Being a Young Art Writer - Idriss Assoumanou

As a creative, you process so many ideas and theories through your head that you sometimes forget to write them down, but writing gave me an opportunity to express those ideas in my own way. It became a good practice and the more I wrote the better I got in my English.

Being here for 15 year you'd think I would have grasped the literature but that isn't the case. Being a young art writer means that I can be creative with what I say and how I say it - there is no restriction on my thoughts, apart from being PC of course! My experiences may differ to everyone else; I enjoy the travelling and researching part of being a writer. Seeing different things is important for a young person like me, to gain experience and learn in different surroundings. The opportunities provided by writing gave me different perspectives on things, and how they are seen or even valued.

Being a young writer I'm conscious of my own words and their implications. We're always hoping our views are valued and accepted, and that we gain respect from the readers and our peers. By writing, we situate ourselves in a position of uncertainty and anxiety, waiting on judgement from the silent readers who decide on whether it deserves the thumbs up or thumbs down, and whether to leave a comment below.

I don't think I'm being overdramatic when I say that the value of a young writer words matters just as much as passing a maths exam. Confidence and experience are valuable in this sector. For those who aspire to be the next Shakespeare or Stephen King - to be more realistic – gaining respect in that sense means a lot.

As a Voice reporter I've gained that respect and confidence in writing and expressing my views. As I said, I never saw myself as a writer, but writing for Voice was an amazing opportunity I'm grateful to have had. I still have much to learn, but if you've read my work in the pass you'll see I've slightly improved. As they say, practice makes perfect!

Photo by Shaun Gordon