We recently connected with Emily Paget and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Emily thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?
I want to help people feel and experience emotion through my writing, If I could build any legacy at all it would be that. So many of our past hurts and experiences are hidden away, as if by ignoring them they won’t hurt us anymore. But they just get bigger and more dangerous to our well-being. By experiencing them through a creative outlet we can begin to heal. That’s what my writing is about. I hope to move people, to help them realise they’re not alone and that’s it’s ok to to feel it all.
Emily , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m a poet and photographer based in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
I began writing poetry during the covid pandemic as a way to cope with intense emotion. I found by writing about my feelings it helped me cope in a healthier way.
The landscape and coast around my home inspires both my writing and photography. I often link poems to the photographs I’ve taken. I’m passionate about my natural surroundings, history and the duality of light and dark.
I was shortlisted for the
Yeovil Poetry Prize 2022 and have been published in journals and magazines including The Minnow Literary Magazine, The Winged Moon, Prosetrics Literary Magazine, First Line Poets Anthology, Hope is a Group Project, Object of My Desire and Daydreams & Lost Wishes..
My debut poetry collection,
‘The Weight of Missing’ was published in March 2023 by
The Choir Press.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Social media is very fickle. Each site is slightly different and it can be difficult for creatives to build followers and get their work seen. Personally, I’ve found the best way to work on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, is to be consistent and regular in sharing, develop a good rapport with your key audience by responding to comments and messages, and also take an interest in fellow creatives. By supporting others, you gain support. For those starting out, I suggest taking part in poetry and writing prompts, sharing other people’s work as well as your own and building your online presence.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
As I mentioned earlier, my main goal in sharing my work is to help others who may be struggling with their emotions. I write to help heal both myself and others and to show that no matter what is happening, we are never alone.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.lifeandlightpoetry.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/life_and_light_poetry
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifeandlightpoetry
- Other: http://www.tiktok.com/@lifeandlightpoetry
