Most of us initially get into writing because we love it, not to monetize every single thing we write. But, then you grow up, and you realize monetizing things helps fund your life. 

Asheville Explorer is my non-monetized little project, one that I pursue solely out of passion, and that I firmly believe helps me keep the joy of writing alive. 

My first adult writing aspiration was to be a “travel blogger.” I’m still somewhat embarrassed by the iteration I wanted to be (it was very early 2010s), but it was how I broke into writing professionally and helped me transition from teaching to content marketing to the robust career I have today. 

There’s something about me—something very millennial about me—that still loves (and clings to) that sort of stream-of-consciousness, unpolished writing style of early-aughts blogging, that has less in common with the blogs of today and more in common with the Live Journals of yore. There is, dare I say, a pureness. 

That’s a long-winded way to say that when I set up camp here in Asheville, set up a blog in the vein of an old-school travel blog, exploring my then-new homeland through hikes, restaurants, breweries, and day trips. 

It’s evolved since then—social, anthropological, and political commentary is just as prevalent, if not more prevalent, than dining, hiking, and day trip recommendations, and there’s a meta element, dissecting the machinations behind the travel/lifestyle writing/influencing behemoth that probably doesn’t get enough credit for influencing the way we travel, work, live, consume, and discard. Also, sometimes I just share food I like.