A friend of mine recently told me I should write more. At the sake of sounding vain, I’m confident I have interesting things to say and interesting experiences to share. Despite this, I have neglected to put any of it into writing. The initial gratification that I felt after launching a blog quickly wore off after weeks and months went by without writing anything of substance, and the satisfaction ultimately amounted to nothing.
Now, as I sit here in the cafe at Barnes & Noble typing paragraph after paragraph, and subsequently deleting and re-writing each paragraph, I’m slowly realizing that, while I may have a lot to say, turning thoughts into words can be incredibly difficult. It seems that my lack of drive to write is the consequence of two traits: laziness and fear.
What I mean by laziness is that, when it comes to creative projects, I am more intrigued by the idea of doing something than I am of actually doing it. I started this website more than a year ago with the intention of writing on a regular basis. What ended up happening was this site remained idle for over a year, with little to no activity taking place. Perhaps, subconsciously, I felt that simply having a blog made me a writer, in the same way that having a Moleskine notebook makes me an artist. Of course, this destructive way of thinking is nothing short of fraudulent. Fear, for me at least, is the pre-cursor to this laziness. I have intentions to write, but never do. Why? Fear of failure, fear of not living up to others’ standards, fear of embarrassment–the list goes on.
So, now that 2009 is behind us (and good riddance!), I’ve decided that my goal for this year is to overcome my habitual traits of fear and creative laziness. I’m going to write about my phone call with Massimo Vignelli, my tour of Pentagram with Michael Bierut, books I’ve read, music I’ve listened to, and movies I’ve watched. I’m going to write about the amazing opportunities that 2010 has already given me. Simply put: I’m going to write, and I’m going to write a lot.
One caveat: I can’t guarantee that I’ll write well, but part of the reason for my writing on a regular basis is to simply become better at it. Writing is an invaluable skill, and I’d like to hone that skill as best as I can. In the end, though, I want my writing to appeal to the interests of others, otherwise this website could turn into a place of self-indulgence and vanity–and I don’t want that.
I’m very much looking forward to writing more, and I hope you look forward to hearing what I have to say.