[The 1st Maru. Creative Awards] Introducing "It Wasn't That I Was Cheerful. I Had No Choice But To Be Cheerful." by Lily!

Hello, this is Maru.😎

It has been getting really hot lately, hasn't it?😅
How is everyone doing?

This time, I have an announcement regarding the new project that started last month, "Maru.'s Creative Awards"!

I would like to introduce the work that became the memorable [First] winning entry,
written by Lily, "It Wasn't That I Was Cheerful. I Had No Choice But To Be Cheerful.".

Also, to commemorate the July award,
I have specially created a reading video as well.🎬

It is designed to further bring out the charm of the work, so please enjoy it along with the text if you'd like!

▼ Click here for the reading video!

▼ Click here for information about Maru.'s Creative Awards!

🏆 Introduction of the Winner

First, I would like to briefly introduce "Lily," who was brilliantly selected for the first "Maru.'s Creative Awards"!"Lily"!

▼ Lily

She is someone with a
resilient career path that spans across industries, from "Esthetician → Tax Accountant Corporation → Accounting."

She is a creator who has already been loved by many in just three months since starting on note.

In her articles, she mainly writes about episodes from her past jobs and
experiences with her clients.

The kindness of her personality, as she sincerely faces each person—whether they are clients or junior colleagues—comes through in her writing.✨

▼ Here is a recommended article that conveys Lily's wonderful personality!

💕 I Wasn't Bright. I Had No Choice But to Be Bright.

The piece that won the grand prize this time, “I Wasn't Bright. I Had No Choice But to Be Bright.”, is an essay in which Lily writes straight from the heart, without hiding any of the conflicts and pain she carried during her childhood.

▼ I Wasn't Bright. I Had No Choice But to Be Bright.

📗 The reason why I, the reader "Maru.," was moved by reading this article.

I have analyzed and written down in my own words the reason why I chose this article for the grand prize this time.

To be honest, the main reason at first was simply “because it purely captivated my heart the most,” but...

I don't think everyone will be convinced by just that! 😅

When I tried to put it into words again, the reasons mainly boil down to the following three points.

Now, let's take a closer look at each one!

✉ Because she puts her feelings at that time into the writing as they are

Looking around note, there are many people who write beautiful prose or put effort into how they present things.

Especially in novels and the like, people try to shake the reader's emotions significantly through word choice, spacing, and
sometimes even by incorporating illustrations or music.
(At least, I do 😏)

However, in essays, such "decorative" elements do not necessarily produce moving masterpieces.

This is because those are "writings meant to be read," and not
"writings that show the person themselves."

In this article by Lily, I felt that her thoughts and ideas were
conveyed exactly as they are, with 100% purity.

Thinking about that time one by one,
chewing over the emotions of that time, she is writing her feelings just as they are.

You can tell immediately when comparing it to Lily's usual polished writing style.

Rather than having a theme decided in advance and a neatly crafted structure,
it really came across that this was a piece written by facing herself directly on that day, at that moment.

🤝 Empathy with my (Maru.'s) own past

Yes, I'll be honest.

"I had no choice but to act cheerful"—the theme itself is a big reason why this personally hit home for me! 🙇‍♂️

You see, I myself—and this is true on note as well—
rarely show my most vulnerable side to others.
(Though that might just be my own perspective 😅)

This has been a habit since I was a child, and in my case, I simply don't really know how to "rely on others." 🤔

Even if I can ask for help,
ever since I was a child, I've always thought, "Showing weakness to others won't change anything, and at best, they'll just think I'm a troublesome person."

But I still wanted people around me to think I was a "good person."
So, there was a time when I tried my hardest to act out a "cheerful version of myself."

I don't know if I've broken that habit even now.

However, at least because I have the experience of desperately trying to act cheerful back then, there are definitely parts of me now that are able to work hard because of it.

Because of that personal background,
I couldn't help but feel that Lily's story wasn't just about someone else, and the fact that I empathized with it so deeply was a major reason for my selection.

📖 The process that created the current Lily is written with great care

Stories about "how the person I am today was formed"
seem to be everywhere, but I actually get the impression that there aren't that many of them.

"This happened to me in the past"
"This is how I view past events now"

I often see episodes like these, but
there are surprisingly few people who dive deep into the depths of their hearts and
"that experience is exactly what led to my current personality formation" carefully unravel it like that.

Furthermore, there are many "people who look cheerful" in the world, but
the opportunities to hear the honest truth about "why they became that way" are even more limited.

Especially for someone like Lily, who has tried to act cheerful for the sake of those around her, to reveal her true feelings and put them into writing
……I think that must have taken a tremendous amount of courage.

That is precisely why, after reading this article,
"Perhaps cheerful people aren't all born that way, but became that way through their own efforts?" and
what I had vaguely thought until now turned into a "conviction."

Just gaining this insight
was an incredibly significant encounter for me.

🎀 In closing

Once again, Lily.

Thank you so much for such a wonderful piece that carefully weaves your inner thoughts together.🍀

And, congratulations on winning the memorable first "Maru. Creative Awards"!🎉

To everyone who read this article, please be sure to visit Lily's wonderful note page.

And, if you'd like, I would be happy if you could also enjoy the reading video I produced!

I look forward to encountering many more fascinating creators and works through the "Maru. Creative Awards" in the future.

Well then, that's all for now.

Thank you for reading until the end. This was Maru. See you!👋

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