I never explained the unofficial motto of this blog.

When I started this blog 20 years ago, I wanted to have a north star guiding me as to why I was doing this at all. I searched the internet for quotes on writing and came across this gem from Edwin Schlossberg:

The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think.

Around that time, I also bought an iPod Photo. I had dreams of recording my ideas before transcribing them — which I never realized — so I decided to advantage myself of the free laser engraving that Apple was offering at the time.

Unfortunately, it didn’t fit, so I trimmed it down to: Write to create context for another to think. which is how that became the unofficial motto.

Over time, I realized I engage in three different forms of writing: normally, programming, and with photography. That’s how I ended up adding this as a motto to my Twitter profile in 2006: “light writing, word loving, ❤ coding.” I like the regular writing bridges the other two. I hope, whether it’s in code, or with photos, or just here, I am still creating context.

Why I finally wrote this down.

A bot at work asked, “What’s one of your favorite quotes and why?” and so here this is: finally written down. So meta.

As a side note, one of my co-workers posted the meme: Have you ever had a dream like this?

And another posted the video where he’s grown up and explains what he was thinking:

I’ve noticed that until recently Benjamin would constantly do this same sort of stuttering when he’s talking — or, as I like to call it, “ dropping the knowledge bombs on us.” Part of it is because he is left-handed and his old preschool didn’t realize this; the rest is his mind is so clearly so far ahead of his mouth.

It’s happening less. I think, like his dad, he’s learning to have his mouth speak as fast as his mind races. He’s become quite the talker!

Wait, does this mean there’s an official motto?

Of course, but that’s a different story for a different time.