An Introduction
A greeting and foreward on this blog
Beginnings are hard.
I’m not really sure how to start this. Substack has a half-baked introduction/tips template when you go to create your first post, and it seemed like a good spot to jump off from. I suppose this is the beginning.
Why this, why now
For many years I’ve struggled with a dual-desire to remain anonymous and escape scrutiny and praise alike from online spaces, while simultaneously wanting to put my thoughts, feelings and observations out into the world into a formalized and personalized space.
At the time of writing, I’m barely more than a month post-bacc and I’m trying to figure out where to go from here. Part of that process is thinking how to go from here. A former professor and current mentor, Dr. Iain Osgood at the University of Michigan, recommended I start a blog as a way to stay engaged in political science (my major) and produce a collection of works that sharpen my skills and prove my dedication to the subject to future hiring or admission boards.
While that is certainly one of the reasons I’m making this, and likely the primary reason, I hope to use this space to explore my other interests and work through whatever thoughts I might be chewing on. Writing and verbalizing has always been integral to my processing, and I believe this will be a useful tool for that.
Who is this for
This is a place for me. I have no plans to monetize this or build a team of collaborators. Frankly I intend to put a minimal amount of effort into sharing this with anyone else. This is purely for my thoughts, my growth and my use. That being said, I think it’s entirely likely someone else out there could find some benefit from reading what I have to say. If anything I write ever means anything to you, not only are you welcome to stay and read more but I encourage you to write back to me. I’ve always gotten a lot of utility from talking to others around me, and hope that a conversation might be sparked by something I write.
What should you expect
I don’t want to promise you anything: life is in flux currently, and I don’t have any idea on the type or frequency my posting will take. I plan to write about environmental policy, political science at large, philosophy and ethics, and maybe even my own lived experiences. Or, who knows? This may just become another forgotten project never to be used again. In other words you should expect nothing and just see where this goes.
Endings are hard, too
I don’t have anything profound to say, nor some eloquent conclusion that really sums up what I was trying to say above. So, thank you for reading and I hope you’ll stick around.
Moab, Utah - 2022-05 - A roadtrip out West