The Economics of Self-Expression

Hello, tender friends!

This blog is a case in point of something I learned in econ class back in college. It was somewhat ironic: I was actually tutoring the classmate who said this because I was acing the class and he wasn’t.

(Harvest setup outside church. We look like that because the sun was brutally in our eyes).

He told me that no economic model was truly useful because no economic model has ever been able to successfully predict human behavior. I hadn’t considered this. I was doing well in the course, but I was clearly ignorant of the broader picture.

I’m thinking about this as I’ve renewed my WordPress plan because there’s no economic model that can calculate the value of creative expression. This blog is one of the ways that I nourish my inner freedom. And while I technically am losing money, I’m gaining sanity and creative momentum with each post.

Maybe it’s a product of getting older, but I’m increasingly grateful for the gift of being able to say what I want to say how I want to say it. Because I don’t have sponsorships associated with this blog, no one owns my words but me. I’m not afraid of losing readers or losing any financial benefit associated with this blog.

I’ve noticed that this isn’t the glorious case for everybody. Some bloggers, even seasoned ones, spend significant time lamenting the fact that they don’t have more readers. They seem to be searching for how to attract them instead of writing what lights their soul on fire.

I read this recently on Thomas Undstatt’s blog:

“We all have themes in our work, and if you’re trying to write something you’re not true to just because you’re trying to cater to someone, it will stifle your creativity and make you less productive. Most importantly, you’re not going to have as much fun, and if you’re not having fun, the reader can tell.”

While I can’t say that always having fun is how I feel while writing this blog, I can say that I write about topics that are meaningful to me and that I enjoy exploring more through writing. In both small ways and big ones, I light my own soul on fire because the world will burn you otherwise.

(This little guy is one of the writing topics that’s meaningful to me).

I hope you, dear tender friends, can tell!

That’s all for today, tender friends! Thank you so much for stopping by! I’ll be sharing part 2 of this post on Thursday and a fall food post on Monday.

Thank you for sharing!

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Comments (

13

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  1. Gary Fultz

    Blogging, at most for me, is a hobby. When I have something (hopefully worthwhile) to share, I try to find the time to put out a post. I have no idea what my stats are, so I look them up every once in awhile. There is a learning curve to understanding the stats…
    I do make friends from afar off, and that is a good thing. Bloggers seem to be thinkers and that challenges me. Another good thing.

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    1. Stacey

      I agree that it’s fun to make friends from afar. I love seeing what other people have in their gardens so much!

      I agree that they are mostly thinkers too. I just found out from a fellow blogger that George foreman was a boxer who experienced God and became a minister. When I told my husband, he informed me that that was old news, but it was new to me! His story is truly inspiring!

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  2. Jon

    I hope to leave each reader happy to have invested the time to read what I have written and to bring glory to God in the process. That is certainly what brings me back to your posts.

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    1. Stacey

      The older I get, the more excited I get to glorify God.

      And yes, I feel you on not wasting people’s time!

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  3. LoveLifeHappiness&More💙💙

    Thanks for sharing

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    1. Stacey

      Thank you for reading!

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  4. Regal woman@TransamEagle

    You are very good at self-expression. After taking a social style class for work, I found that I’m expressive and a bit analytical, amiable under pressure with a competitive conflict style. It does make a difference when we understand our social styles. (We did the class for customer service-when someone is different- how to adjust our style to help them feel more comfortable).

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    1. Stacey

      That sounds like such a cool class, Teresa! remember taking the strengths finder inventory for work years ago and discovering I’m actually a robot- my analytic scores were so high! It’s also cool that you learned how to adjust to make others feel more comfortable. What a compassionate approach.

      Thank you for the kind words about self-expression!

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  5. Silent Knight

    Warning Message: 🚨

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  6. Awakening Wonders

    I appreciate what is on your mind – keep creating!

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    1. Stacey

      I love hearing what’s on your mind too, Mary! From autumn leaves to homemade bread to handmade quilts, there’s always a kaleidoscope of colors and flavors!

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  7. ladysheepdog

    I blog what I want, when I want or what I see I’m led to, when I feel/see I’m led to. I don’t necessarily cater to the wants and likes of others, though I do want my readers to come away with something. I want conversation more than numbers, which actually makes me want low numbers as I wouldn’t be able to converse with more than a certain (whatever that is) amount of participants. But the likes button does show how many people read any given post, or at least took the time to click the like button.

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    1. Stacey

      Sounds like you own your words too, Susan! I know what you mean about enjoying conversation. While I don’t engage in controversy for the sake of controversy, it’s nice to hear what people have to say and to know if it emotionally resonates with them.

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