Welcome, sorry for the mess. Just sit wherever.
Welcome to my new Xanga Livejournal.
To be honest, I’ve been itching to start a blog since I was in my 20s.
In the heyday of LiveJournal and Xanga, I was actively posting cryptic song lyrics and emo poems daily. There were no algorithms back then. No “growing your online audience.”
But times have changed.
My biggest hurdle to starting a blog is the ego awareness that comes with shining a spotlight on myself and asking other people to look at me. 😳 It feels icky, right?
Social media changed everything. I’m not trying to be overdramatic, but it’s true. Social media introduced us to algorithms, curated & targeted content, and influencers.
Instead of processing our thoughts in long form writing, we now just blast out half-baked quips to get a reaction. And the ones that get the most reaction get boosted to the top of our timeline to keep us scrolling for more.
Like everything else in history, the upside of technology has been diluted and weaponized for the sake of profit.
Wow. I sound like a grumpy old man, but I promise I’m not.
Who am I? What am I doing here?
The natural first question. I’ll keep it brief because much of who I am will come out through my writing, but here’s the TL;DR:
I’m a dude from small town South Carolina who was born in the 80s, grew up in the 90s, and didn’t have a cell phone until college. I have a beautiful wife who loves gardening and 2 boys (a teenager and a 1st grader) who are both incredible little guys. We have a dog, a home, a giant garden, and a lot of love.
I’m a graphic designer and a SEO specialist who works in marketing. I’m a business owner with a day job. So yeah, pretty busy.
My favorite TV show is Severance and my favorite movie is Mission Impossible 2.
That’s good, for now I think.
Why start blogging now?
Why pick 2025 as the time to finally put my reservations aside and do this thing?
There are a few main reasons for me to do this now.
1. We could all use a little more self-awareness.
In the past few years I’ve come to realize how beneficial writing can be for processing my life, my feelings, my worries, and even my hobbies. Don’t worry, I have a journaling app for all the gushy, feely stuff so that won’t be here.
But I’ve learned that self-reflection is a game-changer for personal growth and development. Growth and development lead to more joy, for me at least.
So whether anyone reads it or not, this blog gives me an outlet to increase my own awareness, making me happier. I’m sure there’s a scientific reason for this, but I just know from experience that it works.
2. Community is a good thing.
Another reason I’m starting this blog is to essentially find my people. I have a lot of random interests. I’ll probably write about most of them at one time or another. My hope is that like-minded people will find me, connect with me, and community will grow out of it.
A genuine community where no one’s trying to sell anyone anything, we just like talking about the same stuff. Something that, again, makes people happy.
3. I like to create content. 🤷♂️
When I was a kid I used to sit in my bedroom with a dual-cassette boombox and pretend I was a radio DJ. Introducing each song to my stuffed animals in my best little radio voice.
My Dad was a radio DJ before I was born, so maybe that inspired me. Or maybe I just loved music so much and back then the radio was where you heard music so I wanted to be part of bringing that to the world.
Either way, as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to be a conduit for bringing media to people.
Whether audio, video, photo, or text, I get excited about the idea of helping bring good content into the world.
With that in mind, don’t be shocked if this blog also includes video, audio, and/or musical content from time to time. It’s in my blood.
What kind of content can you expect?
Like all of us, my interests aren’t limited to one thing. I’ve never been one to try and pigeon-hole myself or stake my identity in one defining hobby or interest.
So this blog will likely be an amalgamation of several different things that occupy my brain throughout any given day.
Music
As previously mentioned, music has always been a major part of my life. I know I know…everyone likes music. But my attachment to music borders on addiction.
Music has the power to alter my state of mind. It’s how I define sections of my life. Almost every impactful memory I have is tied to a song.
So there will be content here about music.
Album reviews
Playlists I’m listening to
New artists I find
Historical artists and songs
Wherever the music takes me, I’ll go.
Art & design
Music is art, yes. But visual art & design is also a big part of my life.
My day job is as a graphic and web designer, so much of my brain power is spent creating, finding, and imitating good visual design.
These days, that’s mostly online through website design, but lately, I’ve started trying to learn how to draw. Like pencil to paper (or Apple Pencil to iPad).
So you’ll likely see some artistic content here as well.
My artwork as I try to grow my skills
Various artistic principles I’m learning
Examples of art & design I like
Marketing
Graphic designers are also marketers these days. My previously mentioned day job is aimed specifically at digital marketing as is my SEO business. So with years of experience marketing products and services online, I have thoughts.
Some days I may be discovering new marketing principles, case studies, or just pointing out cool ads that I think are effective.
Either way, it is sure to creep its way into this blog at some point.
Family & parenting
I can assure you, I will not get personal on this blog. Mainly because I’m a fairly private person.
However, I am a husband and a dad, and these 2 roles are more important to me than any other in my life. So I’ll probably share stories, lessons learned, and general observations related to both.
Other stuff
Those are the main points, but the list of other random interests I have will probably creep their way into this blog at some point.
Pro wrestling
Sports (Braves, Bengals, Man City)
Technology
80s/90s nostalgia
Malls & dead malls
So there we go. I’m doing this.
If you know me and consider me a friend, I’d love for you to follow along.
If you’re a stranger but some of my words resonate with you, I’d love you to join me here.
Obligatory: Please subscribe, like, comment, and share. Whether we like or not, algorithms now control our ability to get our content to the world. So every little bit helps. Thanks!