Why You Shouldn't Be Afraid Of Blogging

I was having wine the other night with my friend Jason when he expressed to me that he was going to start blogging. Great, you should, I said. Who doesn’t want to read the snarky prose of a gay interior design entrepreneur? But this is the fourth time I’ve heard him declare that he’s going to start blogging. I thought the third time was a charm. In late 2011 I started blogging for fun. There was no pressure. I didn’t have expectations. I was just telling my stories. I started the blog to express my personality. I was feeling suffocated by my business and feared that I was beginning to play a role—a role I didn’t want. So I started blogging, not so much to tell the world “this is who I am” but more to remind myself that this is who I am. The danger was that as the blog grew, my business grew, and my notoriety grew, fear crept in, crawling all over my pages. Who’s reading my blog? What will they think of me? Will I offend? Alienate customers? Will I do more harm to myself than good? The questions arose and the censorship began. Unfortunately when censoring, blogging becomes less fun. And eventually, it becomes a chore. You’ll find that you stop writing freely, you stop sharing stories, and you struggle with finding “appropriate” topics to write about. Its no wonder Jason hasn’t started blogging yet. I’ve heard the same from several friends; they want to start blogging but they’re afraid of saying the wrong thing. Afraid of being vulnerable and afraid of being judged. I want to encourage them. I want to alleviate their fears. I want to tell them to be brave, that it’s worth it. That blogging is fun. That we do want to hear what they have to say and that we want to hear it even more when it shows that they’re vulnerable, just like us. That when we read their stories, hear their openness, and feel their courage, we are drawn deeper to them because we can relate. I haven’t blogged in a full week. Let me clarify that. I haven’t posted a blog in a full week. But I have been writing. In fact, I spent all of yesterday writing. Detailing stories of my past, fears of my future, and insecurities of my present day. I’ve been getting it all down in print, every drop. It’s how I process. And although some of it I’m saving for my memoir someday (like that story of what happened in Israel), other writings I’d like to be brave enough to share. To inspire you. To show you that it’s ok to be vulnerable and to say what’s in your heart. To show you that the world won’t hate you. That you won’t tank your entire business, be forced to file bankruptcy, and flee to Mexico if you express yourself. To show you that you won’t lose out on a potential interview with Oprah or an investment from Trump if you write about your current struggle to regain your confidence. And to show you that although you’re known for frosting or interior design or beauty products, that you don’t have to hide who you truly are. Because we want to know about you. So Jason, start your damn blog already.