Where to find Loustella Perry
Email: Perry.Loustella@gmail.com
Instagram: @LoustellaPerry
Twitter: @LoustellaPerry
Pinterest: @LoustellaPerry
Wattpad: @LoustellaPerry
Tumblr: LoustellaPerry.tumblr.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/LoustellaPerry
About Loustella Perry
LP: My name is Loustella, but my nickname is Lucy. I like them both, so I don't care which one you use. I'm 23. I'm currently studying English and minoring in creative writing. I've always wanted to write fiction, but the universe works in mysterious ways, and instead, I'm releasing a poetry collection next year. I love fairy tales and magick. I'm a practicing witch. I try to incorporate that perspective into my writing. But since I've struggled with depression and bipolar 2 disorder, I tend to end up with a weird sort of mystical haunting vibe. I also love astronomy, so pieces of that always wander into my work, as well. Apart from writing, I enjoy painting and photography. I have a giant folder on my laptop filled with nothing but sky pictures. I love dogs. I have a 3-year-old german Sheppard/Siberian husky mix, her name's Abby. She's kind of my entire world. If I wasn't pursuing writing, I'd most likely choose a career with dogs. I have a VERY small friend group, and I'm very introverted. Despite both of those facts, people tell me I'm outgoing. I love hanging out in coffee shops. Although covid has disrupted that a bit. My local coffee shop used to have an open mic night every Tuesday. I lowkey dream of reading poetry there, but I also have a giant fear of public speaking. I once had a panic attack in front of my class at school. But I'm actively working, to overcome this fear.
Writing
HS: What type of writing do you do? Do you have any published works?
LP: I'm currently working with poetry. I'm releasing my first poetry collection next year, on Amazon. I also have a poetry collection on Wattpad, that I update every week, free for anyone to read. I tend to write poetry with only 3-4 stanzas, and they also tend to rhyme. Some people find it annoying, but I've always loved the storybook feel of nursery rhymes. I frequently touch on deep issues in my work, drawing on my experiences with depression, anxiety, therapy, and bipolar disorder. Also, I mentioned I'm a practicing witch, so I try to keep everything as magical as possible. :D
HS: Why did you start writing? When did you start writing?
LP: I've been writing for as long as I can remember. I sat down and wrote a giant fantasy story when I was 11. This was the turning point for me wanting to go for writing as a career. But I've since found little poems and stories from as early as elementary school.
HS: Who are your inspirations? What are your favorite books/genres?
LP: One of my major inspirations is Dr. Seuss. -Weirdly enough, because I don't intend on writing children's books. I just love the rhyme schemes, inspiring messages, and creative characters, he makes. I also love Rupi Kaur. My favorite genre is definitely poetry. It's so beautiful how intense concepts can be captured in such small pieces. I also love fiction. I was a Harry Potter kid.
HS: How do you overcome writer's block?
LP: I do suffer from it, from time to time. My creative writing professor introduced me to writing sprints, which has been very helpful in overcoming writer's block. I'll just set the timer on my phone for 3 minutes, and write a stream of consciousness. When the time's up, I'll spend a bit of time editing and removing unnecessary sentences. This usually helps. But in rare cases that it doesn't, I always try to take a step back and watch some TV.
HS: What do you wish someone had told you about writing?
LP: I wish someone had told me that it's okay to just write for yourself. I think often writer's worry about judgment so much, that they won't get anything on the paper. Only recently did I learn, that writing for yourself, unlocks a deeper creativity.
HS: How do you get into the "mood" of writing?
LP: Honestly, I'm always in the mood for writing. I have trouble staying out of my notepad on my phone because I just have so many ideas to write down. I'm just really passionate about it, these days. I wasn't always. My previous answer helped with this. We so often critique ourselves, that we take the enjoyment out of writing. Just let yourself go, and you'll always be in the mood.
HS: When starting a new book, what are your first steps?
LP: I don't really have an answer for this. With poetry, I tend to lean toward certain themes. So I just collect all the poems I have with a theme, and then I write more with the same theme, and that pretty much begins the process for me.
"I one day hope to finish a fiction novel, despite my lack of motivation to do so".
Mental Health
HS: Describe your mental health experience.
