why did I decide to blog
At home, with my laptop putting thought to text.
Hi, I’m Ashley and I like to write. Writing— this love started early. When learning the alphabet and linking words together to string together these beautifully bold statements like “the dog wagged its tail” or the classic, “The cat is black”. School had taught us the importance of writing and it fostered a home in our cognition, amplifying our fundamental communication skills that carried along throughout our lives.
At times it has felt like I am not a writer. In fact, the fear of impostor syndrome becomes a weighted rock I can’t seem to shake. Feeling as though it’s not a part of me when it very much is, I drift away from what’s enjoyed and that becomes the norm. I declare- no more. Look at me at this moment, right now I’m writing and bopping as I type. It is a true privilege to execute your thoughts written into words.
With a pen and a notebook, I’ve written many funny and brain-scratching things. I’ll read the content I’ve written from years past and go, “What the hell was I trying to say here?” Even when what I wrote was confounding, I am still a writer, writing. We are all writers. Even if we aren’t the “professional”, actively earning an income from it, or any good at it. Think about when you send a text message to your best friend. You want to express that thing, nothing can rival you. Not even a well-prosed journalist! That thing that drives your endorphins to mack-10 because you just gotta get it out. That’s writing to me and that’s writing to you. We gotta get it out.
In some cases, writing may not be done for our own purposes, but done for others. Sending a greeting card for birthdays, holidays, or grief is filled with so much compassion and heart you have for the intended, not only because you care but because you understand the importance of personable connections. The way that writing can bring out all manners of emotions is remarkable. To me at least. If I have your address, you likely have received my greeting card. You’ll know exactly how important you are to me and this world.
Why do folks keep a diary, write in a journal, blog, or write for the masses? It’s an exercise of expression. Actively allowing words to spill on the pages becomes therapeutic. Knowing that there are a few individuals out there who may find the content I write interesting is plenty of energy to stay motivated for me.
That’s why for the next 30 days, I’m putting myself on a writing intensive where I’ll write to this blog every other day (let’s keep it realistic, daily is a bit masochistic). A healthy challenge helps to stay focused/stay active. I’m working on this for myself and maybe you’ll want to challenge yourself too (no challenge hashtags happening here folks).
I’ll present some interesting and some off-the-cuff thoughts. I hope you find it intriguing and maybe find surreal warmth as I may push you to think outside your box. Naturally, I am a button pusher at heart, but it’s always done like a warm hug and with purpose. (Psst, it’s also the start of NaNoWriMo, weeeee).
