It’s been over a year since I’ve actively posted on this website. As mentioned, that’s because of a WordPress issue that I couldn’t get past until I called in an expert this last week. But, I’ve come to realize that it’s been more than a media error that’s keeping me from writing. Over the last five to six years, my professional roles have changed the course of my work week. I’ve grown into leadership roles where the bulk of my time is spent pitching ideas to stakeholders, building and managing teams, and developing long-term strategies or roadmaps for social channels, campaigns, or brand initiatives; all of which gives me immense energy and excitement. But the moment you’re diving in deep on a 1-4 year strategic roadmap, complete with budget and a hindsight from a previous season, you find yourself spending less time in the thick of it. And to be honest, sometimes I miss it. (Note: When it’s Sunday night and you’re reviewing metadata tags for a video that goes live in a few hours… I don’t miss it one bit). Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s not uncommon for me to spend a few hours each week writing headlines, tweaking social copy, building episode concepts for a new YouTube series, or reviewing scripts for an upcoming shoot. I’m not a micromanager sitting on top, playing golf three days a week and calling it work. But I’m realizing how much less I write in these blog or email-styled formats.
Less content creation.
More frameworks.
Less single-post engagements with the customer.
More reports and pitch decks.
Less writing.
More one-on-one meetings.
And while I can lean into Grammarly to guide me through my punctuation issues, I can only assume that I’ve built a sentence or two incorrectly in the paragraph above. I love a good semicolon and have been known to abuse it from time to time. One of the primary reasons why I started this website 10 years ago was to serve as an outlet for my own content creation. I challenged myself to package up stories, experiences, and ideas in a way that was suited well for the internet of things, which was becoming a prevalent part of my career. I never longed to become a full-time blogger, and I really haven’t pursued that basic millennial mentality of being an influencer (although my dog Penelope could really use a few more followers). But I’m confident that writing food blogs, getting in front of the camera to tell stories, and making brand music videos to win free food helped get me to where I am today on the brand side of things. It gave me perspective and insight into the process, and helps negotiate contracts with ambasasdors and influencers. It also helped me come to appreciate people who are creating thoughtful content with purpose. In many ways, being on the other side of the content creation landscape is a lot like how those moments in the weeds of social content keeps me connected and relatable to the team that’s keeping our best-in-class social media machine running every day of the week. But I’m challenging myself to get back on it and to write more content for me. And for you, too. So, here’s to being hopeful that I can hone in on my writing skills and get some ideas across without planting a three-tiered pyramid slide in front of you.