to Artists

Leave a Comment

I think it was from The Crunch podcast where I first heard about St. John Paul II’s Letter to Artists. I searched for it, found the actual text and a video, so of course I clicked the video first:

And I started blubbering like a little girl. In the office.

So now I went for the full-text, loaded it into my Kindle (along with other Papal letters, exhortations and encyclicals – Pope Paul VI’s Humanae Vitae, anyone?), and started reading. For such a short piece, I think it took me weeks to go through it because I have to stop every now and then to absorb it.

None can sense more deeply than you artists, ingenious creators of beauty that you are, something of the pathos with which God at the dawn of creation looked upon the work of his hands. A glimmer of that feeling has shone so often in your eyes when—like the artists of every age—captivated by the hidden power of sounds and words, colours and shapes, you have admired the work of your inspiration, sensing in it some echo of the mystery of creation with which God, the sole creator of all things, has wished in some way to associate you.

Story time: when I was applying for universities in college, one of my course choices in a university was Creative Writing because, well, I write. That was my second choice, because I wanted to take Computer Science, but if I didn’t get that and my first choice university.

When the results came out, I ended up passing that course, but I decided not to go for it because it’s was a Bachelor of Fine Arts course. And I can’t draw.

Not that I’m regretting my choice to go take my Computer Science course and my university (best years evaaaa). Even if I took the technical route, my path still led me to words, to communications and marketing, to using my creative side everyday, learning new creative things but with a techie touch. I still can’t draw, and while I’m handy with Adobe apps, I still consider myself more of a wordsmith than an artist. I noticed that when people refer to artists, writers aren’t always included in that list – maybe because words aren’t really pictures or moving art, even if some of the art we know now actually come from words. But yeah, in my own heart, I never counted myself as an “artist.”

And then this letter.

Mine is an invitation to rediscover the depth of the spiritual and religious dimension which has been typical of art in its noblest forms in every age. It is with this in mind that I appeal to you, artists of the written and spoken word, of the theatre and music, of the plastic arts and the most recent technologies in the field of communication. I appeal especially to you, Christian artists: I wish to remind each of you that, beyond functional considerations, the close alliance that has always existed between the Gospel and art means that you are invited to use your creative intuition to enter into the heart of the mystery of the Incarnate God and at the same time into the mystery of man.

There was something very freeing in this letter, as if it was reminding me of my call, my own “artistic vocation.” I never thought about it that way, but suddenly it’s become more important, the words that come out from me, written and spoken. And the words that I hear, consume, and take to heart.

If you’ve been following me on Twitter, you know that this current work-in-progress has been taking its sweet, sweet time. I’m still working on it, and I hope I would get to write about the process it’s been taking soon. It’s a difficult book, that I could say, and this letter kind of affirmed me of why I decided to take this particular path for this one, and why, whenever I try to change it to go the easy way, I end up not writing a single word because it wasn’t what my heart believes to be true.

Those who perceive in themselves this kind of divine spark which is the artistic vocation—as poet, writer, sculptor, architect, musician, actor and so on—feel at the same time the obligation not to waste this talent but to develop it, in order to put it at the service of their neighbour and of humanity as a whole.

I’ve loved St. John Paul II since I was a kid, even if I didn’t see him when he went to the Philippines in 1995. He’s always taking care of me – bringing me to Europe for WYD 2011, comforting me when I had my heart broken, reminding me to not be afraid, and even this, urging me to follow the call to “Give the world to tell His story” that has been placed in my heart using what the language of my soul: words. After all the stories I’ve read and heard of people following their vocation because of JP2, I’m not surprised that he’s doing it to me as well.

…it is up to you, men and women who have given your lives to art, to declare with all the wealth of your ingenuity that in Christ the world is redeemed: the human person is redeemed, the human body is redeemed, and the whole creation which, according to Saint Paul, “awaits impatiently the revelation of the children of God” (Rom8:19), is redeemed.

Onward! Running the race to THE END! 🙂

—-

By the way, I talk about more things and do regular giveaways of books on my mailing list! Maybe you’d be interested in that, too? I won’t spam, promise. 🙂

Hello, 2018!

Leave a Comment

Hey look it’s 2018! Hello, how’s the first day of the year treating you so far? 🙂

2017 was very eventful, more in terms of #romanceclass events than the actual writing. We had several events for the community in the past year that I’ve actively participated in the behind-the-scenes (and I only got to recap one, haha) that it feels like I’ve spent most of the year with them. That’s probably true, and I don’t mind. Oh, and I got my books live read twice this year, and nope, the feeling still doesn’t go away. (And I’m getting something read out loud this week so hello, nerves!)

In terms of books, 2017 was the year of the short story and new editions, which I celebrate because writing Meah’s book was a challenge that I didn’t really expect. I think there’s a pattern with the books I’ve been writing since 2013, that it takes about 1.5-2 years before I get a new, full-length book out. This is slightly worrying because what about my goals, but then, 2017 was the year I learned to be patient with my writer self, to cut myself some slack, and to keep trying and throwing things at the wall until something breaks. I think I’ve broken through the wall now, so let’s all cross our fingers I won’t rewrite anything again.

Last year was also the year of Purpose-Driven Branding, thanks to The Purposeful Creative. I’ve attended marketing classes before but this one was more personal, and well, more purpose-driven that I ended up reviewing my brand purpose and working on my content plan for the first quarter of 2018 on the last day of 2017. I’m excited about the challenge of trying to reach for my marketing goals this year, learning from these experiments, and sharing it all with you.

