Or did I?
As I consider the new year, I’ve been tearing down old content from 2015 when I was actively consulting. Looking back, the idea of a personal brand was very relevant for the business I was building. When I shifted back into a software company, that content moved from being open (and largely unread) to being internal content (still mostly unread).
NO, I DIDN’T STOP WRITING. THE NEED FOR WHICH I WRITE CHANGED.
I spend more time in my day job articulating in sentences than I do design. Explaining research, process, data to support decisions. Very large volumes in fact. In ~5 years, I’ve penned roughly 2000 posts across our team’s basecamp, documentation, and confluence. And let’s not forget about email, slide presentations, events, and help text. I write a lot.
But what’s it really doing? And has my style of writing gotten better over the years? I’ve moved away from the personal written and online journals several times. I had a vigorous habit of self-reflection leaving college. That hasn’t stopped, but the expression of it is far more internalized and fragmented.
And what was that old writing achieving? Pretty self-centered as I recall. A few gems hidden in there though. But again, who did I write these things for? Somewhat reflective of that creative angst to create something. Then the frustrating lack of focus or results. Much like this little piece thought about while jogging at the beach. Just happened to be a sunny December morning where I have 10 minutes before rushing off to the next thing to do.
And is it time to be honest? Time to do a few less projects, and a few more focused efforts.
No, I didn’t stop writing. The need for which I write changed.~