November 26, 2024
This post is part of my 30in30 challenge, where I write 30 minutes every day for 30 working days. Due to my limited time for this challenge, the content will be only very lightly researched and edited. The idea is to just write. Find my voice, and find the courage to publish. To follow my curiosity wherever it may take me.
Elizabeth Gilbert says in her book Big Magic:
Your art doesn't have to be original, and it doesn't have to be important.
I read this sentence just this morning, and it's been on my mind ever since. Creating—whether it's art, writing content, or even coding—often starts as something fun. A spark of curiosity, a chance to express ourselves, or the simple joy of doing something with our hands and minds. But somewhere along the way, that spark gets weighed down by expectations.
We tell ourselves it has to be perfect. It has to be unique. It has to matter. And before we know it, the fun slips away, replaced by self-imposed pressure and doubt.
I have had my website for years, but until recently, I only posted sporadically. I was too worried about what others might think. What if I made a mistake? What if I misunderstood something? What if someone called me out? And the most haunting question of all: What if nobody cares?
That fear kept me silent. I let drafts sit unfinished. Ideas fizzled out before they could take shape. What was left was regret.
But then came this 30in30 challenge—a commitment to write and publish every day for 30 working days. It has been a game-changer. For the first time, I've stopped worrying about what others might think. When you are writing every single day, it's almost impossible to dwell on that.
Is my content original? Nope. I'm not sharing groundbreaking research or revolutionary ideas.
Is it important? Honestly, no. The world will keep spinning even if no one reads these posts.
So why do I write? Why create at all?
It's simple: I write for me.
Writing helps me untangle my thoughts. It's how I make sense of the noise in my head. I don't always know what I think or feel about a topic until I sit down and put words on a page. Until I go vertical.
This challenge isn't about impressing anyone or proving anything. It's about reclaiming the joy of creating for its own sake. And that's a powerful thing.
But if I'm not trying to impress anyone, why not write privately in my journal? Why do I want to share my thoughts with the internet?
My main reason is to connect with others. I want to meet people. I want to spark conversations. I want to learn and share what I've learned with others. I want to grow and discover new ways to express myself—something that's harder to do when writing in a silo.
I want to live a creative life.
I started with a quote from Elizabeth Gilbert, and I'll end with another of hers:
A creative life is an amplified life. It's a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, and a hell of a lot more interesting life.