On reading, well 2017 was the year I read the least books (39), and maybe my slowest reading pace? Life happened, and I have a feeling that I should start culling my TBR because I don’t think I’ll be able to read all the impulse buys I made years ago. I did read the following books by Filipino authors/creators (links to buy when you click, if available!):

I’ll do better with this. 🙂

So what’s next, 2018?

2017 was a pretty good year because of a lot of unexpected things in my non-author life, and a lot of lessons in my author life. It’s definitely not seemingly dark as 2016, so it was good. I do feel like I kind of just cruised along this year, so in 2018 I want to be more active with this, to step out in faith and to try more things rather than wait for things to happen. 2018 will be all about being open and trusting. I have no idea where that will lead me, but like what Faith said, uncertainties are an exercise in faith.

Here are some 2018 ~plans!

  • Publish Meah’s book (let’s gooo)
  • Work (and hopefully publish) Ruth and Ian’s book
  • Quarterly marketing + content plans + and take time to evaluate them for learning and sharing
  • More #romanceclass Things!
  • Read more than I did in 2017
  • Keep making room for art and gratitude in my life 🙂
  • Be kind to myself and honor my pace, but also remember that done is better than perfect. (Thanks, Arriane!)

Are you ready? Let’s go. 🙂

Art by #romanceclass Trash, from Carla de Guzman’s Midnights in Bali (which I haven’t read yet, eep!)

That December Night

Leave a Comment

In the Keep the Faith universe, Faith returned from her mission trip around the end of November, so she spent her first Christmas as a single person after five years back in Manila. In the first act of the book, she meets Nico, and it was around this time of December where he calls her French Fries for the first time.

Now, where did that pet name come from? I honestly had no idea, except it seemed cute when I was writing it. And it still is cute now, but only if you understand the context, maybe? I don’t know. Maybe it’s a Nico thing and I’m still a bit in love with that LI.

Anyway, so I remembered that, and realized that I may not have shared this video yet here! Earlier this year, the wonderful bloggers who organized #BookwormsUnitePH asked me if they could have an excerpt from Keep the Faith read during the event. I said yes, of course, and that was the first time Salve Villarosa and Migs Almendras read from my work, and it was that first French Fries scene. Here’s the video (thanks, Veron!):

And speaking of Faith and Nico and Christmas, their first Christmas as a couple (a few months after the end of Keep the Faith) is part of Make My Wish Come True, the #romanceclass Christmas anthology, which is now available on Amazon. 17 stories for $4.99 + guaranteed Christmas feelings – get it for yourself, or gift it to your friends!

I’m also releasing a little something to my mailing list that’s kind of related to all that I wrote there – subscribe here if you want to read it!

So it’s Singles’ Day…

Leave a Comment

…and I had no idea that this “holiday” existed.

I only found out about this through Metrodeals in an email: “11–11 Singles’ Day Supersale Preview” and I thought it was a joke. Like how did Metrodeal know this about me? A little research and Wikipedia gave me this:

Chinese Singles’ Day or Guanggun Jie (Chinese: 光棍节; pinyin: Guānggùn Jié; Wade–Giles: Kuang-kun chieh; literally: “bare sticks holiday”) is an entertaining festival widespread among young Mainland Chinese people, to celebrate the fact that they are proud of being single. The date, November 11th (11/11), is chosen because the number “1” resembles an individual that is alone.

Huh.

Fake It Till We Make It (Ruth x Ian) fancast+aesthetics

Anyway, I thought this was even funnier because Ruth, one of my characters in You Could Be the One, would think this holiday is hilarious and sad. After all, she’s never had a boyfriend.

So in honor of this holiday, I thought I’d share this piece that will be part of Ruth’s book. Maybe not in the exact form, but it will be there. I have half an outline and half of the first chapter written in her book – so if you’ve been waiting for that, there is progress! If you want to get more news on her soon, sign up for my mailing list? 🙂

If you want to get to know Ruth, you can read her story from Fake It Will We Make It, a story in You Could Be the One. Ebook is available on Amazon, and print copies are still available (PH only)! Or you can watch the live reading of an excerpt from the story by Fred Lo and Vanya Castor here.

Here you go – leave a comment if you relate? Haha. Happy Singles’ Day! 😉

Two years ago

Dear you,

Hi, I’m Ruth. And I’m…your future wife.

Okay, this feels very silly now, but I figured it’s only because this is the first time I’m writing to you, my future husband. So bear with me a minute – it should get better later on.

I don’t know you. Or if I do, I don’t know if you are you yet. Sometimes I wonder if I have met you already. Did I meet you at work? Did we serve together in Holy Family Missions? Are our paths yet to meet? Are we friends now? Will we be friends soon? (I hope so!)

I’ve heard and read and watched so many stories of people writing to their future spouses before they even met, and finding out later that the letters have helped them find each other. But I’m not writing this because of that, as much as I wish this would lead me to you. I’m writing this now because…I’m lonely.

I shouldn’t be. After all, today is also my 30th birthday, and this is a cause for a big celebration. But now that the party is over and everyone’s home, I remain alone. The loneliness settled in again. It’s not like this is the first time I felt this, but tonight it just felt more poignant. It didn’t help that I was surrounded by couples earlier, and that Tita Ellen asked those questions about my non-existent love life again. Somehow, now that I’m thirty, these things have a heavier weight, no matter how hard I try not to make it matter.

I’m sorry to unload this all on you on this first letter. I won’t blame you if years into the future, you start questioning why you’re with me when you read this.

I guess…I just miss you. Is that possible? To miss someone that you’ve never even met? But that’s what it feels like now. Maybe especially because I don’t know you yet. I miss you, and I’m excited to know you and to fall in love with you.

I pray our paths cross soon and that I’d recognize you, and you, me.

Please get here soon.

Ruth