- Site: arun.is
- By:
- Date published:
- Date read: [[2024-10-04]]
- [Read Original](https://arun.is/blog/blogging-philosophy/)
- [Read on Omnivore](https://omnivore.app/me/three-pillars-of-my-blogging-philosophy-192514a0bb0)
- Tags: #Blogging #Writing
- Notes:
**Note:** Below is the text from the article, with any ==highlights== done by me. None of the writing below is by me.
# Article text
<DIV id="readability-content"><DIV data-omnivore-anchor-idx="1" class="page" id="readability-page-1"><DIV data-omnivore-anchor-idx="2"> <div data-omnivore-anchor-idx="3"> <!-- normal cover --> <p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="4"><img data-omnivore-anchor-idx="5" data-omnivore-original-src="https://arun.is/.netlify/images?url=_astro%2Fcover.BVvuwKIq.jpg&q=100" src="https://proxy-prod.omnivore-image-cache.app/1440x960,sdRpVKvODTfVsJU73dqqG9CyyPAYQ-w7mxsm11KOuaCU/https://arun.is/.netlify/images?url=_astro%2Fcover.BVvuwKIq.jpg&q=100" alt="cover image for Three pillars of my blogging philosophy" width="1440" height="960" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> </p> <!-- cover_wide --> <!-- styles for cover_2 transform --> </div><div data-omnivore-anchor-idx="6"> <astro-island data-omnivore-anchor-idx="7" uid="ZyWjGP" prefix="r0" component-url="/_astro/TableOfContents.DlGmuNK6.js" component-export="TableOfContents" renderer-url="/_astro/client.BY2mA-CD.js" props="{"tableOfContentsItems":[1,[[0,{"url":[0,"#independence"],"title":[0,"Independence"],"items":[1,[[0,{"url":[0,"#i-own-my-platform"],"title":[0,"I own my platform"]}],[0,{"url":[0,"#i-dont-monetize"],"title":[0,"I don’t monetize"]}],[0,{"url":[0,"#i-embrace-obscurity"],"title":[0,"I embrace obscurity"]}],[0,{"url":[0,"#i-make-it-personal"],"title":[0,"I make it personal"]}],[0,{"url":[0,"#i-discover-not-develop-my-voice"],"title":[0,"I discover, not develop, my voice"]}]]]}],[0,{"url":[0,"#creativity"],"title":[0,"Creativity"],"items":[1,[[0,{"url":[0,"#i-dont-stay-in-my-lane"],"title":[0,"I don’t “stay in my lane”"]}],[0,{"url":[0,"#i-embrace-the-medium-hypertext-links-multimedia"],"title":[0,"I embrace the medium (hypertext, links, multimedia)"]}],[0,{"url":[0,"#i-work-gradually"],"title":[0,"I work gradually"]}],[0,{"url":[0,"#i-revisit-and-reference-my-old-posts"],"title":[0,"I revisit and reference my old posts"]}],[0,{"url":[0,"#i-embrace-imperfection"],"title":[0,"I embrace imperfection"]}]]]}],[0,{"url":[0,"#connection"],"title":[0,"Connection"],"items":[1,[[0,{"url":[0,"#i-disable-comments"],"title":[0,"I disable comments"]}],[0,{"url":[0,"#i-own-my-audience-relationship"],"title":[0,"I own my audience relationship"]}],[0,{"url":[0,"#i-write-for-myself"],"title":[0,"I write for myself"]}],[0,{"url":[0,"#i-engage-with-others"],"title":[0,"I engage with others"]}]]]}],[0,{"url":[0,"#of-pixels-and-prose"],"title":[0,"Of pixels and prose"]}]]],"linkColor":[0,"rgb(53,126,221)"],"tocMaxDepth":[0,1],"documentQuery":[0,".md h2[id], .md h3[id], .md h4[id], .md h5[id], .md h6[id]"],"showTop":[0,true],"secondary":[0,false]}" client="load" opts="{"name":"TableOfContents","value":true}" await-children=""></astro-island> <!-- main content --> <div data-omnivore-anchor-idx="8"> <p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="9">This is part of an ongoing series about how this site is made.</p>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="10">This site started with just one tiny post. Seven years ago, while Q and I were
vacationing in Shanghai,
<a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="11" href="https://arun.is/blog/your-native-language/">I noticed something at the Disney Resort there</a>
that I felt was worth telling others about. With that first post, arun.is was
born. I kept iterating on the site, publishing more than a hundred posts,
starting a newsletter, and going through quite a few redesigns and migrations
across stacks.</p>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="12">At first, I had no unifying philosophy for why I continued. It was fun and
challenging and that seemed to be enough. Yet, I wondered from time to time why
I kept doing it. It didn’t provide much financially, and very few of the people
I personally knew seemed to care.</p>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="13">Now, seven years later, I’ve started to understand more clearly why and how
arun.is exists.</p>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="14">I chatted with Manuel Moreale on this topic earlier in the year
<a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="15" href="https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-arun-venkatesan">on People and Blogs</a>. While that
conversation was about the nuts and bolts of my blog, this is about the three
pillars of my blogging philosophy.</p>
<h2 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="16" id="independence">Independence</h2>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="17"><img data-omnivore-anchor-idx="18" data-omnivore-original-src="https://arun.is/.netlify/images?url=_astro%2Findependence.BiUrjILF.jpg" src="https://proxy-prod.omnivore-image-cache.app/1440x754,sjsytcxrvkbGtYNeuPXDIF6-DaeN7HIVQ8-fKjr7uYXQ/https://arun.is/.netlify/images?url=_astro%2Findependence.BiUrjILF.jpg" alt="" width="1440" height="754" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></p>
<h3 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="19" id="i-own-my-platform">I own my platform</h3>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="20">There are many reasons to own your own online presence. For some it’s cheaper.
