They are all not bangers.

When I sat down to reflect on a year of publishing weekly opinion pieces, I realized something profound: I didn’t even notice the milestone. Somewhere in July, a full year had passed, and it was only in September that it registered. Week by week, writing and publishing became more about the act itself. Some pieces sparked discussion, others not so much. But that’s the lesson here—they’re all not bangers, and that’s okay.

Creativity over time isn’t about landing hits with every swing. In fact, if you’re making things consistently, it’s unlikely that everything you create will be exceptional. The trick is to keep creating anyway. You’ve got to be in it for the long haul, willing to reinvent, adapt, and refine yourself, not over months but over years. Only after years of building, growing, and refining your craft do people recognize what you’ve been doing all along.

Something interesting happens when you build consistency into your creative work: it becomes habitual. You begin to write, design, build, and express what’s top of mind. You become more comfortable with publishing ideas in progress without the pressure for them all to be masterpieces. And that practice—being consistent and honest with what you’re making—leads to growth in unexpected ways.

Embrace the process. Not every piece will resonate, but each builds on the last, shaping your voice and expanding your perspective. And if you keep at it, you’ll find that the results sneak up on you. One day you’ll look back and see how far you’ve come, even if you missed the milestone in the moment.

Steve Berry
Principal, Thought Merchants