ELIZABETH HAAG
Creator
I wear many hats, both literally and figuratively. Because hey, hats are fun! So are creative modes. There aren’t enough ways to express the complicated, messy, layered elements of people. Passions, frustrations, curiosities, and joys are not contained by hard and fast rules and therefore can be represented and expressed in a multitude of ways. Just as my personhood influences what I write, it just as much as it influences how and through what means I write.
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My works come out of my experiences and knowledge. I am both a writer and musician, a singer and painter, a friend and sister, a Christian and activist, a student and dreamer, and my unique perspective is the source of my work. And, like everyone else, I have a story to tell–the story of personhood for me and for others I know. I want to tell the story of the Catholic novels I’ve read and the friends I have and the songs I’ve heard and the places I’ve been. I want to share my knowledge on C.S. Lewis and music theory and the funniest videos on the internet. I want to share my voice; I want to speak through music and essays and art. In other words, I want to wear many, many hats.
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My writing serves to share with others what I experience and ponder. The particular moments I feel drawn to write are those in which I don’t know how to label my emotions. The urge to journal tells me that I process while writing. In needing to put words to feelings and thoughts, I have learned that my words have the power to help others. My various difficult experiences include the ongoing recovery from an eating disorder, reforming my perfectionism, and moving hundreds of miles from my hometown at the beginning of the pandemic. I have learned so much about myself and how these things can affect my physical, mental, and emotional health from research, books, support groups, prayer, and friends. I know I am not alone in all these things, and I believe my experiences can inform and encourage individuals going through the same struggles.
Recently, I had the opportunity to share a piece of my struggle with an eating disorder. This was the first time I have opened up about this part of my life, and it has led to the raising of over $200 for the National Eating Disorder Association. I am still so inspired that my writing took part in the generosity of others.
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Some other recent work is showcased on this website. Throughout the Gateway course for the Sweetland Minor in Writing, I have experimented with different modes of creating. These experiments are far from fully-realized, but they give insight to the process I use. They accurately represent my writings’ personality, though they are raw pieces of puzzles that may or may not be finished one day. Their purpose is representative of the general reason I write: to challenge others in what they think they know. There is so much information out there, and I also aim to challenge the way in which my audience thinks, for there are always numerous ways of looking at the same situation.
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I experimented with song-writing, which combines three creative aspects to convey a message, as well as writing an artist’s statement for a set of paintings still in progress. These taught me about why I have the process and desires I have. The elements of writing a song represent my writing personality. With the processes of writing a melody, lyrics, and a harmony, I was learning how much I enjoy combining different aspects of a piece. Doing this allows me to work toward my goal from many angles. If I want you to be moved in a certain way, then golly I will wrap every aspect of my piece in that emotion.
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The availability of innumerous things to say gives me the desire to say everything, although I know I have to choose. Through my time at the University of Michigan, I am learning to specify my work. The experiments in my gateway course into my writing minor have helped me focus in on what I am trying to say. Who am I really staring in the face? What will my impact be? And what do I have to leave out so I can bring home my point? I’ve learned I can’t piece everything together. There’s too much to say. I guess that just means I will have to keep writing…