Pen to Paper

For a number of years now, one of the daily expectations I’ve maintained for myself is that I create something.

I leave the requirements of this discipline somewhat ambiguous. I don’t expect the highest of artistry, nor do I dictate that my creativity be expressed in a certain medium.

I’ve just learned that, when I’m making stuff, I’m growing. Thus, I strive to create something new every single day.

As the New Year begins, I feel compelled to hone in on my writing. I enjoy writing but, in pandemic times, it’s a skill that’s been most utilized for my job. This isn’t to say that I can’t be creative at work; strong writing will only increase as a key vocational tool for knowledge workers. Even when I’m writing for my job, I enjoy the task of wordsmithing. It just makes me better.

Wharton professor Adam Grant observed, “writing is more than a vehicle for communicating ideas. It's a tool for crystallizing ideas. Writing exposes gaps in your knowledge and logic. It pushes you to articulate assumptions and consider counterarguments.”

So while I won’t be posting daily this year, I’m focusing on writing something new every day. Since I’ve maintained this website long enough that it’ll become an adult this year (hitting eighteen years of blogging in November), it’s about time I utilize this space a bit more.

Ray Bradbury once said, “Write every day of your life. Read intensely. Then see what happens.”

I’ll keep you posted on how it works out.