Blogging for me is just a particular form of having a conversation.
I end talking about people's personal blogs frequently enough, or about the blog they plan to start... or perhaps most often, the blog they have lying dormant. Many people sense it's worth blogging, but aren't clear about what what and why. But many people don't seem to know how to catalyse this sense into actual writing.
I don't write a good blog, but I do have one, and I do write for it - occasionally. And some of the posts are okay. Some people seem to read it. And I'm happy with how it's working facilitating my social connections online.
In the middle of last year I was writing some highly important, super intelligent, completely irrelevant and largely unread posts on the state of the world. It was a waste of time.
I started this blog just to record my experience trying to set out for myself and make things happen in the world (and make a life/profession out of it - hence, Professional Adventurer). A lot of what I'm doing and learning is worth sharing, because I know others out there want to be able to take this pathway. And I don't want it to be as hard for them as it is for me. And I just wanted to keep in contact with people that I probably wasn't going to be sitting down to drink beers with every other week.
My blog got shit when I started trying too hard.
So now, I don't. Now I just converse.
There's an organic vibrancy to conversation. In response to what's happening in conversation around you, things you want to say emerge within you. They bubble up inside you and exert pressure on your larynx. When a suitable opportunity arises you say it.
It doesn't really matter whether you're right or whether your 'thing' is going to save the world. It's a social activity mostly, so you go with it. Our brains are pretty good at creating things organically (and collectively) out of conversations that are worth saying, so we let it go and have faith. Most of the time we just listen.
So most of the time blogging for me is like this. Nothing more and little less.
Normally I'm having a conversation in my head. It seems like a valid thing to share, and I have an opportunity to sit at my laptop and type it up. So I do. And then I hit the publish button. If I'm feeling adventurous I'll share it too.
It's easy and it just happens.
So if you're stuck maybe give it a shot. Don't let trying too hard get in the way of having a conversation.
www.jsbaxter.com.au
@JohnSBaxter
