Today we’d like to introduce you to Diyana Wilson.
Hi Diyana, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started writing at a very young age. I believe it was when I was about 3 or 4, so around 2001-2002. This was the age when I began to use my words to express myself. In my childhood scrapbook, my parents placed a poem I wrote about a purple cow with white spots. It was my first documented poem.
When I grew older, I attended a Montessori School where we were expected to write a story or poem every day. It was used as our ticket to go home. If you didn’t write a story or poem before the day was over, you had to sit at your desk and quickly think of something so you could leave. I didn’t like doing this at first, but I grew to love it before my first year was over.
I remember my teacher’s creative lessons. One day, they took out a speaker (you know, those big, clunky, portable stereos) and pulled out headphones along with a classical music CD. They told us that our activity that day was to listen to the CD and write a poem about 5 of those songs. Out of the 12 songs on the CD, I wrote 13 and would have written more but the class was ending. That day sparked an insatiable desire in me to write what I feel. It was amazing to me that I could capture and mold words as if from thin air (or in this case, a melody) into a story or a feeling, or a thought. At the age of 6, poetry began to be beautiful to me.
In later years, I adopted other writing mediums and explored storytelling through prose, journaling, and even tried blogs (I proudly own a blog to this day).
In the 5th grade, I won a county-wide poetry competition for a poem I wrote about “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe. And although I lost the document, it is still one of my proudest pieces to this day.
In 2018 my poem titled “Vessel” was published in an Indian literature magazine. It was random but I was proud of myself, nonetheless.
In the summer of 2022, my poem titled “a mood” was published in an annual poetry book titled “Turning the Corner: Unity” published by Eber & Wein Publishing.
My current hobby is writing in my blog, “The Darling Exposé.” I started this blog on a whim in 2017 while living at the Grand Canyon and I’ve been polishing it and perfecting it ever since. Much of my poetry, short stories, and blogs are on there. I’ve even been able to gather a following of 200+ people!
Today, I am a copywriter at a company that is patiently teaching me the craft of marketing copy- something completely foreign to me. Transitioning from creative to marketing has been challenging, but I know that my past experience has helped me quite a bit. This is probably one of the biggest achievements in my life today.
Amongst the huge mess of goals, I have for 2023, publishing my first poetry book is one of them. I’m compiling my best poems from as far as when I was a preteen until now. It’ll be a decade-long document of my growth as a poet, a woman, and a professional, and will hopefully become a mirror for those who read it. With everything crazy going on in the world, just know- it will get better, you will grow, and you will achieve your dreams.
Last, but not least, I praise and thank my Heavenly Father for giving me this talent and blessing me with the opportunity to share it with others. Much of my inspiration has actually come from small thoughts and revelations that I believe God was behind. I owe it all to Him.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been an easy few years for me- I’ve had plenty of obstacles, challenges, and regrets. Some writers or artists in general discover their brightest moments in their darkest times. There are so many stories of artists who created beautiful paintings when a loved one left them or composers who created symphonies in the midst of a bloody war that we still listen to thousands of years later.
I’m not one of those creatives.
When I’m under an immense amount of pressure, I throw everything aside and just focus on the necessities. There was a period of 4-5 years where I didn’t write a single poem or story. These were my personal “Dark Ages.” It was rough, and I learned something very important about myself: When I’m in a dark place, I don’t dream. I don’t create. I don’t imagine. I become a purely logical person for the sake of survival at that time.
Because of this, I experienced imposter syndrome when I did write, had stubborn writer’s block, and often stared at an empty notepad. As my personal problems are coming to an end, that creativity is coming back and I’m feeling more like myself. In a way, I’m grateful that I’m able to adapt during hard times, but these past few years taught me that I in fact can imagine, I can dream, and I can create during a dark time. And so can you. Some of my favorite poems and stories were written during the later years of my trials and I’m grateful for them. To me, they’re a testament to hope.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Currently, I’m a Jr. Copywriter at a data company that specializes in real estate. It’s my first corporate job (I have a looong history with customer service) and it’s been a real doozy. It’s been a whole new world for me, but I’ve been loving the challenge and I’ve been seeing some of my other talents surface because of this job. I’m very proud of myself and what I’ve been able to achieve. It wouldn’t have been possible without God.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
When I was in my younger teen years, I was a very scared, paranoid person. I couldn’t even fathom the thought of travelling or doing anything “crazy” like a cruise or a trek. But when I was 19, I decided to move to the Grand Canyon and work there for a summer. A phrase my sister said to me was a huge motivator. She said, “There’s nothing holding you back.” And there really wasn’t and in my opinion to this day, as I have more responsibilities, I would still say that there isn’t anything holding me back.
So, I decided to go! At first, it was to just make money for college, but I soon decided to work to earn money for a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was scary, I was alone, and I was vulnerable. However, I loved the experiences I had. I made so many amazing friends who I’m still close to this day.
After that season was over, I took another risk and moved to Park City to work at Deer Valley as a cashier. The next season I was a cook. And ever since then, I’ve loved taking risks.
Of course, these are all within good reason, but I love the idea of new environments, new experiences, meeting new people, and making new friends.
When it comes to my career, I’ve also taken many risks- most of which led me to where I am today.
Contact Info:
- Website: darlingexpose.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diyanareadsbooks/
