A Space for Doodles ✏️

An invitation to join me in the messy middle

I have 18 hours to publish this post. I made a commitment to publish monthly in 2025, and here I am, racing against January's deadline.

Last November, I completed Write of Passage¹. I published three essays that made me feel like maybe, just maybe, I could call myself a writer.

But then the program ended, and my brain started to buzz with the usual questions: What should I write about? What should my niche be? What should I call my newsletter? The questions multiplied - I was trying to make art, when I needed to be drawing stick figures.

If I didn't do something, I would spend the next three years thinking about writing, instead of actually writing.

So I joined Michael Dean's Essay Club ² in December 2024. Every month, we commit to what we will publish. Michael keeps us accountable, offers guidance, and best of all – tracks our publishing streaks.

I blew it in December. Work, travel, holidays – the usual suspects. Now it's January 30, and I'm making the same excuses. But this time, I'm publishing, even if it means giving up hours of polishing.

Becoming a 💩 Writer

I was inspired by John Min's "my new identity is being a shit writer" post³. It's raw. It's unfiltered. It's uncapitalized. But It's also real. It's honest. And it shows the courage to share something that isn't polished to perfection. Henrik Karlson⁴, Michael Dean⁵, and Becky Isjwara⁶ create similar spaces – little corners of the internet where "not ready" is perfectly acceptable.

There's something beautifully defiant about publishing writing that isn't "done". It's a way to experiment, break things and figure out what works. Like doodling in the margins, a reminder than not everything I create needs to be a masterpiece.

It's also a way to connect. I'm showing my imperfection and vulnerability hoping to build the kind of relationships online that aren't possible in a world of sterile LinkedIn profiles and curated Instagram stories.

An Invitation 🤝

So here I am, writing this not-quite-perfect piece, publishing it before it's "ready."

It's a quiet rebellion against my own struggles with perfectionism.

A toe-dip into the water of vulnerability.

And an invitation to join me in this messy middle – where we're all figuring it out, one imperfect post at a time.

Thanks to

Michael Dean

,

John Min

,

Becky Isjwara

,

Danny Oak

,

Claire Coley

,

John Min

for the push to publish!

1. Write of Passage

2. Essay Club

3. my new identity is being a shit writer

4. Having a shit blog has made me feel abundant

5. Michael Dean’s Logs

6. Beck At It Logs