It has been half a year since I last posted anything on my blog, which may seem like quite a long time in a context like this, but I am not in any particular rush. “Content creation” is not what puts bread on my table. For me, this is a hobby and a space where I can share my thoughts.
With that said, the lack of posts does not mean that I have not written anything this year. To put it briefly, my work and the responsibilities that come with my PhD have taken up most of my time. At the same time, this also means that some of my publications, which are significant on an academic level and important for the progress of my scholarly career, are slowly beginning to appear. Over the past semester, I have attended several conferences, and two of my studies are due to be published this summer. After that, more will follow. With the great support of my supervisors, we are steadily moving towards the writing of the dissertation chapters.
Of course, I also wanted to devote time to my “blog-style” entries this year. There is one piece I have been sitting on since Christmas, simply because I have not had the time to properly return to it. My literary translations have not been forgotten either. Soon, I will begin posting those texts that I have managed to shape from notes into full-fledged pieces of writing. To start with, I will publish the one that first took shape in my mind around Christmas, when I picked up Tolkien’s works again.
For me, J. R. R. Tolkien is one of my role models, and his writings are deeply motivating. In fact, he was one of the reasons I set out on an academic path in the first place. His characters also gave me guidance in finding a direction, the strength in myself, and they showed me how to work hard. In the second place stands Attila Márton Farkas, whose writings nourish the soul just as much as they nourish the mind. Buddhism has also interested me for a long time, and I have been trying to incorporate its teachings into my life step by step. Hopefully, some fruits will appear based on those too in the future… maybe in the form of writings as well.
I can consider myself fortunate, because I have met many good people throughout my life. Some have influenced me as friends, others as mentors. Through my hard work, I try to repay all the support I have received from them. So, there is no shortage of motivation and inspiration. The difficult part, of course, is transforming that energy into productivity.
But it is not a problem if that does not always work out. It does not always work out for me either. I have often slipped behind schedule, and in the end, after finishing an academic study, I simply did not have the energy to turn to creative writing on the very same day. Exhaustion is just as human as anything else, and sometimes we have to accept that. After all, what writer does not have a stack of unfinished or unpublished texts lying in a drawer?