I recently read this amazing piece by Drew Hoolhorst wherein he makes an argument that everyone should write for writings sake. That it’s good for us. That it’s fun. That we should just write because. Of his own writings, he says:
I didn’t start writing because I had a novel to publish or even an idea of what the hell that would look like. I didn’t start writing because I had some master plan about where this was all going. I started writing because when I was a kid, thanks to Bob (my grandfather), I wrote the shit outta everything. I wrote long-winded love letters to girls. I stretched the birthday card note to the point of “turn over to backside for more” every single time….And I think it’s how people should always write.
He states it doesn’t matter if we have groundbreaking ideas to share. Just share your ideas, and if it’s groundbreaking for someone, all the better!
This got me thinking about my own writing. When I started blogging back in 2008, it was two-fold:
- I wanted to chronicle my recent travels to Patagonia (and was hoping to create a permanent home for all of my 2006 European travels…yeah still working on that one)
- It provided me with a creative outlet in my otherwise uncreative worklife
Five years later, my motivations to continue writing are both completely the same and entirely different. I still love to share travel stories, and writing still provides me with a creative outlet.
But more than that, I am rewarded by my desire to share my passion for the outdoors.
I like to think that, for the few minutes it takes to read my entries, I can transport someone to experience life beyond the city. That perhaps someone will learn something from me; that they will be inspired to do something they didn’t before think possible; that they will strive to view their own adventures with new-found excitement.
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| Life beyond the city |
Because writing about my own adventures has allowed me to do just that – I approach each trip just a little bit differently knowing I want to write about it later. I take more time to notice the details. I fret less about “the plan” and just try to enjoy the experience. Life becomes about being on the journey. To borrow from my pal Dean Karnazes, “go as you please, savor and explore, immerse yourself wholeheartedly in the experience of being completely alive for this fleeing moment in which we inhabit the universe.”
And there is something profoundly satisfying about being able to share these experiences with you, my lovely readers. Seeing an awesome sunset by yourself can be great, but watching that same sunset with friends over a beer is all the more satisfying. It’s in our human nature to want to share experiences with others. Early explorers kept journals of their travels – this blog is simply a new-age version.
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| Notice the details |
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| Immerse yourself in the experience |
And that is why I write. To capture those moments and save them for a lifetime.
I never imagined that my last 5 years spent on this blog would be the deciding factor in why I was hired for my dream job. But come to find out, all of those hours spent pounding on the keyboard laid the foundation for my career in professional outdoor marketing.
So I will keep writing because. Because you never know where it will take you.
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| Let it take you somewhere |
