Why Write and Post Articles Online?

On and off for a few years now, I have been blogging. Sometimes it feels like I am writing into a void so I need to remind myself why I do it. Actually, with a few word changes this logic can apply to all my creative activities.

• A joy of creative writing.
  Since I was a kid, I have enjoyed creative writing. It began with making up sci-fi stories and has since branched out to creating web sites and blogging.

• Public service and contribution.
  Based on the amount of site traffic, there appears to be a demand for this kind of content. I have been fortunate to have had some cool experiences that finally in my middle-age, I am understanding a little of their context and purpose. In using my own life and thoughts as an example of both things to do and not do, I hope that my posts might help students and young professionals in some way.

• A means to ponder and think out loud.
  Many times I begin a post with a title and a few sentences only. I save it as a draft for weeks, going back to it and adding more ideas and massaging the text. Over time some of these posts become more like extended articles.

  I don’t pretend to be the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but I aspire to being an intellectual, in the sense that I take great joy in the possibility that some sense of the complexity and depth of the interaction between an active mind and the world it perceives can be communicated to complete strangers. In that process, I can better understand some of the music-related things that rattle around in my head.

• Interaction.
  A particular joy of the blogging experience are the comments.

  Years ago I used to participate in online and e-mail discussion groups and enjoyed the group interactions. Over time however I became discouraged by the medium and less satisfied with it – I felt a little lost and at times overwhelmed with the amount of messages and the occasional lack of manners.

In short, I believe that blogging has become a part of who I am as a musician. Blogs are not only an offering to the blogosphere but is also an integral part of my creative thinking.