LP: I was diagnosed with depression when I was 21. I struggled with it for about five years prior, but it intensified to extreme measures and I HAD to go to therapy. Once I got in therapy, I also found out that I have bipolar 2 disorder and PTSD from my parent's unstable marriage. I knew I was depressed. But I kind of didn't believe that I had bipolar. I just didn't understand it. But I do now. I struggle with short manic (highs) episodes and long depressive (lows) episodes. My highs look like 3 days of cleaning my entire house from top to bottom and sometimes impulsive shopping. My lows look like multiple months of no motivation, feeling hopeless, and struggling with suicidal thoughts. I also deal with dysphoric manic episodes. This is basically a high and a low at once. These will only last a few days. But in my opinion, it's the worst type of episode. This feels physically draining, but my heart will pound, and my head will spin with possibilities, but I'll have no motivation to do it. It often results in extreme dissociation. I'll just sit at the kitchen table, for hours and do absolutely nothing. I have a mood stabilizer for it, but it seems like it doesn't work sometimes. But when I'm off of it, I will literally destroy all of my achievements, cut off all my friends, and dramatically make changes, that I'll regret later.
HS: If you yourself suffer from a mental illness, how do you deal with it each day? What are some of the methods you use?
LP: It's important for me to stay on a schedule that consists of time to chill, time with loved ones, time with work, and time with school. If I don't consistently work on everything, I'll fall off track. I also need to take my mood stabilizer. It does work, even though I deny it sometimes. I highly recommend talk therapy. It's wild to get an objective view and discover that you are NOT your illness. Because without that objective view, it's so common to just be eaten by your illness. I've also become familiar with meditation. Which is very helpful. Thoughts also tend to eat us, and it's important to know that we CAN shut them off and we do have control.
HS: Why are you or why do you want to be an advocate for mental health?
LP: I think I kind of have to be, with my experience and with my writing. I can't help but discuss my experiences in my writing, so it's important to me that my writing doesn't harm anyone while I do it. I try to learn as much as I can, to communicate my experiences in a way that can help others and bring awareness. There's no point in releasing writing that going to do more harm than good.
HS: How are you trying to end the stigma of mental health?
LP: I think by just being open about my own experiences and how I got out of the low places that I was in. I feel like there's people that are in low places that think they'll never get out, and then there are people who are in low places that won't admit that they're there. I feel like just sharing my experiences can help others realize how common mental illnesses actually are, and how you can survive them. Also, I know entirely too many people who think they "aren't bad enough to go to therapy". So I'm hoping the stance I take in my writing, can help shift people's opinions of therapy. You don't have to be diagnosed with anything to go to talk therapy. Sometimes, it's just good to talk to someone.
HS: Why should mental health be talked about within the community?
LP: It's so important to show each other, that we're not alone in this. It's also good to keep educated. I'm realizing these days how many productions are being released that don't have trigger warnings. By talking about our issues and experiences, and furthering research, we can move forward producing art that doesn't harm people.
"Life hack: if you find it difficult to meditate or follow a guided meditation- Start by trying to just take 3 uninterrupted deep breaths a day. Focus on the tip of your nose on the inhale, and releasing the stress on your exhale. If you start to overthink, just notice how your body is feeling instead."
Mental Health In Writing
HS: Do you generally write about topics related to mental health? If so, how does this form of expression affect your ability to deal with your or your loved one's mental health struggles?
LP: I almost always discuss topics related to my mental health journey, in my writing. I have definitely re-triggered myself numerous times over things, but when this happens, I just have to practice some self-care and take a step back. It's important to know when your form of expression isn't helping and when it is. But also sometimes it's a good thing to feel emotions entirely. I guess I just go with what's comfortable at the time for me. If it hurts too much, maybe I'm not ready to write about it yet but if it hurts but I don't want to stop, maybe it'll help me heal. Always follow what's right for you.! Everyone heals at different paces. Also by writing out things out, I've noticed patterns about myself, that I've been able to connect to underlying issues.
HS: If you personally struggle with your mental health, do you find that writing (about mental health or just in general) helps you cope with it?
LP: Yes. Like I said earlier you can really uncover underlying issues about yourself, that you might have overlooked before. But also I've definitely used writing as an escape. My poetry helps with understanding my mental state, but flash fiction helps with escaping reality.
HS: Does your or your loved one's mental health get in the way of your writing? If so, how?
LP: It has. I wasn't writing for ages, because I was so consumed by my thoughts, and I didn't want to relive them in my writing. Talk therapy helped with this, and so did poetry. Poetry was something I didn't realize I needed until I got my hands on it. I started just reading poetry books because they were short and it just helped occupy my mind. But then I noticed how easily poetry lets you express your emotions and how you don't have to write a play by play about what happened. Use words that correlate with how you feel. I'm not sure why it helped, but it did. Now my mental illness RARELY affects my writing.
"I encourage everyone to try to write a poem."
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