Fifteen years ago this month, I started my blog, Nursetopia, thanks to spurring from others. I moved it over to JoniWatson.com in 2024.

Through the years, it’s been a place to process and refine ideas, connect with others, and share fun findings and things I’ve made for others. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it was a way I led myself, contributing to professional development and growth. I had to think about “scholarly” things like grammar, tone, context, and references. And I also learned about important aspects of informal writing in the digital age, like SEO, category tags, niche audiences, link maintenance, webpage analytics, and more.

I smile looking back through my blog posts because I can see my growth as a writer, which has always been important to me. I now serve as the Editor of a peer-reviewed nursing journal – growing in many new ways, and that didn’t happen overnight. It happened in increments of time that were going to pass anyway, times when I forced myself to write even though I didn’t think I had anything to write about. 

I’m glad I started blogging in 2010. I remember thinking, “Can I do this as a nurse?” and “Oh my goodness. All these people are going to be reading this!” Writing and creating are vulnerable processes that somehow strengthen us in the process.

So, if you have a little idea or thought you’ve been protecting from the scariness, here’s your sign to begin. Fifteen years actually go by in a hurry. Start now. The world needs your gifts.