ASEI Arts is pleased to feature a series of inspiring Q&A interviews with the authors and producers featured in our Anthology House book. All profits from the sale of the book will benefit Habitat for Humanity’s "Habitat Hammers Back" initiative.
This week, we feature Elizabeth Esguerra Castillo who contributed the poems entitled "Take Me Back to Genesis" and "Eyes without a Face" to Anthology House.
ASEI: What inspires you each day?
EEC: There are simply many things that get to inspire me each day and it starts the minute I open up my eyes upon waking up in the morning. I believe that we should start our day with a smile in our hearts and with a positive attitude. For an artist like me, even the melodic chirping of birds you can hear from outside your window can be a source of positive inspiration as well as listening to music which uplifts your spirits. I get to be inspired also by those people around me especially those special people who value and love me sincerely.Almost anything can be one's source of inspiration and to be a creative person is to be able to weave stories out of imagination and out of things that one sees. If we find beauty in all things and all people, we will never run out of inspiration.
ASEI: How has your creativity helped you to navigate a change in your circumstances for the better? This can be a feeling or an intangible effect, or it can be a physical change.
EEC: They say that after one had gone through darkness, afterwards he can see the Light and can even be the source of Light to others. In my case, I have always been passionate in writing and the arts since I was a kid. I already knew what I wanted to become and I manifested it when I reached adulthood. After my late Father succumbed to liver cancer last 2012, I promised him that I will be able to reach my dreams and would continue to write. I dedicated all my creative works and writings to him. My first international poetry book also included his classic love poems for my Mom before when he was still courting her. My late Dad was a frustrated writer and journalist and I came to pursue his dream and continue his legacy. I used my creative genius to achieve my dreams, to be a source of inspiration to other people and to let the world know how powerful the written word is for it can heal an ailing world.
ASEI: What advice would you give to another person seeking to improve their circumstances through finding satisfaction in their creative journey?
EEC: My advice to other people is to follow their dreams and their passion no matter what. A creative person can have many avenues to express himself and share his ideas. The talents and gifts to us by the Creator should not be wasted but shared to the world. If we do follow our passion, our lives would be more meaningful, we can also lead others to the right path when they try to emulate our positive deeds. Let us us our creativity to be instruments of change in the world.
ASEI: Thank you Elizabeth! To read Elizabeth's poems "Take Me Back to Genesis" and "Eyes without a Face" you can purchase Anthology House by requesting it from your local bookseller or by purchasing here:
All profits from this anthology will be donated to Habitat for Humanity's Habitat Hammers Back initiative to rebuild hurricane-hit areas in the Southern United States and Caribbean.
You can read more about Elizabeth's work by following her on Twitter @snowy19ph and blog http://seasons-reflections-of-the-muse.blogspot.com. She is a professional writer and speaker born in Manila, Philippines. Her international recognitions include 2nd Place for "Poet of the Year, 2013" in an international poetry contest of Destiny to Write Publications in the UK with her first international poetry book, Seasons of Emotions in 2nd Place for "Book of the Year, 2013". Winning Strategies Magazine, USA also awarded her as the "Over-all Winner in the Winning Strategies International Winners Award" for her positive influence in her community and around the world last 2013. Another award was an "Inspirational Poet" at the PENTASI B World Friendship Poetry Celebration and Historical Forum held at the National Museum of the Philippines last 2013. She is also a consistent Highly Recommended Faith-Centered Poet at the International Community of Poets (ICOP), Destiny Poets based in the United Kingdom. Her articles and poems have appeared in numerous international online magazines and literary magazines.
To read more interviews in our "Inspiration" series, please click through the ASEI Arts blog.