Why I write every week

Why am I here? Tough question, to ask why you’re here, in this life or even under the clarification of “here online”, it’s a question of purpose and motivation.

But I’ve been thinking about why I do what I do, whether it’s for a paycheck or not. What gets me up in the morning, what lights me up? These are questions I often ask others when I’m helping friends or even folks I’ve just met.

But I need to ask myself these questions, too. Because they’re questions that drive life and reasons for it.

When you assign your identity to what you do, the reasons for why you do it need to be meaningful. Work, whether it’s vocational or volunteering, is a large chunk of how I view myself. So I’ve therefore been thinking about why I blog weekly. How I show up is an easier question of giving time to drafting and publishing.

Why I blog weekly

1. I blog every week to practice writing.

I value learning, and writing gives me a chance to apply what I’ve learned and share it with others. But it’s also a chance for me to explore different writing styles, though I often stick to three points per post. I tried what I call a “sticado” style for my midnight gym routine: short sentences in present tense provided a rhythm. My core three points were questions in my “creatively stuck?” post. How else would you like to see posts presented? Comment and let me know.

I love to write, but it does take some work. I no longer need to write 3 versions before hitting “publish”, but it takes practice. I re-read once a post is live and occasionally retroactively copy-edit. I’m working on confidence and recognize that once a post is out, it’s no longer just my work, which leads to my second reason.

2. I publish these posts to help others. 

I don’t know everything, nor do I claim to. But I can share what I’ve learned through regular updates. I view this blog as supplemental material to the site’s projects. You can sort your search and read guides, whether you’re considering an adventure or minimalism. You can read book reviews, too.

Many of my readers are my friends, so I hope these posts act as updates too. I’m lucky to be surrounded by creatively-minded people. Sometimes you just need some motivation, to stop passively consuming social media and start creating. To consider creative entrepreneurship. To make space for art. Just search, “create” to find these posts!

3. I write to create a body of work.

I have long-term goals for this website, and I’m considering how my blog can contribute. Eventually, I want to monetize and charge for resume building, creating websites, and editing. In the future, making money from this blog might look like sponsored posts, building affiliates, and even adding ads. It’s natural for site users to funnel from the blog, but I can set terms of what makes me comfortable. Ads? Less so than shared or sponsored posts.

I’m not scared to be transparent about money. In today’s hyper-connected world, finding role(s) that add money and meaningfulness to my life doesn’t always come from an employer. I’m not charging 19 people in 2019 not only to help people, but to learn how I operate. Projects take different costs of time and service. I’m learning how to be open with my clients about what I can and can’t do. If you need a website, for example, I can help choose a platform, wire-frame, and edit, but I don’t pay for the account. I don’t have a server for others.

I’m learning how and why I write. I’m trying to think long-term by considering how each post can be part of a greater strategy. Designing a schedule is hard. But publishing weekly also impacts others, including clients and readers. I’m learning weekly writing is a self-given standard, but it is reinforced with new comments, online and off. 

Writing this post today was vulnerable because it exposes my purpose. The blog in particular gives a digital place for my thoughts and feelings, and hopefully the posts help you start considering why you do what you do. Thank you for reading. I’d love to hear from you! If you’re online, why do you share? How do you decide what to say? If you’re not online and are a creative entrepreneur, how can I help?