For others it allows them to avoid censorship. For me, it’s about self
expression. I don’t want this site to be a set of words fit into a predefined
template. I want it to be a reflection of what I find beautiful and interesting.</p>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="21">Given that I believe
<a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="22" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_McLuhan">Marshall McLuhan</a>’s idea that
<a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="23" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_medium_is_the_message">the medium is the message</a>,
it’s a no brainer that I must own every aspect of this site, from how it is
distributed, to the tech stack, and down to the typography.</p>
<h3 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="24" id="i-dont-monetize">I don’t monetize</h3>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="25">When listening to people like <a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="26" href="https://stratechery.com/">Ben Thompson</a> or
<a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="27" href="https://www.platformer.news/">Casey Newton</a> talk about their success as full
time writers, I can find myself daydreaming about doing the same. Once I come
back down to earth, I remember the reality. I don’t write that often. I’m much
too interested in building technology products. Plus, I tried writing for a
gadget blog for a few months and didn’t like it.</p>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="28">Being upfront with myself that this site doesn’t need to provide meaningful
income frees me to focus on its current function as a creative sandbox. It also
keeps the site free of ads and paywalls.</p>
<h3 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="29" id="i-embrace-obscurity">I embrace obscurity</h3>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="30">Since I don’t care about monetization, I also don’t really care about the sheer
volume of visitors. If obscurity is one side, the other side of the coin is
focus. My site as a lighthouse meant to attract likeminded souls. Focus makes
that light brighter.</p>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="31">Over the years, this blog has facilitated new relationships and friendships with
people that I otherwise would have never met.</p>
<h3 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="32" id="i-make-it-personal">I make it personal</h3>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="33">Ben Thompson often talks of the barbell effect where a market can only sustain a
few heavyweights and many small fry with no one in the middle. The media space
is playing out this way.</p>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="34">I don’t consider myself a true player in the media landscape, but I do identify
with the small fry. The power that they have is a level of focus that the
heavyweights could never get down to.</p>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="35">For me, the posts that are the most fun, challenging, and ultimately valuable to
others, have been the ones that I have been personally obsessed with.</p>
<h3 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="36" id="i-discover-not-develop-my-voice">I discover, not develop, my voice</h3>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="37">For some time, I used to be worried that I didn’t have a coherent or polished
style. I would compare my posts to a blog I admired and could see that mine felt
more scatter shot or unrefined.</p>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="38">I tried and failed many times to sit down and establish a style once and for
all. Over time though, I noticed that a style has started to emerge organically.
It encompasses everything from the header images, to the structure of my
writing, to the way I edit my photos.</p>
<h2 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="39" id="creativity">Creativity</h2>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="40"><img data-omnivore-anchor-idx="41" data-omnivore-original-src="https://arun.is/.netlify/images?url=_astro%2Fcreativity.Bs4dfCTf.jpg" src="https://proxy-prod.omnivore-image-cache.app/1440x754,sTLiBSC2-4i_1ZXOFhC9z5510u6R3lLaBBfRAOX0iPH0/https://arun.is/.netlify/images?url=_astro%2Fcreativity.Bs4dfCTf.jpg" alt="" width="1440" height="754" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></p>
<h3 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="42" id="i-dont-stay-in-my-lane">I don’t “stay in my lane”</h3>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="43">Perhaps this is a side effect of having worn a lot of hats in the past, but I
don’t see a lane or beat that I must confine my writing to. It shifts the common
thread among my work from the specific topic to the lens I see through.</p>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="44">As a result, I make surprise connections between disparate topics. For example,
my post about Shanghai’s automotive metamorphosis
<a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="45" href="https://arun.is/blog/shanghai-cars/">started as a simple photoessay</a>, but became an
observation of Chinese technological advancement over many decades.</p>
<h3 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="46" id="i-embrace-the-medium-hypertext-links-multimedia">I embrace the medium (hypertext, links, multimedia)</h3>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="47">Blogs are native to the web, which affords a very different form of consumption
than traditional print media. I love weaving in video, illustration, and
animation into my otherwise static posts. For example,
<a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="48" href="https://arun.is/blog/apple-card/">my post on the Apple Card</a> extensively uses video clips that
illustrate ideas much better than static images could.</p>
<h3 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="49" id="i-work-gradually">I work gradually</h3>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="50">The great thing about websites is that they are software, a medium that lends
itself perfectly to
<a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="51" href="https://brianlovin.com/writing/incrementally-correct-personal-websites">incremental improvement</a>.
