About to go meta. Forewarned, and such…
Thus concludes January with my 16th blog post of the month. But who’s counting? Not quite on the NaBloPoMo level, but for me I think it may stand as a personal record. I didn’t set out with a specific goal, but as the month progressed I got into a rhythm of posting every other day, and over the last two weeks I noticed that my days never felt complete until I either had written a post or had one in mind for the following day.
But so what, right? Well, I guess that depends on what this blog is all about and why it is that I’ve maintained this blog – along with Xtina – for these past few years.
Not that I consider myself a writer, per se, but I do love to write. The whole process of writing — from brainstorming about topics to editing and getting feedback — is a joy to me. To do it well — which of course is my goal — demands a certain level of self-reflection and self-critique. Although I write mainly for my own personal satisfaction, it is important to me that the sentences and essays I post are of a certain quality. That means there needs to be some level of structure, logic, and artfulness to the compositions. These things do not always just pour out automatically. They take time, focus, and energy to do well.
Because this is a personal blog, it also provides a place to recount my own experiences and reflect on my life. This part, which I took much further this month than I have in the past, is actually therapeutic, in the sense that it provides a focal point and good writing demands, to some extent, that the author stakes out a clear position, rather than waffle or be non-committal. I find that too often in my life I tend to think about things without conclusively addressing them. The act of putting metaphorical pen to paper often forces me to think things through.
I am a great believer in the power of inertia. I’ve found that when I’ve been idle, in any way, it is always far more difficult to get going again. But when I maintain momentum, picking up steam, accelerating, or just getting things done, period, is so much easier. Blogging regularly is a perfect example. Blogging builds momentum for all these things — writing, self-discipline, self-reflection, and even interaction with family and friends.
One of the great joys I have in life is being creative. Designing, writing, or even problem solving are fulfilling acts. Partly this is because it is so much easier to consume consume consume, and over the years I certainly feel that I’ve become quite efficient at consumption in many forms. From RSS feeds to YouTube, music, TV, books, food, fashion, et cetera, too much of my time is spent consuming. All of which might be momentarily gratifying, but in the bigger picture it proves pretty unrewarding. Being creative is a defense, and a counterbalance to that often insatiable habit of consumption. Hopefully what I create is of some greater value than mere self-therapy. But even if that is all it is, I can find comfort and fulfillment in that.
It might be hard to believe that typing a few hundred words into a web browser can mean all of these things to me. But, it does. And, if I may go extra-meta on y’all, even sitting here at my desk and writing this post is a perfect example of the phenomenon. Yesterday, I’d had the idea to reflect on Why I Blog. But the answer, at the time, was just a notion. It was only the act of writing this post that really focused my mind on the question which then allowed me to answer it, and understand my reasons. Not everything we do requires critical analysis, of course, but in this case I have no doubt I’m better off for having been through the exercise.
So, I get a lot out of blogging. And, I’ve gotten a great deal out of this month of posting regularly. So to our loyal readers, you can expect a continued stream of regular posts. This month of blogging has also triggered many ideas and inspirations for topics and themes that I am eager to explore in the coming weeks and months of 2009. I look forward to taking that journey with you. And thanks for reading, it means a lot to me.
