What's the purpose of blogging? (of life?)

Today I had the opportunity to read the shy beginnings of a friend's first blog which is off to an amazing start. I can't wait to feature her work once the site is ready to run, and most important, I can't wait to read more.

After reading her blog, I had an epiphany. It was quite obvious.

I realized that a really good blog serves a really good purpose. Whether or not the purpose is really good is determined by the writer and the reader. On the writer's behalf the purpose must fufill some sort of itch within. For the reader, the blog's purpose must also fit within some sort of niche and stand out among the long list of potential blogs a reader may choose to enjoy along with their morning cup of coffee.

Whether or not the purpose is recognized by its author, all blogs serve some sort of a purpose. The purpose may be to inform about a particular topic, it may be to persuade or it may be to induce action. Maybe it is about getting a grant for an organization. The blog might just be something that the writer wants to do because of a personal motive. Maybe it is not about readership but about writing poetry. Or perhaps it is more of journal, a way to record personal events in order to share with friends and family abroad. The list goes on.

Regardless of the purpose behind a blog, it seems that occassional "purpose check-ins" are helpful to have to keep one focused. In today's day and age, its quite easy to forget where you are going and why. In that sense, defining the purpose of a blog is similar to fine tuning one's life purpose.

At each moment in our lives we walk with a different purpose. While it shifts and changes from time to time, the importance of sitting back and reflecting on where you've been and where you want to be is necessary in order to be aware of what is important to you and what you want to be doing.

Recently I was asked to be a guest blogger by my friend Katie. Her blog, Hotdish & Catfish, was a result of two kindred spirits finding themselves separated by states. Their blog started in order to share "good stories and unique observations of life north (Katie) and south (Lauren) of the Mason Dixon" (as pulled from their About tab).

This request, led me again to note the necessity of having a purpose in my blog (and in my life). For a moment, I pondered what it was I could write about, and I realized I had forgotten what my blog was about...I recognized that if someone asked me what my blog was about, I would have to stutter for a moment, because, well, it's about a lot of stuff and I can't really put my finger on it in a one word sort of answer.

Well, then I looked at my blog page and saw that I wrote "This is a blog about life."

Life.

Wow. Now that's one hell of a "one word" descriptor for my posts and purpose. Oh yeah, "Wake up it's your life." It's all faintly coming back to me.

This realization has led me again to ponder my purpose here (both in the blogosphere and in real life). I started this blog almost 3 years ago, and I think it's time to have a "purpose check-in" to re-evaluate why I am here and what I want to accomplish with this blog.

So to the few of you reading, stay tuned for future updates on a possible new direction/focus. This weekend I am excited to meet with a friend of mine, also known as the Duchess of Windmill, who is working on her Communications and Public Relations degree.

Among the usual friendly gossip, we plan to talk about branding and purpose. While I do not know a lot about where I'm heading, I know one thing I can assure you. My authentic voice will be heard in my blog, through whatever sound wave that may be, white noise or otherwise.

Authentic Voices

The other night with a pair of dear friends, one of those conversations started, the kind that pokes at the basic question of life and being.

Of course we did not come to a definitive conclusion about much, but the whole topic did strike a chord within me and brought me here to write.

In particular, we talked about the recent human rights struggle that the homosexual population is battling. In relation to their movement, we recognized how over time, there have been many similar battles but just in different forms.

For example, we talked about the civil rights movement and the fight for equality for African American folks. We talked about the friction of religion and how that has colored our world history.

We questioned whether or not anything has really changed at all with our species. Have we really evolved like they say or are we just humans becoming ourselves in a different era with different challenges? Although we are in a different time, we wondered if the challenges we face are really all that different.

We then pondered, if and when the homosexual crowd gets the equality they deserve, what personal battle will be on deck that we might not even be aware of? I'm not sure. But it's all really interesting to think about, and I've come to the momentary conclusion that these struggles have a lot to do with people finding their authentic voice and empowering themselves to use it.

This idea is emphasized by one of my favorite writers, Shaun McNiff. In his book, Trust the process: An artist's guide to letting go, he notes how one expression can be the stimulus for another creation/expression.

He says, "one thing is always growing from another" and that the source of this growth is life (p. 164). He says the reason why we paint from nature or write about our life experiences is because we are moved by life and all its events, people, problems, memories, scenes, patterns, gestures and creations of others or any other things, really.

He adds, "Creation is constantly playing different variations on themes and restating basic truths. The more we work at originality, the more we return to the same fundamentals which are renewed in each historical period by those who express them in appealing and striking ways" (p.165).

He goes on to say "Original statements keep returning to origins but in a style that is authentic to the person making the expression. The source never can be copied because it doesn't exist anywhere in a fixed form. It can only be interpreted" (p. 165).

These words makes me realize that what is happening with the gay community right now is not totally unique or original but is yet another expression of people being people.

In this light, suddenly life seems simple to me. What every culture and people have needed throughout time has been a space and some encouragement for authentic and sincere expression.

These issues and challenges are not original or new, and although McNiff writes in relation to creating art, I think his point speaks well to life in general; "If we liberate our personal and often idiosyncratic styles, we will create with individuality and vitality" (p. 165).

In other words, if we can all find our authentic voices and use them, we will learn how to appreciate and be inspired by other forms of expression and being. And as we accept ourselves and others, we may finally thrive as a people.