Blogging on Eggshells: Why I Write What I Think, Sometimes Swear, and Draw Dirty Pictures

Yesterday I received a message from a very cool person requesting that I do what I thought was a very uncool thing. She asked me to remove the drawing of a naked woman that sometimes appears in the box on the right hand side of this blog. She went onto explain her reasons for this. I read them and then politely informed her that I would not be honoring her request.

First of all, it’s not actually a drawing of a naked woman. It’s a drawing of a statue of a naked woman, displayed on the campus grounds of a university. A Catholic university, by the way.

Second of all, the only things I find objectionable about the image are my pitiful drawing skills, which is why I leave it there. Every time I see that drawing and the handful of others I’ve included, they speak to me. They say, “Hey, we’re lonely. When are you going to draw some more pictures?” and “Didn’t you have an intention to actually get better at this? So what gives, buddy?

And last but not least, if someone really finds the image offensive, they have two options. They can either choose not to visit my blog, which I hope is not the case, or they can refresh the page. The images randomly rotate and you can change them by right clicking and selecting that option.

I Don’t Mean to Offend, but Don’t Mean to Pretend Either

Please understand, it’s not my intention to offend anyone, but this is a blog about living a creative life. If I start removing anything that bugs someone, it’s tantamount to me telling you to unleash your creativity, to be authentic, and to freely express yourself as long as it doesn’t upset anyone. Goodbye, Inspiration. Hello, Puritanism.

There are people in this world who are offended by the wearing of the color purple, who think people should only dress in earth tones. There are people who think women should cover up everything but their eyes. There are people who think that art is a waste of time, that children should be seen and not heard, and that everyone should speak English. I wish these people well, but I don’t hang out with them. We don’t have much in common.

I’ve also had the experience, as I’m sure you have too, of being part of companies and organizations that expected you to dress a certain way, talk a certain way, and walk a certain way. There were things you could never say, thoughts you were never supposed to even have. I’m trying to escape that life. I’ll be, excuse me, damned if I jump right back into it here. Oh, that reminds me. Sometimes I swear.

#@!#*!

I don’t lace my posts with f-bombs. It’s not in my nature to do so in front of strangers, but I’ve been known to do so in the company of friends who don’t mind that sort of thing. It’s really about comfort. But then I have no problem at all reading the blog of someone like Naomi Dunford of IttyBiz.com who cusses like a sailor with a damaged frontal lobe. It’s who she is and I find her writing to be potent, funny, and straight shooting. She writes what she thinks and I love her for it. And in my case, sometimes a four letter word says what I feel in a way that four pages never could.

This is My Brain. This is My Brain on a Blog.

I also try to write what I think and what I truly believe because I don’t want to mislead you, and I don’t want to wake up one morning in a cold sweat thinking, “Oh no. What if they find out who I really am?” I’ve done enough hiding and pretending in my life.

An Easier Approach

When you create a work of art, or start a blog, or build a business, you have to decide who you are or at least who you wish to be and then, based on that, decide what kind of people you wish to attract. You can find a lot of advice suggesting you do it the other way. Find a market and then become whatever that market wants you to be. I think that’s a hard road to travel. It’s not much different than going to work for an employer who expects you to check your soul at the door. I’d rather decide who I am and what I have to offer, look for people who appreciate both, and do my best to serve them. I’d recommend you do the same thing.

And Just So Ya Know. . .

One last thing. I drink beer. Some people don’t like that either, so I included a drawing of two empty beer bottles for today’s post. Now they’ll know what kind of rascal they’re dealing with.

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Tagged as: Authenticity