Writing Against the Tides

Invisible short-haired girl drawing

About the writer

I am a former Iraqi refugee who is caught in the cultural cross-fires of Arab tradition and modern millennial life. I write poetry, film and literary commentary and I tend to vent on this site, as well as discuss mental health problems and gender issues.

Intersectional Feminism is important to me in my journey to healing and personal insight, as well as in trying to build a supportive community. Nature and poetry is a significant part of my life and how I get through the tough times; the way I accept my identity and appreciate my own skin mainly relies on understanding nature and philosophy, as well as emotional expression.

Meaning of Writing against the Tides

Using a pen or keyboard to paddle through life’s waves of difficulty and uncertainty is how I like to navigate myself through life. With all its ups and downs, I describe life not only as a physical ocean storm, but as an emotional state of feeling capsized and facing vicious tides of anxiety and dark depression.

At some point I called my page “Writing with the Tides”, because I felt that I could try to cope with life’s adversities and tribulations by writing and through expressing creativity, but I still feel that ‘writing against the tides’, my original title, is more accurate to describe my attempts to get through life.

Waves; an extended metaphor

Sailing through life against the strong currents and unanticipated storms, and getting back up and paddling despite being swallowed up by a monstrous wave is my way of looking at life and visually making sense of it.

I may have started with a broken and wrecked boat, with my background of wreckage and war, I have been trying to fix the foundations of what helps me float through my life and my ultimate goal is to sail through the next stages on a ferry of strong confidence and independence and float through a more peaceful stream. I know that it will not be permanent but I am here to enjoy the ride, so join me.

Art and mental illness

I write about difficult topics like on being a recovering artist and writer, experiencing imposter syndrome and living life as an ‘outsider’. I use this space to express the many things that get stifled inside, from trying to stay ‘afloat’ in life, and when being too self-critical, especially when in the pursuit of perfection. I discuss the different mediums that I use for my work and how it either fits of conflicts with my state of being.

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Invisible women are significant in my drawings, because they look dreamy and self-assured, but most prominently, they reveal how I feel sometimes as an unseen person.

Film and literary commentary

I like to commentate on various expressions of literature and film media, because they reflect social attitudes or fail to address important social issues, which I like to raise. I think films send important messages to an audience, and even can bring a fresh and new perspective to people which may be beneficial in creating a more tolerant society, as opposed to one that is rigid and prejudicial.