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Finding Myself Beyond theĀ Margins

Author's Note : Ever feel like you're waiting for someone else to tell you where you fit in? This story is about that moment when you realize youāve had the power all along to create your own place in the world. If youāve ever felt invisible, stuck, or like youāre waiting for your story to startāthisĀ oneāsĀ forĀ you.
I had always felt like I was wandering through someone else's storyālike I was an extra in a film where the lead characters were already fully formed, already sure of who they were. I thought maybe one day Iād figure out where I fit, but the older I got, the more it felt like I was always standing just outside the frame, watching.
It wasnāt until I visited a small art exhibit in a quiet corner of the city that everything changed. It was one of those pop-up shows where local artists display their workānothing flashy, but deeply personal. I didnāt expect to find myself there. I was just passing time, wandering through the pieces, when a single painting caught my eye.
At first glance, it was a simple portraitāa person standing in front of an empty picture frame, staring at it as if trying to figure out where they belonged. But what struck me wasnāt the figure. It was the empty frame. The more I looked at it, the more I realized that I had been living my life like that paintingāwaiting for someone else to put me in the picture, to give me a place, a narrative, an identity.
I stood there for what felt like hours, staring at that frame. And then it hit me: I was the one holding the brush. I had been looking for myself in all the wrong placesāexpecting someone elseās story to be mine. But that frame was always mine to fill. I just hadnāt realized it yet.
"The moment you pick up the brush, the world becomes yours to shape."
Walking out of that gallery, something shifted in me. I didnāt need to wait for the world to give me permission to exist in the story. I could paint my own, carve my own identity, create the representation I had always searched for.
It was like waking up to the fact that my life wasnāt just a missing frame in someone elseās galleryāit was a blank canvas, waiting for me to create something new.
"The frame doesnāt define youāitās what you choose to create inside it that matters."
That experience wasnāt about finding representation in media, art, or literatureāit was about realizing that I am representation.
Every choice I make, every path I walk, is another stroke on the canvas, another part of the story that only I can tell. And thatās when I stopped waiting.
I started painting.
"The world may offer you a frame, but only you can fill it with your story."
Author's Greetings:
Thank You, Seriously!
Hey, just wanted to say a huge thank you for taking the time to read my story. It means the world to me that you stuck around until the endāwhether it made you think, feel, or just took you on a little ride for a while.
Writing these stories is a passion of mine, but knowing that someone out there is actually reading them? Thatās the best part. So, thank you for being here, for giving my words a chance, and hopefully, for sticking around to see whatās next.
You rock. Seriously. Canāt wait to shareĀ moreĀ withĀ you!
About the Creator
Komal
I write poems and stories that hit the feels.
When Iām not lost in my own plots, Iām either daydreaming about the next big idea or just winging lifeĀ withĀ aĀ grin.
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Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insight
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions



Comments (6)
Re-read this one. It is just as inspiring today as it was when I first read it.
This one really resonates. Letās get painting and adventuring in life! ā¤ļø
This is a beautiful insight.
Wow! girllllll You just nailed it ;)
Nice one
"The moment you pick up the brush, the world becomes yours to shape." struck me really hard. Now I can clearly see the meaning of "paint your own life" - the personification of ones rank in life with the empty frame is just a wholesome and complete example to display. I know how good it feels to have someone to read what you write. You stood by me, I'll read your journey throughout.