Why a blog

I've found myself feeling very self-conscious about this whole 'blog' concept. I understand that in 2022, it's a completely legitimate platform for many. But to me, I have this niggling memory I'm back in 2006 with a livejournal that I will be completely committed to for 2 weeks before swiftly abandoning it, never to post again.

I keep on thinking its ridiculous to commit to long form blog posts over 240 character tweets or instagram posts that barely require captions. I already have both twitter and instagram accounts that I could easily use, so why start something new? Two reasons, one for each platform:

#1) I am not a concise person. I have lots to say. Tons of commentary. Thoughts on everything. Whenever I have to try and condense my comments to 240 characters, I end up in analysis-paralysis from over-thinking whatever I want to say. That is why I rarely tweet. I'm never convinced I can convey my meaning in so few words.

#2) I'm a terrible photographer. Absolutely terrible. The only thing I am worse at than taking pictures is spelling (which, if you have ever seen me handwrite something, you will know my spelling is atrocious). If you are paying attention, you will have noticed that Justin is in almost all of my instagram posts. That's because he takes most of the pictures. If he isn't there, no one is taking pictures.

And there is actually a third reason - I like writing. It wasn't something I ever considered an interest of skill, but the older I get, the more I enjoy it. I'm hoping that my enjoyment of writing will overcome how strange and self-conscious it can feel to put words out in the world without knowing where they are going or who is reading them. Here's hoping my excitement about everything wins over my nervousness!

LMH