i've always known i was a writer, but there was a time i couldn't write. even though i was a prolific and outspoken child, i found myself scared of my words and their consequences on my life and the lives of those i loved. at that time, i had undergone trauma and i was having a hard time thinking as well. i couldn't speak, i couldn't write, i could only doodle. the doodles felt like a way to make sense of the chaos, a way to quantify the confusion i was experiencing. i doodled like every line was a path i took that didn't pan out, a path back to myself. eventually, those doodles became words, which become tweets, which became poems, then essays, and now are on their way to being a novel. looking back, the doodles themselves are beautiful and comforting and they remind me of how far i have come, and how expression is important in all stages of life. if you enjoy my doodles, you can purchase them from my art store at society6.com/xwangeci.