This is my first attempt at a blog, and quite honestly it’s taken much longer than I’d like to admit for me to actually publish this first post.

I love writing. So much. It’s a way for me to get all of my thoughts out. A way for me to tell my story and the stories of the people and world around me. It’s a way for me to capture ideas, moments and life and share it with whoever is willing to read it.

But for some reason, starting a blog seemed incredibly daunting and full of pressures to be interesting, witty and impressive. While those are obviously adjectives I’d like to someday be used to describe this blog, I know I just need to start somewhere and eventually I may get there.

I’ve been trying to find the right inspiration to help me get started: several Word documents with various beginnings of blogs, podcasts about writing, Spotify playlists with words like creativity and focus in the titles, countless tabs open with articles that I’ve read today, a large glass of wine next to me on the couch. You get the picture.

One piece of inspiration that has stuck with me is from the songwriter Dan Wilson. You know his songs, whether you realize it or not. Someone Like You by Adele; Not Ready to Make Nice by The Dixie Chicks; and perhaps his biggest hit, Closing Time by Semisonic.

I was recently listening to Typecast, a podcast by Chicago Tribune writer Kevin Pang in which he talks to various writers about the craft of writing, their inspiration, their writing process, etc. In one episode, Wilson tells Pang about how he would write a song every day for a month.

He had a rule where he had to start and finish a song each day and by the end of the day it had to be complete. It didn’t matter if it was good, he said, but it had to be complete. It was a matter of not over-thinking it, of not being inhibited by expectations, by trusting his instincts. And eventually, even though a lot of the might not have been the greatest, at some point he would end up with some really quality work.

So that’s what I want to do here. I want and need to write. If I want to get better and make a career out of this (which I do), then I need to practice and write as often as I can. Whether it’s good or not. I’ll get there.

This blog could go in so many directions. It could be about sports, which I’m endlessly fascinated by and passionate about. It could be about current events or things that I see in the news or online that I think are interesting. It could be about writing and how I write. Or it could just be about life. The possibilities are endless, and I don’t necessarily want to limit myself by choosing one specific topic. It’ll come about on its own the more I write.

One of my favorite lines from Dan Wilson’s song Closing Time is “Open all the doors and let you out into the world.” Well, metaphorically speaking, that’s what I’m trying to do here. Attempting to let go of inhibitions, embrace my innate curiosity and love for writing and let my name, thoughts and words out into the world. Completely cheesy comparison, but I like it for now.

We’ll see where this blog goes, but I’m excited about its potential. Stay tuned! More to come.