Why I Blog

I started my blog in July, 2012. Prior to this site I'd launched several other blogging projects, including a website for my university. That said, I'm not sure I've ever publicly written why I actually write what I write.

Writing is hard

You always hear authors complaining about "writer's block". But as Seth Godin likes to say, nobody ever wakes up with "talkers block". Your mind will have thousands if not millions of thoughts in a single day. Writing requires you to select only the best and translate them from neurons firing in your brain to visible, practical things. Like a standup comedian looking into the faces of his or her audience, staring into a white screen is a challenge. Anything could happen. It's on. Eventually, I dominate and writing ensues, but for those brief (sometimes not so brief) moments, it's a mental war. Overcoming that struggle makes me happy.

Exercising my creative muscle

Writing is an act of creativity. It's literally articulating and manifesting thoughts into existence. If you allow this part of your brain to entropy into a dull land of grey nothingness then you're going to have a hard time leveraging your imagination. The ability to imagine future realities is one of the most powerful forces in the word. Simply by thinking about a problem, you can come up with actionable solutions. Imagination is serious business and that's why I keep my creative muscles in tip-top shape.

Therapeutic

I've never actually seen a real psychiatrist, but I'm sure if I did, he or she would prescribe some kind of writing, journaling , etc. at least that's always what they do in the movies. Well future therapist, I'm one step ahead. Writing allows me to clear and organize my thoughts. Days are hectic. Thoughts build up like they're being held by some kind of mental cork. When I open the blank page, it's a release of cognitive pressure.

Personal brand

Though I miss the days of anonymity, the Internet no longer lets us live happily in the shadows. If you have a Facebook, Twitter, Google+ (who uses this?), you're online. Once something's online, it can be very difficult to take it offline. So, accepting my inevitable online appearance, I look at this not as a problem, but as a condition that I can influence. If I'm going to be online, at least I want people to see what I want them to see. Blogging is an opportunity for me to increase my network, share my thoughts, and build a portfolio of my work.

Make Art

Those first four reasons are probably my biggest motives, but beyond that, every post is an opportunity to make good art. The Japanese have a word, Kodawari (こだわり) which translates to "a sincere, unwavering focus on what you're doing, with a goal of making it perfect, while simultaneously knowing that perfection is impossible and that the work itself is most crucial." That pretty much sums up the feeling I have when I write. At some point, I have to publish my work, or else it will never be seen. But at the same time, I know it can always be improved. Writing is as much of an art as any. Think of it like "thought painting". When I make something beautiful, I feel good. Simple as that.