avatarDesiree Driesenaar

Summary

The author reflects on their top stories published on Medium, emphasizing personal growth, diverse writing styles, and the influence of the ILLUMINATION publication.

Abstract

The author, a contributor to the ILLUMINATION publication on Medium, shares a personal journey through their top ten stories. These stories range from emotional responses to global issues, innovative business models, poetic reflections, and fiction. The author credits ILLUMINATION with providing a platform that encourages growth, connection, and the freedom to explore various writing genres. The collection showcases the author's passion for aligning economy and ecology, their love for nature and storytelling, and their commitment to inspiring change through writing. The stories have resonated with readers, sparking conversations and inviting further engagement on social media and the author's personal website.

Opinions

  • The author believes that ILLUMINATION has been instrumental in their development as a writer, challenging them to improve and daring to showcase their progress.
  • Engaging with the Medium community through reading, commenting, and clapping has led to meaningful connections with writers and readers from diverse backgrounds.
  • The author's second story, which discusses regenerative business models, is considered a pivotal moment in their writing career, shaping their voice and leading to a broader exploration of topics.
  • The article on the Spanish island of El Hierro serves as an inspiring example of a regenerative economy, demonstrating the potential for real-world economic transformation.
  • Fiction writing is a significant passion for the author, who enjoys creating suspenseful and sensual stories that incorporate elements of nature and magic.
  • The author is deeply moved by the message of Kay Sara, an indigenous activist, whose perspective on profit and life aligns with their own views on the importance of coexistence and environmental stewardship.
  • An open mind is crucial for co-creating a better world, according to the author, who emphasizes deep listening, intuition, and curiosity as key components of their writing philosophy.
  • The author is excited about the upcoming publication of their first book, which will delve into the alignment of economy, ecology, and the human spirit, and is already generating interest through interviews and talks.
  • The author values reader engagement and encourages connections through comments and various social media platforms, as well as in nature, where they continue to learn and draw inspiration.

Storytelling

My Top Stories on Medium

ILLUMINATION does it again. This publication challenges me all the time to be a better writer and to dare show my progress

Picture credit: Photo by Arnie Chou from Pexels

A few days ago Dr Mehmet Yildiz challenged our ILLUMINATION writers to write about their top 10 stories. I happily oblige.

Thanks to ILLUMINATION, I dare to show my writing widely. I learned that reading, commenting, and clapping gives real friends on Medium. I connect deeply and widely to writers and readers from all walks of life. From all over the world.

ILLUMINATION makes my experiences on this writer’s platform fun and rewarding.

So, let’s do some sharing here.

I’m also very curious about what your top 10 stories are and why. Tag me, my friends, so I can read them…

1. All Life Matters

This is an emotional story. I poured my heart and soul into it. It’s a response to one of my inspiring friends within Illumination Sherry McGuinn.

The riots around ‘black lives matter’ just started and I responded. This is the result. I still really love this story.

2. Regenerative Business Models

My second story is my third story. I started writing on Medium in May 2019 and in July I published my third story. It’s my view on the business models of tomorrow and I was asked by The Startup (one of the big publications) to publish it in their magazine.

On top of that, the story got curated in #Economy, #Business, and #Startups.

From this story on, I found my voice. My fun. I diversified. Put emotional articles out there on how to change the world. And started publishing my fiction and even poetry. I became a real writer after this…

It’s still my biggest story. In waves, I still get reactions to it. And it kind of sums up my view on the entrepreneurship of the future. Regenerative, aligning economy and ecology, and giving back to nature. Using synergy as an economic driver so it’s possible to earn money and create other values for all species in one.

3. The Mirror of Tokyo

With this haiku, I started combining my own pictures with poems, fiction, and real-life stories. I still love this picture I made in Tokyo years ago when I visited for work.

4. Indonesia

In the winter of 2019, Mike and I lived for three months in Indonesia. The Netherlands is our home country, but this Asian part of the world has stolen our hearts.

I had never been to the tropics before and the foreign smells and sounds triggered my creativity immensely.

This story about dragons is triggered by the flying dragons on the trees in Kenari House, outside Ubud, Bali. Still love the story. Still love the books by Robin Hobb. Still love the philosophical questions that dragons trigger in me.

5. Start of Illumination

This is the first story I wrote for ILLUMINATION. The corona-crisis had just started and I read this article about David Quammen. It changed my view of the world in a big way. And I wrote about it.

Viruses will not go away. I don’t say this to scare you. I say it because there is no going back to before. We need to reinvent our world. Our species depends on whether we succeed in doing it right…

6. El Hierro, a Spanish Island

El Hierro is very dear to me, as it is where my study of Blue Economy brought me. Here, I saw how an island reinvented its economy in a very special way.

It has been a great example for me ever since.

It inspires me to write about real examples of how a regenerative economy can really change our world. I met the most inspiring people there and I’m still in contact with many of them four years later.

7. Fiction

Fiction writing has always been a big love of mine. I like the short tension arc. I like suspense. And I love to combine it with some sensuality, nature-love, and magic.

This is one of the fiction stories I loved to write. Set in magical Ireland. I love that country!

8. Kay Sara

This story is an emotional one for me again. Please, read it and shiver. This is our world. This is a young indigenous woman talking. Kay Sara. I love her. I’m deeply touched by her message.

“There is no profit in this world. There’s only life.”

9. An Open Mind

An open mind is very important to me. I strongly believe that we can only co-create a better world than the one we live in today when we connect deeply to people completely different from ourselves.

Deep listening, using our intuition, and remaining curious is key.

Henery X (long) triggered me into writing about what an open mind means to me. How I try to keep it open. Every day again and again. Being aware. Being conscious. Acting upon what I believe in.

10. The Start of My Book

In the coming year, I’ll publish my first real book. I’ve been published in collections before, but I never created one really my own. Now, the time is right.

On LinkedIn, I receive many requests for interviews now. Articles, podcasts, talks on stage. I let the flow do its magical work and just follow what comes on my path. Terrific journey!

People want to understand the thread of my thinking about aligning the economy, ecology, and the human spirit. They are inspired by the way I write about it.

Explaining and entertaining.

Not preaching, still teaching.

I’ll oblige. In my own way. With stories that are fun writing and reading. It’s my voice. It’s my life. It’s my book.

And I love it!

Thanks for reading. It’s a great pleasure to have readers like you. And if you want to connect, don’t hesitate to reach out in the comments. I love conversations.

If you want to connect, you can find me on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or my website. Or somewhere in nature learning how to align the economy and ecology…

About the author

Writing
Sustainability
Future
Ideas
Storytelling
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