Aside from a select few posts like
<a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="52" href="https://arun.is/blog/apple-watch-faces/">my Apple Watch face piece</a> or my
<a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="53" href="https://arun.is/blog/xbox/">Xbox design history</a>, most posts are quite short
and take a few days from start to finish.</p>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="54">For those smaller pieces, thinking small makes getting started easier. It also
encourages regular reflection and improvement.</p>
<h3 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="55" id="i-revisit-and-reference-my-old-posts">I revisit and reference my old posts</h3>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="56">Over time, I have started to see this site more as an interconnected body of
work rather than a list of independent posts (though not quite
<a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="57" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zettelkasten">Zettelkasten</a> level of internal
linking). This helps me break larger ideas down into self contained posts that I
can then link between. When I feel an idea is too big and fractal to fit into
one post, I can slice of just a piece to tackle and leave the rest for later.</p>
<h3 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="58" id="i-embrace-imperfection">I embrace imperfection</h3>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="59">I acknowledge <a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="60" href="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/extras/the-gap">the gap</a> between
my ability and my taste. It has certainly narrowed compared to before. Yet, it
remains and I assume it will remain forever.</p>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="61">By embracing imperfection, I give myself the permission to keep making and
improving, which is the only way to close the gap.</p>
<h2 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="62" id="connection">Connection</h2>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="63"><img data-omnivore-anchor-idx="64" data-omnivore-original-src="https://arun.is/.netlify/images?url=_astro%2Fconnection.CnAQ0S1y.jpg" src="https://proxy-prod.omnivore-image-cache.app/1440x754,sgVd9K6RF9J_vXYLfyhKofa0yhbQloc1Lw_L5q5ZZEmw/https://arun.is/.netlify/images?url=_astro%2Fconnection.CnAQ0S1y.jpg" alt="" width="1440" height="754" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></p>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="65">I don’t support comments on my blog for a few reasons. First, I want to avoid
the cost of filtering spam and content moderation. Second, I’d like to encourage
thoughtful responses by raising the amount of friction required to respond. I
already participate in social media, which is the perfect place for more
ephemeral, short-form conversation. For responses to my posts, I prefer you
reply via email or by responding on your own blog.</p>
<h3 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="66" id="i-own-my-audience-relationship">I own my audience relationship</h3>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="67">It’s important to me that no one stands between me and you. I don’t want a
algorithmic feed deciding when you see my work. I don’t want to lose touch
because a platform changed the way it operates.</p>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="68">Hence, I support RSS for anyone who wants to keep up via an RSS reader. I also
send out <a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="69" href="https://arun.is/subscribe">my newsletter</a>, which has become a home for my smaller,
more transient thoughts and the interesting things I find on the web.</p>
<h3 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="70" id="i-write-for-myself">I write for myself</h3>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="71">A lot of my writing starts with curiosity. A burning question arises that I must
find the answer to. I let my curiosity guide me as I learn the answer. Then, I
write for the previous ignorant version of me. This process solidifies my
understanding while also hopefully providing value for others interested in the
same topics.</p>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="72">This process works even in my photoessays. The act of having to thread together
disparate photos into stories uncovers memories that I though were long lost. I
end up finding hidden meaning or beauty in the places I visited.</p>
<h3 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="73" id="i-engage-with-others">I engage with others</h3>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="74">I’m inspired by the work of others, which in turn is inspired by the work of yet
more people. Currently, I often link to or attribute other’s ideas’. Going
forward, I’d like to view my work more as a conversation with other creators and
more heavily quote and respond to them.</p>
<h2 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="75" id="of-pixels-and-prose">Of pixels and prose</h2>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="76">Looking back at the last seven years, I have realized that this site has become
more than just a collection of posts. It’s an extension of myself and a free
space to explore ideas. The process of exploration has lead me to improve how I
write and think.</p>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="77">A focus on independence and authenticity is what has made this site an extension
of myself instead of a standalone entity. The tradeoff is that this site
provides very little financial value. Though, I’m happy to give that up in light
of the real friendships I have made.</p>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="78">Looking forward, I hope to continue experimenting and refining what has become
my most important form of self-expression. Seven years ago, I couldn’t have
guessed where my blog would have taken me by now. Hence, I don’t know where it
will take me in the future.</p>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="79">I do know that I’m eternally grateful to all of you that have followed my work
and written in.</p>
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="80">Thank you.</p>
<hr data-omnivore-anchor-idx="81">
<p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="82">Thanks to Q for reading drafts of this.</p> </div> <!-- newsletter card --> <div data-omnivore-anchor-idx="83"> <h2 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="84">
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