Posted on 8th January 2026

Express yourself...

A soundbite that's difficult to live by

Well, it has been a busy time since I last made a post on my blog. But the hiatus hasn't been because of a lack of time for the odd bit of writing. I've written several posts, some of which when I read back aren't too bad in terms of content and quality. So why haven't I published them?

Turns out this is not a simple question to answer! I've had some interesting thoughts and things to say. In the past that's been enough for me to get on and publish them, even though I know the readership of this blog is minimal - I get something out of it which is enough for me. Lately, I've just not felt the compulsion to publish any of my writing, which is also fine.

The root of why I haven't published anything in a while, I think, is that I don't feel this has been the best way of burning off some creative energy and expressing myself. Sometimes I've literally been too exhausted to write or in a creative lull. But that's not it - I think the problem is writing hasn't been the best format to express some of the things I want to lately. And to be honest most of my life the problem with a lot of creative endeavours I've tried is that I'm also not entirely sure what I do want to express a lot of the time!

Part of the problem is spending too much time sitting in front of a screen and part of it has been spending too much time doing this in the same place. When you do the same thing for work and pleasure it wears you out. That's why I got into working on cars which, while it can be therapeutic, doesn't scratch the creative itch.

As well as enjoying a bit of writing, I used to draw and play music, mostly guitar. Not amazingly well but I got a lot out of it. I've started dabbling a bit with those things again, as well as some photo editing. I've found it quite enjoyable to try to express myself a bit more that way. Even simple things like playing with the light in photo editing software to better reflect how I remember / perceive certain events (taking a leaf out of the Impressionist playbook) has brought me some satisfaction.

Connect first, create afterwards

I think to express something of interest, especially if you want to capture the interest of others, you first have to connect with it. Part of the problem is; with the usual things like work and events in one's personal life swirling around, consuming a complex mix of energy and emotion, there isn't much space for that first step: Connecting with something in a deep and meaningful way.

So while I do want to express myself and share the results with others in some creative ways, I don't think I can really do any of that effectively without first creating some space to connect with things and draw inspiration from them. Therefore the upshot of all this introspection is, difficult as it may be to achieve, I think prioritising some time immersing myself in things that resonate with me is something I want to do.

I'd like to spend more time in nature, explore more of other people's creative work and visit different places, soaking up what I can from being immersed in different spaces. Some of these things can only be done by getting out and travelling more. And some simply require taking a bit of time out in an ordinary day to disconnect from other distractions, and focus on enjoying one simple thing at a time. For example listening to music without doing any other task at the same time - how often do any of us really do that in our fast-paced modern lives?!

Increasingly in today's world I think we are all searching for something to bring us a bit of meaning and satisfaction, beyond mundane daily life and the often depressing gloom of being 'online'. Some of that meaningful satisfaction can be found right on our doorstep and we just need to take the time to appreciate it, and some of it requires reaching a little further. With that in mind, without making too grand a 'new year's resolution', I want to make this year one where I explore and connect more, outside of work and the day-to-day routine of life.

Going forward

I guess what I'm saying, as far as this blog goes, is that I've enjoyed writing in it over the few years. At times it has satiated some desire to express myself. However this may not be how I express myself creatively as often going forward. So many things are cyclical and I'm sure writing will one day be something I'll want to prioritise again in future, and hopefully when I've got something I really want to say! But I'm happy exploring other avenues for creativity for now.

For anyone who is still reading this, one thing I do want to express is that if I can encourage you to do anything in particular this year, let it be to prioritise the things and people you love and choose kindness and compassion over aggression and hostility. Because that's how we all thrive and prosper.

This post is also a reminder to myself when I come back to it that if I can manage to do a little more of any of these things this year, I must be doing something right!