Last week’s project was yet another writing project as I was finishing up school and needed something that I could complete relatively easily.

To be truthful I am technically still one week behind in my projects but I hope to catch up in the coming/present week.

The project I chose to complete was that of writing a personal manifesto.

As stated on Wikipedia, a manifesto is the following:

Is a public declaration of principals and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious beliefs are generally referred to as a creed. Manifestos may also be life stance related.

I hoped by focused and writing a personal manifesto I could get a better sense of who I am, what my personal goals are, and begin to understand my purpose.

The Manifesto of Kevin Van Lierop

Most days I wonder, struggling to define who I am or what I do.

I am in a constant battle with myself to better understand the meaning behind it all.

Time has been wasted/spent in the past trying to conform to standards, expectations and be someone who I am not.

To no avail I always find myself back at square one, having gained no insight, distance or ground in my journey.

Today is a new beginning, a point of better understanding.

Today I start defining who I am.

This Is My Manifesto

1. I create. Whether it is commotion, confusion, awkward silences or art, I create. I always have and I always will.
2. I am without a destination. I understand it is the journey that is important and not the point of termination, as such, I refuse to even begin to try and define what a destination is for me.
3. I strive to fail at times, as I know that is it only when failure takes place that success can even begin to exist. I take the moments right after I fail to better understand my position and myself so I do not fail in the same way again.
4. I refuse to believe in the status quo and all that it represents. In a world that is constantly changing and filled with uncertainty, I cannot bring myself to except that the way things currently are is ever good enough. There is always room for improvement and changed in needed to make progress.
5. I am young at heart. Some days I act like I am 8 and other days I think like a 5 year old. This is important as adults often lose the ability to try new things, be creative, think outside of the box and they often forget that it is OK to be wrong. I never want to lose the child in me, as I honestly believe that they make me who I am. It is harnessing these qualities for the greater good that is important.
6. I am not normal but I am not unique.
7. I will change lives, because that what I am support to do, and I know it.
8. I am lost but do not want to be found as I am afraid that being found will be the end of everything I cherish and value in life. It is the act of being lost that fuels my curiosity and creativity, it is a part of me as much as my hair, words, and breath or heartbeats are.
9. My biggest fear is that of failure. Although I know that failure is needed for success to come into existence, it still scares me each and every time I start something new. But in the end it is fear that creates emotions and in return emotion creates passion.
10. Consumption, Comprehension, Creation.¹
    Repeat until dead.
11. People who tell me I can’t do something are the ones that fuel my desire, ability and willingness to succeed. It is because of the negativity in others that I often strive so hard to get from point A to B.
12. I wander on a daily basis, both mentally and physically, in search of the meaning of life. Although I strongly doubt that it even exists I will wander in anticipation that I will find it. It is through the act of wondering that I explore, live, breath; be me.
13. I am human. First and foremost above all else. I am human. Because I cannot guarantee the type of person I will be event minutes from now. Being human is the only thing I know I will always be.

1. Not in any religious sense of the word [↩]