The Importance of Writing

Why I've returned to writing automotive articles and taking photos.

Allow me to be serious for a second. I promise I'll be brief. The thing is, we live in a vastly different world than we did in the good ole days. And by good ole days, I simply mean a short 7 or 8 years ago. It's really unbelievable how much the world has changed since then. Let's start with the back thens shall we?

Author's note: Please understand that I acknowledge that there is no actual such thing as the good ole days. Every era has its own challenges. But... the fact that I feel compelled to write this disclaimer is proof that those were in fact... the good ole days. Lol and what not.

Back then, our political debates seemed tame compared to now. Bush or Obama. Sure there were heated debates and mudslinging, but nothing even close to the religious-like zealousness party followers have today. The definition of marriage was being debated and in the end the population decided, what's it to me what other people decide to do with their lives. Now entire science/belief systems are being questioned and thoughts and words are being mandated. Flu shots were optional and now, preventional medicines for a certain illness that shall not be named have given big pharma imperialistic authority. A certain court case that was settled many years ago was water under the bridge and it seemed folks were satisfied with simply making their own family decisions, not obsessed with making choices for others. "Wet A$$ Pu**y" was a phrase that only a couple in the throws of intimacy would have dared utter to one another (and even then, I imagine it would be a bit awkward). Now it's the title of a world wide pop music smash hit. Tesla's were just cars from a car company just like any other and those that wanted to buy them could and those that didn't want to didn't. Now, they are symbols of virtue in some circles. And cars like it are being subsidized and even mandated by the world's governments even though studies show that the transition to these vehicles won't make a dent in the global emissions problem. Alrighty... have I fully alienated everyone from every political leaning? Good.

And then there's CAFFEINE GT. The small automotive enthusiast based graphic apparel company. When we first started in early 2020 (before the ... well... you know), our clothing was flying off the digital shelves. Instagram was our friend and things were looking quite promising. Shortly, thereafter, a delightful exercise in freedom and entrepreneurship would turn into a struggle for survival and ultimately a liability. Luckily for me, I never quit my day job and didn't invest life altering amounts of cash into the venture like so many other small business owners and adventurers did during this time. But my writing, attention to detail in photography and real life motorsports adventures did suffer. Partially due to the inability to go anywhere and experience anything and partially because I was consumed with the notion of success. Truth be told, I do well and am quite happy in my normal job, but our current culture has dictated amongst many other things (some of which are mentioned above), that you are not successful unless you are going it alone. I've watched it lead to burn out amongst folks who are ambitious or creative by nature. I've seen people blow right past their own personal boundaries of sharing online in the pursuit of validation. Sharing of a nature that would have had them barred from polite society just a few short years ago. I've seen people spend vast amounts of money to pursue projects just to create content to feed the social media machine with no promise of any financial return. This has all opened my eyes and made me want to simplify. It's made me remember what exactly I loved about participating in car culture in the first place. And it turns out that being true to your passions and not an exaggerated form of them is the true path to happiness. Success is in your own mind. Not anyone else's. I love to share and will continue to do so. And no, this isn't a speech that says "You're perfect without effort.". Nobody is. Work at your craft if that's what you love. But do it because you, yourself love it. Not because you hope others will.

Oh yes... before I go. The importance of writing. What is it? It's the preparation, presentation and preservation of refined thought. The world says people aren't really into this anymore. I personally think the world simply isn't offered this anymore. So please accept this little bit of writing from my little corner of the world. I'll see you in the next article. Enjoy.