I am going to be completely honest with you. I have been planning on starting a blog for over 5 years and always put it off. Finally after delaying it for the longest time, I have put in the couple hours to start one, and I am going to tell you why I think now is the best time for you to start one too.
The idea sparked when I first fell in love with filmmaking and the thriving online community that surrounded it. I wanted to be apart of this community and share my voice.
I dove head first into something I loved
I knew that I had lots to learn before I even began trying to share things, let alone trying to teach others. After buying my first camera and building a hackintosh computer, I spent every spare second I had researching filmmaking. Those were the days of countless test videos as I strove endlessly to achieve a cinematic look from my Canon DSLR.
The passion to share grew, but my desire and confidence was slowly choked out
The more and more I thought about sharing my voice, the more and more I asked myself “why is my voice worth sharing?” I looked out into the sea of the internet and saw so many other people with far greater talent than myself already contributing and writing great content. I had a fear that people wouldn’t care, that no one would respect anything I created.
I regret not sharing when I first started
Back in those beginning beginning days (i still very much feel like a beginner), I regret not having shared my journey. There were many things I was learning that would have been helpful for others, but unfortunately I never did the work to get it out there.
I had a mindset of, ‘one day when I make it I will be able to share.’
I didn’t know then that every persons perspective was valuable to others. I certainly didn’t feel as though the perspective I had could be of any benefit to others. I still don’t feel that, but I am beginning to fight those fears and start sharing always.
The truth is, there will always be people who can learn from you.
When I began thinking of sharing, I only thought about those who had ‘already made it’ in the industry. Those who already made great content. I figured they would never want to read my stuff, yet I forgot to account for the growing masses of others like myself who were hungry for knowledge about just starting out. I could have been helping countless people grow and pursue their passion over the past years. I've missed a great opportunity, yet its not to late.
I still don’t feel ready to share, but I am going to anyways.
though I have spent the last 5 years learning everything I can, I still don’t feel ready to start. I am going to fight this fear, I have decided to start sharing now. Even though I know just a year from now I will have grown so much more, that is totally okay. I realized I am okay with being wrong, I am okay with not being the best, and I have finally decided I don’t want to let those things get in the way of helping others.
I have believed for so long that there is so much value in the journey.
It’s time for my attitude of sharing with others to reflect this. I don’t want to just make it one day and then start writing. I know deep down that it wont be relatable, it will be hard to inspire others that they can do the same. People learn from watching others struggle and overcome with strength and courage.
I have seen this clearly through examples like Dave Dugdale over at learningdslrvideo.com. This guy is a self declared learner and sharer, I love that about him.
He knows that he is not the top expert in his field, but he is committed to helping others grow from what he is learning all the same. Through the archive of his blog you can see this extensively mapped out journey in his pursuit of growing as a filmmaker. He didn’t get to where he is over night and his blog is a testament to this. It is an inspiration to others by simply existing.
Now is the time to share everything you know.
What have you been waiting too long to start sharing? I am sure for you as well there are things you are incredibly passionate about. What are the things that all your close friends know you for and ask questions about? You don’t deny them and tell them to come back in 5 years when you are better, no, you share with them from where you are at. I want to encourage you to start doing the same with others on the internet. Sure it can be scary, people can be mean, but I know it will be worth it.
Put in the couple hours of work to get a blog running, start something simple and just start creating.