About Me
They include the link to this page as part of the default header, and if I was better at WordPress I would have figured out how to remove it. How does one distill a person to a paragraph?
On a prior blog, and in many social media bios, I maneuvered around the narrowness of this entry by simply stating my name followed by “etc…” A simple enough dodge, I am who I am and a bunch of other stuff.
etc…
A simple way of implying the unspecified continuation of a list of similar items, as in to say: I am a student of nature, history, literature, poetry, humanity etc… The term leaves room for interpretation and widens the realm of possibility to the scope of imagination. Without edging too closely to a shallow form of dilettantism (the jack of all trades, master of none), my “etc…” merely implies a list which desires to remain unbounded; interests, attributes and curiosities unchecked. I don’t claim to be an expert in many subjects (or any for that matter), but rather have curiosity, and fondness, for a number of topics which ultimately combine to form who I am.
Not wanting to be associated with too many specific classification points, or to be put into too many boxes, I like to consider my interests, beliefs and curiosities to be multifaceted and yet connected. To clarify this point by means of a metaphor, the view of a tree in any discrete sense, either focusing on the roots, the leaves or the trunk would yield a very narrow understanding and definition of what a tree is. Instead, one must step back and view the organism from afar to fully appreciate the symbiosis of the distinct parts and how they comprise the totality of the “tree.” With such a vantage and the resulting level of appreciation, one can see how a tree becomes: roots, branches, leaves, trunk, home, shelter, strength, resource, being etc…
The tenuous thread of my tactic here is beginning to unravel, so what of my specific constituent parts? I am many personae and titles: son, grandson, brother, husband, father, uncle, generic middle-aged white guy, Coloradan, Missourian, trail runner, mountain bike-rider, outdoorsman, hack mechanic, carpenter, volunteer, former cubical dweller turned remote worker, data and math nerd–just nerd will do, introvert, music lover, lover of pizza, lover of sunshine and trails, reader, writer, etc. Is the proverbial tree any more clear? Probably not. The nuance and depth of those attributes comprise the story I wish to tell. They expose enough of a hint of depth and intrigue to hopefully stir curiosity and encourage participation in the journey.
Why write?
I feel very strongly about the pursuit of arts in general. Human expression, whether in the form of a photo, a painting, a piece of furniture or a poem, offers something unique and personal to the world. Not just labor, time or attention, craft is a way of manifesting the essence of imagination and creativity. Art does not simply produce a good or service. Instead art invites the audience to see beyond the surface and get to know the artist more deeply.
With respect to the arts, at best I am a passable bass player, a so-so artist and a decent craftsperson. I am comfortable with my station relative to those creative pursuits because I choose to put my mark on the world through words. I use writing as a vehicle for processing the world around me as well as expressing the myriad aspects of my personality and experience. I tell stories. I make jokes. I ask questions big and small. I grapple with the meanness and the sublime that Thoreau wrote about. Until the bitterest of ends, life persists as a work in progress. I use words as means means of capturing my progress, come what may.
Blogs though, really?
Now I know what you’re thinking. “Glad I upgraded my AOL plan to be able to devour all this great text dense, media lacking content. Let me first go check my pets.com stock while I listen to some Matchbox 20, maybe watch the latest Friends episode I recorded on my VCR.” Blogs might be somewhat of a dinosaur in the realm of heavily stylized, meticulously curated, modern, sound-byte formatted online content. But I don’t really care. I quote Thoreau on my opening page, how cliche and old-school is that? The long form blog medium provides an opportunity to test content, iterate, share and connect directly with an audience beyond the realm of likes and swipes. I suppose in the end I’m just old fashioned and I prefer longer form narrative. I don’t have any books, articles or other prestigious content to point to, so this is just going to have to do. Don’t hold it against me.
Jason McRoy
Writer, Poet, Humorist, Work in Progress