(Above: My notebook)
My dreams of being a writer fell between the cracks of wanting to be an astronaut, a baseball player, a marine biologist, and a graphic designer. Somewhere in between my career goals, I was a columnist for my high school newspaper. “As the ceiling fan spins,” I called the column. It took some convincing for our advisor to go with the title. I wanted to poke fun at myself; I was a sixteen-year-old kid who knew that his ideas weren’t revolutionary or exciting to a good portion of people. Instead of “As the World Turns,” it would be something far more trivial.
Background
I am the product of two college-educated journalists who met during their time at the Cal Poly Mustang Daily. While neither of my parents are still directly involved in journalism (communication, maybe), the itch to write is in my blood. My writing career at the school paper ended quickly; I became “graphics editor,”a title I tried to get changed to art director. I still was an “editor” which I liked, which meant we all got to hang out on an odd saturday every couple months and put the paper together. And even with a desire to be a page editor my senior year, I was cut off. My advisor and my fellow editors wanted me to be the “graphics editor.” That was the last time I wrote regularly.
(How odd, that it took me a good portion of my time at The Orion to connect those two storylines. While my time at The Eagle Eye (high school) was a much different experience (I don’t think we knew a thing about design theory), it gave me a lead-in to my career path as a graphic designer. That was really the beginning).
Why blog?
As I stated in my first post, I’ve begun many a blog. But all of them failed because I took it too seriously, tried too hard to perfect it, couldn’t stay organized, and when it fell short, I gave up. So how could I get back into it? I needed time, inspiration, motivation, and organization.
The time came during the past winter break, when I was able to relax and get my thoughts in order (blogs need thought). I was inspired by my Dad, as I often am, to get one going. He has one of his own, that he keeps updated regularly, to feature his open-water swimming love and the new work he produces for clients (he’s an illustrator/designer). Motivation comes from my friends at The Orion! All the section editors write a column each week, which is a skill I’ve always admired. I’ve toyed with the idea of writing a guest commentary a couple times, but my writing skills were just rusty. I needed to flex my brain a little bit.
Organization followed. I decided to keep all my ideas in this little notebook (you can find the inside page at the top of this post). Every time I had an idea, I would jot it down and keep it. I update it almost every day. That way I never forget exactly what I want to write about. A lot of my good ideas just come from reflection, simple pondering, and relaxation. If I’m too busy, I’m too focused to let a new idea spoil my concentration.
So finally, the three elements came together and I realized that I might actually have the momentum to carry this project through. The blogging system is something I fell in love with. It’s like newspaper work, with less restrictions on what you can write about. And I could make it my own! I didn’t want to pigeonhole myself and force a “design blog.” Because I’m not just a designer. I’m a Giants’ baseball fan too. I love scotch. Mad Men is my favorite TV show. I play the guitar, play video games, wield a DSLR, and sing to myself. I wanted my blog to be all about that.
That’s why I came up with the name “The Smörgåsblog.” It’s a variety of everything.
The Most Important Part
Communication is the most vital part of our world. Communication can help any career, any person, any relationship. The ability to let others know what you are thinking, and what message you want to convey is a very important part of life. Communication could solve a lot of the world’s problems, indirectly.
Writing is a fantastic way to organize your ideas and solve problems. You begin to make connections, ask yourself questions, and find answers. I wish I had been doing this years ago! Blogging really lets one be free, sort of frolicking through the world of the Internet and developing ideas.
I’ve always wanted to be better at communication. “How do I develop those kind of skills?” I asked myself. “If only there were a way to share my ideas with the world in more than 140 characters?” I pondered aloud.
Of course, you know the answer.
The Smörgåsblog 
