Ctrl+Shift+Create
I am tired of social media. I am tired of the algorithm.
I yearn for the days when I would stumble upon a fashion blog that sparked inspiration. There was a time when I would check in on the handful of blogs I followed, and none of them would have an update. A couple of days later, maybe one of them posts, and it was such a delight to read it with care. Now there’s so many articles to read, so many videos to watch, so many podcasts to listen to, and don’t get me started on the short-form video content.
There are so many think pieces on how we need to log off to reconnect with the world and ourselves, so I’m not gonna delve into that.
What I do want to share is my reasoning for starting a blog.
I went back and forth about this. How do I express myself when there’s an oversaturation of everything? There is a platform for everyone. What do I have to say that can contribute to the world? Should I even bother?
After doing Chani Nicholas’ 28-day Breakthrough challenge, I realised that this was a risk I was willing to take. As far back as I can remember, I’ve always been a writer. In primary school, I used to write fictional stories in a notebook that would be passed around to friends, along with a smaller notebook that functioned as the comment section. I would write in this notebook diligently every evening, allowing my imagination to run wild. I would say that was the first time I ever entered a flow state, which signals a passion unlike any other. When I was a teenager, I would write in my fashion blog, documenting my various outfit combinations and hijinks with friends. Somewhere along the way, I started monetizing my writing skills with freelance copywriting roles. The passion faded, pushing the desire to write for fun and out of my own creativity to the sidelines.
However, that desire never left me.
I felt the pull to write again last year, something that I have been pushing off for “another day”. The problem was, I didn’t know what the purpose was.
Was it for fun? Was it to eventually finish the draft of a novel?
The Breakthrough challenge sparked the idea of starting a blog. By returning to my roots, I hope to channel the energy I had when I was a kid and an adolescent. I want to stumble upon blogs by chance, fall in love with an album based on a friend’s recommendation, and discover a favourite film by watching whatever is on TV.
There is a beauty in discovering something by chance as opposed to having the algorithm feed it to you.
If you have stuck around to the end, thank you. I hope that this resonated with you in some way. My ultimate goal is to write about my interests, passions, and experiences. Through my writing, I would love to foster a small community where we can share recommendations with one another and meet like-minded people.
So, what can you expect from this blog?
- Film reviews
- Quarterly book wrap-ups
- List of favourites
- Travel journals
- Takeaways from challenges I may embark on
I’m still toying with the idea of digital media, pop culture and trend analysis, but we’ll see as I follow so many wonderful creators who already do that. A future list idea for your perusal! Since following through with this project of mine, I feel the spark again. I’m excited to embark on this journey, and I hope that you will stick around for the ride.
