In my post last week I shared some thoughts on what I’m going to be using this blog for now that I’ve told my freelance story.
But why am I bothering to blog? It’s a question I sometimes ask myself, especially when I don’t feel as if I’m getting any engagement from doing so. And when it’s more of a ‘play project’ than something I’m doing specifically to promote my business services.
It’s my creative outlet
The first reason is because it’s one of my ways of being creative (the other is taking photos). My brain gets an idea for a blog post and I just sit down and write. Like now, the words are just flowing from my fingers. Writing is where I piece together snippets of thoughts and create something new with them, something unique to me.
It allows me to express my own voice
I’m lucky that in my freelance work, I do get to write and create something. But it’s often in the form of slide decks, proposals or reports, and it’s usually me adding my own angle to other people’s thoughts and ideas – which is not the same as being able to express my own thoughts and ponderings. I enjoy thinking and sharing about topics I’m interested in, as there will always be someone who will find those topics interesting too.
I process my thoughts in writing
I’m an introvert, which means I think and reflect a lot! And often that thinking is best done as I write. If I want to share those thoughts with others, I need to articulate them in some sort of logical fashion – and that’s what blogging allows me to do. Once I’ve shared the thoughts in writing, they’re more coherent when I end up talking to people about them.
I think that people might benefit from my experience
It’s easy for me to dismiss my 25 years of working life as just something I’ve done. But within that there has been contracting, freelancing, redundancy, studying for qualifications, volunteering for charity, being on maternity leave and returning to work, doing online courses, exploring creativity, being coached, and networking locally – among many other things.
So there is a lot that I could share and that other people might find useful. I’m choosing to focus on creativity, ideas, self-care, and personal development, because those are the areas that have interested me in the last ten years or so. But I have a lot of information stored in my head, and one of the things I love to do is share information!
I like to connect with like-minded people
And the final reason that I like to blog is to interact with new people. I have a wide ranging network of friends, colleagues, collaborators and contacts. But it’s always nice to find new people to follow online and have conversations with.
Why do you blog? Do you do it because someone said you should, or is it a creative instinct?
