Honest Blogging & Biggest Inhibitor of Creativity
May 20th, 2008 by Andrew BolisAre you an honest blogger? I have a confession to make, I’m not. Since I started this blog (6 months ago) I’ve blogged only under my first name. Why? Fear. Fear of what? That’s a good question. In America (where I currently reside) we have the freedom of speech 
yeh right. While by law we have the freedom of speech, there are so many social constraints that the term freedom of speech almost sounds like a joke to most people.
If you have freedom of speech then how can you get fired for blogging? Why do so many blogs sound the same, hashing the same old techniques, advice, guidelines and theories? You mean to tell me that everyone thinks the same way? Are bloggers writing honestly and genuinely? Or are they copying each other? Are bloggers honestly writing, or are they trying to keep it safe censoring and watering-down their thoughts?
As a blogger it’s very tempting to re-hash ideas, re-write lists, and share tips that are widely spread over the internet through my blog. Don’t believe me? Here are common tips found on most personal development blogs:
- Have clear goals
- Have clear personal values
- Think Long Term instead of settling for Short Term gratification
- Have an abundance mentality
- Manage your time wisely
- Discover and follow your life’s purpose
- Abide by the Law of attraction
- Stop caring about what others think of you
Is there anything wrong with these tips? No, they are all great. I have used many of them on this blog myself The big deal is honesty. While I’m sure many personal development bloggers care about these kinda of tips, they probably have a bag of their own original advice and tips that they are hiding. Many of those tips might not be mainstream or socially acceptable.
Here is a quick tip, personal development is really tough. It’s a great subject, a passion of mine, but let’s admit it’s not EASY. Not Caring what everyone thinks for example…Do you really understand what that means? What it entails? The possible consequences?
Not caring about what others think is something I’ve been working on for a couple of years now. And I still can’t say I’m great at it. Sure I’ve made progress, however it’s more like that of a turtle This is why I decided to start blogging under my real name. I figured I’d be a hypocrite not to. I started feeling like I’m developing too many different identities and it was starting to become a headache.
There is me the personal development blogging guy. Then there is me at my job as serious worker guy. Then there is me out with my friends, going crazy off the walls at times Then there is my around my parents who I really admire and respect yet tend to disagree with often. While I do believe in respecting different roles because life is a stage I’m also trying to be more authentic. And being more authentic means decreasing the gap between my different identities. There is no easy way to do this, it’s just a balance. For example at my job I’m being paid to perform certain tasks, and I respect that. However that doesn’t mean that I should suppress my own creativity and just become a zombie.
Back to the real question, are you an honest blogger? While working on that myself I realized it comes with the following risks:
- Receiving criticism from others including family, friends, co-workers for honestly stating your views and opinions.
- Being wrong. Let’s face it, a blogger isn’t perfect, and makes mistakes. However it’s one thing to say something wrong, and another to write it down for everyone to see.
- Getting Kicked in your Ego. Whether it’s rude comments, meaningful helpful criticism, if you are an honest blogger who tells it like it is you will get a kicked in your ego
What are the advantages of Honest Blogging? Why did I decide to blog under my real name? While my mind came up with all kinds of great reasons not to use my real name, I realized that all of those reasons are a result of fears and insecurities. Blogging under my real name wouldn’t really harm my physical well-being in any way, unless I start posting death threats muahahahaha.
Another advantage of honest blogging is authenticity. Being more authentic is a very important factor for creating original unique content. One of the biggest inhibitors of creativity in writing is fear of exposing your real self. No one wants to be criticized. While we know on one level it’s good for us, we usually try to avoid it. We try not to make too much noise, not to get too much attention. It’s always easier to stay in our little dinky winky comfort zone of doom And people alway ask how they can work on their creativity? Well here is the biggest inhibitor of creativity: FEAR. Be authentic, expose your true self, and your creativity will start flowing like a river.
May 21st, 2008 at 7:39 am
Good article.
I tend to be quite quiet about my own blogging when around friends and family because I do wonder if they’ll think less of me for having a blog - and even for taking personal development seriously.
I think the best way of getting over the comfort of anonymity, which is such an illusion on the internet anyway, is, indeed, to keep in mind that all feedback can be useful - it can always either help you become better or help you get to know the world better.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:51 am
Richard I agree. Anonymity is a joke on the internet. Besides if your blog does become popular, no matter how many measures you take to keep your identity anonymous people will find out.
All feedback is great. Worst case scenario, your relatives and friends find about you blog and they all criticize it. This will allow you to question your beliefs and as a result either become strong in those beliefs or decide that your friends and relatives have a point and slowly adjust those beliefs. Either way you will grow from the experience.
Another important idea that I read about recently is that the self is always coming through. No matter how much we try to hide different roles or identities we have, the self will always come through. I will explore this topic more in future posts. Thanks for your comment and feedback