“How do you keep doing this?”
That’s a question I’ve had to answer recently, and I thought I should post my response here too.
To many people, the idea of writing a single blog post is daunting. So the thought of doing it more than 90 times like I have is unimaginable.
“Where do you find the hours?”, “Won’t you run out of ideas?”, and “How do you not get bored?”.
Even I ask myself those questions now. But regarding that last one, I’ve actually gotten bored a lot.
New writers always have passion and excitement to carry them, but when you’re years down the road like I am, it’s hard to feel like you did at the start. Over time, you lose the innocence and the blind optimism. You start to see reality for what it is instead of what you hoped it would be.
These changes often turn the most joyous beginners into hardened cynics. But as someone who’s pretty much a veteran now, I know it’s not all gloom and doom.
Of course I wish I had the fiery drive to write like I used to. I wish I still thought of writing every minute of the day. And I wish my feelings carried me through 5 AM sessions like before.
Sadly, those desires are just wishes now. But for all the novelty, passion, and excitement I’ve lost, I’ve gained a great deal of what I call creative maturity.
I don’t write to compete with others or to prove myself anymore. I write because it’s what I do. It’s something that’s ingrained in me now, and I’m not too interested in what others think about it.
That’s not to say I don’t care about people or that I don’t write for their benefit. It’s just that…my focus has changed.
I know who I am now and I know what I believe. And if that interests you at all, then that’s great. But if it doesn’t, that’s fine too.
I don’t do this to get a response. I’m just trying to make good stuff.
I think that’s what separates mature creatives from the beginners still driven by emotion. The latter creates with results in mind. The former creates for the product itself.
Understanding this difference is what keeps me from getting bored.
Without that perspective, I’d be in trouble, because all the stats and numbers tell me this blog really ain’t much.
It’s been four years since I launched this site, but it’s not like I’m drowning in traffic. I only reach a few thousand people a week. This site gets comments, emails, and links here and there, but for the most part, it’s still a very small corner on the web.
And I’ll admit, that fact irks me sometimes. I think about all the research, the drafting, and the editing, and wonder if it’s all worth it…
But that’s when I get bored the most.
When my focus shifts to results, responses, and numbers, I lose interest, I get cynical, and I forget how much joy this site has brought me.
So I run from that mindset. I love what I do too much to think like that. And I encourage you to do the same thing.
Go back to that zone where it’s just you and your craft. Do it for the creative maturity. Do it for the confidence that drives you to make an impact. Do it for a mindset that says, “I can make some art if you give me enough time.”
That’s what I do.
I’m always chasing that perfect article, challenging my knowledge, and pushing the limits of what I’m capable of. And that’s how I don’t stay bored.
I’m not a rookie anymore but I still love creating like I did then. I just go about it a little differently now. And you know what? People like that. They like that authenticity.
That’s not something people have when they’re new. And if you let yourself stay bored, you won’t get it either.
You need that internal pushback as a creator. You need the belief in your art to be so strong that you can’t imagine hiding your work from anyone.
The best artists are just people who know they have something important to share with the world. So what do you have that’s important enough to fight a little boredom for?
-Drew
Photo Credit:
- Oladimeji Ajegbile — Pexels
Leave a Reply