But hang on, isn't this a business blog?

Oh, so you noticed. Noticed that along with the writing tips, the wordplay, and the grammar musings, some other things keep slipping into this blog. Bits of fiction. A poem (!). Stories about my children (good grief). Words like decolonisation (really?). Reflections on motherhood (enough already). Feminist analysis (settle down, ladies). Politics, family history, Christmas presents. What's all that about? Am I confused? Do I know what I'm doing?Well, "yes" and "not really". "Yes"My main aim with this blog is to treat it like a scrapbook. To gather together snippets of the things that move or inspire me, that have me laughing in agreement or making sense of another day spent trying to fledge a business and hold together the threads of a full and busy household. To say, "Look, this is what writing can do. These are the words we need to guide us into a more hopeful future."And I'm also trying to be as open and generous as possible in my understanding of what a business can be. Because why shouldn't a businesswoman think about colonisation or feminism or children or any of that? Because those things don't go away when we say, "No, you didn't see the boundary there; this is business, this is work." Because I'm not going to cut myself into pieces and sanction one little bit to build this business up. What you'll get is all of me, stroppy, reflective, silly, curious, ratbaggy as I might be. And I don't expect anyone else to agree with my views, but I do think that there's space in the business model for me to wander off the page and write about the rest of my life, about the questions and anchors and truths that keep me alert and keep me whole. And if there's not that space, there should be. "Not really"But, of course, it's not that simple, is it?Because I do put my own boundaries on what I write, and I do worry away at the distinction between a personal and a business blog. I question my decisions. I self-censure. I link to other people's words instead of putting my analysis and thinking on the line. I feel vulnerable when I post creative writing and a bit soft when I write about mothering or my children. I tell the funny or appealing family stories — not so much the ones where I am less than graceful and composed. "Well maybe"So, what to do?You know, the thing I keep coming back to is the idea of wandering off the page. Of saying, "Yes, this writing is connected to my business, because it all stems from me and my writing self, but it's a little bit to the side, a little bit meandering. It's where my thoughts turn in my quiet moments, or where they snag as I'm playing with the kids or making dinner or listening to the radio or having a shower. It's the writing I do when I've got something to say." And what I'd really like is to live in a world where the page origamis into new shapes, where the centre no longer holds and the eye is free to follow those wandering, marginal lines.