So… yeah… what on earth is the point of this blog? Why am I writing a single word? There’s a chance that the only person that will ever read this is me, and a few search engine bots… and I’m just fine with that.
The thing is, many people blog for the money, for the exposure, for the attention or to add to their portfolio. In fact, there ARE legitimate reasons to blog, even if nobody ever reads it.
There are three reasons, for now, why I’m writing this blog:
Tracking my Journey
I am bad at remembering things. I am. I’m often told of things I did or said, and far too often it’s as much a revelation to me as the person hearing about it for the first time. No, I don’t drink (excessively), I don’t smoke, and I am not into using narcotics, amnesia-inducing or otherwise. This blog is a reminder, to me, and me alone, of the journey I’m taking through life, of the things I love, the thoughts I have that I deem worth writing about. This blog is for the JC, decades from now (if I live that long, I really should start living healthier), that will look back and be reminded of the lessons learnt, and smile at the dumb opinions of a mortal much younger.
Yes, there’s facebook (future JC, smile at this!), but if I want to post 10 things a day I don’t want to piss off my friends by monopolising their news feed. Yes, I could write in a private diary or site (and some posts might be password protected), but diaries don’t have spell checkers, and I’ve started way too many just to come across them 2 years later and realising I wrote no more than 2 or 3 pages in them. So this will be the space where I don’t have to limit myself to a genre, or focus on a topic, or be told what the best approach is for optimised click-through turnover. Which brings me to my next point:
A Number Not Added
I’ve had this discussion with the few designers, and I’m not the only person who can’t seem to be creative without a deadline being attached, or a monetary value associated with it. I miss the days where I was creative just for the sake of scratching that creative itch. Not because a client needs to be kept happy. Not because my salary depends on it. Not because it’s the last minute and that’s exactly when I get things done. This blog is about doing something how I want, when I want, and because “because” is the only justification needed.
And then there’s my…
Verbal Diarrhea
I don’t get out much. I like staying at home. I am a self-diagnosed extroverted recluse. I find myself not wanting to talk to people, but when I do, far too often, I end up babbling away. I slam on the breaks. Take a step back, and realise I’ve become one of those people… that guy that never steps out of the house, and looks utterly desperate for a conversation because he’s so lonely. But I’m not lonely. I’m happy. I just have so many thoughts in my head that I never realised would spill over in a social setting. I don’t like attention, but when I start yapping, I draw it. I’ll just use this blog to vent a bit… yes… maybe that will help…
So…
Will this blog somehow make me feel like I’m contributing to society? Will I in some way be feeding my ego, or my need for a legacy. Will this be some attempt at chipping away at what I feel is the insignificance of my existence? No, maybe, definitely… I don’t know, but maybe me acknowledging it will mean it won’t be a motivational factor.
I always remind myself of my ignorance. I am not an expert in any subject (especially not grammar, typing and spelling, as you might pick up). This is not a put-down, or a way of thinking less of myself. It is an attempt to always be open to being proven wrong, even if that person proving me wrong is myself. Some opinions will change, some will be reinforced, some will be added, but through it all, I will assume that today I know nothing, and tomorrow I’ll know even less…
Photo by Stephen Leonardi on Unsplash