After my initial blog post I received a note from another blogger offering tips and suggestions to make my blog site prettier – adding photos to support the text was one of them. I struggle with this idea and here’s why.

I love printed language; the very idea that symbols arranged in a specific order on a page can take someones breath away, crinkle their heart, make them weep or coil back in horror, illuminates the power of the printed word.  Words do not need to be embellished with a photo to make them more powerful – they can stand alone. They are enough.

While reading, my mind creates its own images to support the text, firing up more brain cells and allowing for creative interpretation as opposed to being given an image, or someone else’s idea of what it would or could look like. Photos rob the brain of its ability to paint its own canvas using the palette of experiences gathered over a lifetime.

Because of this my posts will most likely remain unadorned – simple text upon a white page, put there for you to enjoy. Words and letters arranged in a specific order to capture a moment in time, convey a feeling, or share a story that needs telling. That is the art of writing – powerful in its purity.

Whoa…wait a minute. Rewind. Soon I will be posting travel photos which will most certainly be supported by text. Have I just undone all of the above? Hmm, typical of life – there are no absolutes!

If I really want to take Brene Brown’s wisdom to heart and lean toward being more authentic and brave then this is the place to start.  Keeping a blog of travel insights and experiences that I know other people will read makes me feel vulnerable. Feeling vulnerable is never comfortable  – but it is brave. I also need to tame my inner critic who frequently rears her ugly head and advises against sharing my writing because it isn’t perfect.  If this blog could be the death of her then I would rise victorious!