To Create is to Observe by Kennedy

To Create is to Observe by Kennedy - December 2023 Scholarship Essay

Observing is what the artist does best. In order to create—deeply and importantly—to inspire, one must understand. I understand this about myself. I may not be very good at speaking, but writing is something I've always known how to do. As a disabled person, writing is sometimes the only thing I can do. Writing is the only thing I want to do.

People living with disabilities are hardly represented in the media or otherwise, and when they are, it is unsurprisingly insufficient or sometimes downright offensive. Most people don't realize how important representation truly is, especially for marginalized communities. Representation is our basis for how the world works. The very absence of it adds to the grim stigma surrounding these marginalized groups. Not only does it separate them further from the world, but it separates them from themselves. Who are our heroes? We as people are the culmination of external influence; our friends, family, upbringing, location, culture, and of course the media we consume. The movies we watch, the music we listen to.

I want society to expect more from people with disabilities. I want to set an example, pave the way, lay the groundwork, and be the basis of what it means to be differently abled in a world unequipped for me. I want to challenge that, defy it, and contradict it not only with the things I write, but with everything I do. I want to bring meaning to the lives of people just like me.