This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Webb Weekly, for which I have been writing since 2019. As I reflect on the fact that I have written almost 200 articles for the publication in that time, I think about how much I value the creative freedom that the publisher, Jim Webb, and editor, Steph Nordstrom, have given me. Too often, writers are micromanaged and are limited by what advertisers want to see and what editors think people want to read. Blessedly, I have not had those same restrictions.
I have been a writer for most of my adult life and have always used it as a means to exercise my curiosity as well as an artistic outlet. As is evidenced by the range of topics I have covered, my interests vary widely. A number of years ago, as I was leaving another publication, I had an idea for a general wellness and lifestyle column. I reached out to a former colleague and simply asked if the Webb Weekly might be interested in my articles. He quickly responded that their editor would be in touch. Soon after, I received an email stating that, yes, they would like to publish my articles, and, other than a rough word count, I had no major restrictions. Well, to a writer, that is about as good as it gets.
Sometimes this creative freedom works well, and I am happy with my article; other times, it does not, and when I read my article in the physical publication, I find things I would have written differently. The great thing, however, is that I always have the ability to push artistic boundaries and to express myself in a way that gives me a sense of pride.
As I mentioned, I am a very curious person. Each week I write about something that I find inspiring or that I was interested in researching. My main areas of interest are wellness and the improvement of key quality-of-life indicators such as health, exercise, stress management, and time in nature. I am, however, also interested in writing about topics such as leadership styles, sociological relationships, and how different groups of people are connected. Occasionally I am offered assignments which involve writing articles about not-for-profit businesses that are working toward improving our community or interviewing one of the many great athletes in our region. I like to think that in addition to simply being fun to write that working on these articles gives me a bit of an intellectual workout since it forces me to research topics that may be unfamiliar.
All of us need to feel creative in some way. Whether you write articles, fix cars, look through a microscope, or build furniture in your spare time, we all need an outlet. It doesn’t need to be a form of “art” exactly; creativity is simply a means of self-expression. Creativity allows us to push the boundaries of what we thought were our capabilities into areas that were previously inconceivable. I believe that to be the best version of ourselves; we need to find that which brings us joy, develop it, and then ultimately share it with others. So, be creative and take chances. Sometimes it will be great, and sometimes it won’t, but it will always be an expression of you.
