Why I Write (And Publish)
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about why I write and publish on Medium so I thought I would go a little meta and…write about it. There are a lot of reasons I could give for why I write and they’re all at least somewhat true but I do think there’s one thing in particular that’s drawn me to writing and publishing, even if I didn’t realize exactly what it was when I started.
What I write about (advertising and brand strategy) is directly related to what I do for a living so that opens up a lot of potential benefits of my writing. I could say that writing and publishing is good practice — that as I progress in my career, writing can become more important so having the practice and being comfortable doing it will help in the long run. I could also say that my writing in-and-of-itself could help advance my career — someone could see my writing, think I’m great, and offer me an opportunity they otherwise wouldn’t have. These may be true but they’re not really why I write. In advertising we already work long hours, partly for the promise of improvement and career advancement. I certainly wouldn’t be spending my free time writing (currently on a Saturday morning on a holiday weekend) if it was strictly an extension of work to help advance my career.
Writing is actually already helping me be better at my job. Writing forces me to succinctly articulate ideas that in some cases have been rattling around in my brain for years. I’ve noticed that once once I’ve taken the time to do that, I’m able to quickly articulate those ideas in meetings, making me a better strategist. But I think that’s still a side benefit of my writing.
The primary reason that I write and publish is that writing is something I have complete control over. I do partly mean that I have control over the content — that I alone decide what I write — but more importantly, I mean that I have control over getting it out into the world. I can write something, hit “publish” and it’s instantly out in the world forever.
Getting ideas out into the world is why I got into advertising. Working in advertising essentially means someone is giving you millions (sometimes hundreds of millions) of dollars to get an idea out into the world that can help people think about something in a new way. And you get to influence what that idea is. It’s a tantalizing prospect. But when you actually work in advertising, and especially in healthcare, it isn’t that simple. I’m constantly frustrated by the limited opportunities to get work out into the world and the enormous amount of work we’re asked to do that I know will not meaningfully contribute to an idea that anyone will be exposed to. I should also mention my personal bad luck of having spent two years working mostly on one brand and doing great work only to have the FDA decline the product and have all that work just disappear before it ever saw the light of day. So I write.
I recently started posting some of my old articles on LinkedIn and I’ve been blown away by the amount of engagement I’ve gotten with them. But even that isn’t why I write. Even when it’s just my parents and one friend reading my articles, I still feel great putting something of my own out into the world. (If there was a second reason I write, it would be simply because I love doing it and I feel invigorated when I do. Getting ideas out into the world is just why I love doing it). I love the notion of creating a record of my thoughts and opinions that I can look back on. I love creating something tangible about which I can always think to myself, ‘I did that, I can be proud of that.’ And mostly, I love creating something permanent that maybe one day someone will read and be inspired by. That’s why we do what we do in advertising. At least, that’s why I do it. And that’s why I write.