Getting over the fear of blogging
The idea of setting up a personal blog has been swirling around in my head for some time, but I’ve never quite managed to shake the nagging suspicion that writing about my own experiences, ideas, and life would come across as supremely narcissistic. That feeling has always made me avoid it.
However, after reading Austin Kleon’s book Show Your Work, I had a change of heart. That book—and the fact that joining the University of Cambridge seemed like it would be a great time for fresh start—convinced me to finally kick off this blog with a rather meta post attempting to convince myself that blogging is a good idea.
To keep it simple (and to get back to my International Relations work that I should have been focusing on over the break), I’ve decided to structure this post as a listicle. I’ll walk through the major concerns I had before starting this blog and the reasons why I now feel they are invalid. A quick disclaimer: The responses you’re (hopefully) about to read are by design, specific to my own circumstances. I hope that some readers will be able to draw parallels with their own lives, and may perhaps move a step closer to sharing their own work/ideas, but if anyone’s looking for some proper convincing, please do read Show your Work. With that said, let’s jump straight into it.
Concern 1: “No one will care what I have to say”
A lot of people get imposter syndrome when they write. This concern stems from the general fear that what we have to say isn’t interesting to anyone else. Who am I to say these things? Why would someone care about the musings of some random 20-something guy writing about his life and thoughts?
One “correct” response is that “it doesn’t matter if no one else cares—you should write for yourself!”. While valid and having merit, it’s not the reason that convinced me. Instead, I found that asking, “Will this be interesting or useful to at least one person in the world?” is a better approach. If the answer is “yes” or “maybe,” you should go for it.
Here’s a quote by Annie Dillard that stuck with me:
“The impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.”
Let’s take this particular post as an example. Will it be useful or interesting to the majority of people? Unlikely. It might not resonate with everyone, but if it encourages just one person to start doing something that they have held themselves back from doing, such as starting their own blog or a business, or even if it piques the interest of friends or family, it will have been worth it. As long as it helps, or at least has the potential to help at least one person get over the emotional baggage of putting themselves out there then I’m happy.
Concern 2: “I’m not good enough to write about this”
It’s easy to feel like you’re not experienced enough to write publicly, let alone offer advice on a topic. But in the chapter titled “Be an amateur”, Austin Kleon’s Show Your Work makes a compelling point: you don’t need to be an expert to share your journey.
Kleon encourages embracing the role of an amateur, quoting Clay Shirky:
“On the spectrum of creative work, the difference between the mediocre and the good is vast. Mediocrity is still on the spectrum; you can move from mediocre to good in increments. The real gap is between doing nothing and doing something.”
Kleon then goes on to say:
“Amateurs know that contributing something is better than contributing nothing… [They] might lack formal training, but they’re all lifelong learners, and they make a point of learning in the open, so that others can learn from their failures and successes.”
I hope that by documenting my journey online, others will be able to learn from it.
And let’s not forget C.S. Lewis, who said:
“Two schoolboys can solve difficulties in their work for one another better than the master can. The fellow-pupil can help more than the master because he knows less. The difficulty we want him to explain is one he has recently met. The expert met it so long ago he has forgotten”.
And finally, yet another quote that ends Kleon’s chapter:
“The best way to get started on the path to sharing your work is to think about what you want to learn, and make a commitment to learning it in front of others… Be on the lookout for voids you can fill with your own efforts, no matter how bad they are at first. Don’t worry, for now, about how you’ll make a career off it. Forget about being an expert or a professional, and wear your amateurism (your heart, your love) on your sleeve. Share what you love, and the people who love the same things will find you”.
The book is certainly worth reading! The key point to take from it is that experts can write for both beginners and other experts, but amateurs can write for other amateurs having learnt something, and can often explain that concept better than an expert can. So even if I’m not an expert in everything I write about, I can still share insights from my experiences—and sometimes, that’s all that matters.
Concern 3: “People will think I’m really self-centred”
The first thing to realise is that most people are too busy with their own lives to think much about you at all, let alone think that you’re self-centred/narcissistic. In the too often quoted words of Eleanor Roosevelt:
“You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.”
On top of that, if what you’ve written is useful or interesting, why would anyone think badly of you for sharing it? I’ve read countless blogs about design, tech, or travel, and various other things, and not once have I thought, “Wow, this writer is self-obsessed and narcissistic for sharing their knowledge.” I imagine most readers feel the same way about the things they read.
Finally, for the sake of argument, let’s assume there are a few people who might end up thinking I’m being self-centred. The obvious response is, ‘So what?’. A plethora of books and articles have been written about how we shouldn’t care so much about what others think, so I won’t even try to expand on the point—an important point to make regardless.
Closing Thoughts
So there it is. This post doesn’t aim to cover all the benefits of writing or to make an exhaustive case for starting a blog. Instead, it’s more of a reflection on the personal hurdles I had to overcome before committing to this.
So, I’m taking the plunge, sharing my work, and if you’re reading this, maybe you’ll feel inspired to do the same. On some level I think I’m also doing this in the hope that if someone does think I’m ridiculously self-obsessed for having a personal blog, they’ll see this post and change their mind. We all have our struggles.
Avi is an International Relations scholar with expertise in science, technology and global policy. Member of the University of Cambridge, Avi’s knowledge spans key areas such as AI policy, international law, and the intersection of technology with global affairs. He has contributed to several conferences and research projects.
Avi is passionate about exploring new cultures and technological advancements, sharing his insights through detailed articles, reviews, and research. His content helps readers stay informed, make smarter decisions, and find inspiration for their own journeys.