“Writing has always been my favourite form of self-expression. More than design, illustration or photography, even.
I had an Instagram account of 600k+ followers so I know literally what it’s like to not appeal to every side, and people tend to think your role as a content creator is only to do just that, or that as an influencer it is somehow your responsibility to influence your audience to their agendas, or the ones they see as best fitting the general narrative of the modern world.
As a small business owner, I gain no ground in voicing my opinions, because it will always to some degree alienate some, potential clients might turn away, so before you think that speaking out about government, sex trafficking, pornography, or Christianity is in someway financially or business-motivated, I ask you to think again.
The easiest thing we can do is just agree, silently or otherwise, and move forward in a neutral position of saying nothing, knowing full well the less we say the more we have to gain from both perspectives. Because silence seems to be a form of inclusion, it’s without controversy.
But to me an omittance of truth is still a lie.
As a business our aim is to work with anyone who desires high quality product, we don’t expect any one to work with us based on our political or religious beliefs, but the one mistake I made with my larger following was not using it for the good of others.
And while some may feel estranged or uncomfortable with what we have to say, let me assure you I spend a lot of time in thought in regards to our beliefs, and want to use this platform to bring awareness to different perspectives that the world may not always be ready to accept or understand.
We stand for the inclusion of all, the loving of everyone regardless of their belief. How that looks outwardly to everyone is different, and social media is only the thinnest layer of representation. But I believe in our mission to allow a place online for people to coexist, in civil disagreement or otherwise, where we can share in the appreciation of arts while simultaneously sharing just the faintest expression of our hearts as Christians. “ – Christian Watson @1924us
Writing blogs has been extremely difficult for me to share. Not because I have trouble with writing necessarily though. The issue for me is the omittance of truths, as said in the quote above. I’ve written quite a few blog drafts now, but each time I can either never post them or finish them, simply because they don’t sit right with me. And the issue for me was that I was writing them while holding back some of the truth. Up until a couple weeks ago I hadn’t been able to articulate the feeling of discord I felt within my writing. It felt fake. I’d been faced with the reality that I couldn’t remain in my silence. While writing blogs, I believed that, in order to cater to my friends and family that have not yet found faith, I had to appear neutral and moderate. And with most things that require a perspective or stance to be taken, I usually am neutral and moderate; however, that is not the case with Christ for me. In taking that neutral ground, I made the mistake of glorifying what we, as people, were doing instead of God’s hand and what He’s been doing. If people feel that my purpose and my faith give reason to burn bridges with me, all I can do is accept that and love them anyways. Although, I truly do wish to create a culture of inclusion and love for everyone, despite our differences, I cannot continue to share my faith in a moderate manor. Although, I’m no social media influencer or small business owner like Mr. Watson, I share the same heart and spirit as him, and am going to use whatever platform I have for the good of others. I want to bring awareness to the different perspectives that the world may not always be ready to accept or understand, because I believe in the same mission as Christian. I believe that I, along with the help of many others, can create an environment and atmosphere online in which we can coexist, sharing in the appreciation of arts and life while also sharing our hearts as Christians. With that said, I hope you read my blog with an open mind and heart. I hope you get a glimpse into why I am so passionate about what I’m doing. I hope that as I continue walking on this path, you might choose to join me and walk alongside me either vicariously and/or practically in order to build up this culture that I so strongly believe in.
With all of that being said, this blog will be one of (hopefully) a few blogs in a series recapping the past few months I spent in Georgia and Louisiana. Recently there have been a few changes to plans with the World Race, so I have much more time at home filled with a lot of doing nothing. Originally, I was supposed to come home for a week for Thanksgiving, go back to Gainesville for a couple weeks, then come back home for Christmas, and then launch around New Years. Unfortunately, several of my squad mates have tested positive for Covid since going back home for our Thanksgiving break and we will not be going back to Gainesville between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Instead, most of us racers will be home until our launch date to go international. Due to these changes my hope is to utilize this time to share life with anyone willing to spare the time to read whatever I end up putting out over the next month and onward. Feel free to subscribe to my blog, shoot me a message if you have any questions or comments, and maybe even support me by donating or praying. Sending much love to y’all this holiday season!
