One of the most difficult things about writing is getting comfortable with the idea that you're probably going to lose some people and eventually, you're going to say something that you shouldn't have. In an age where our social muscles are massaged by "follower" counts, it can become increasingly difficult to have an opinion without running the risk of turning off a few people along the way. Whether it's something that you wrote that just didn't quite sit well with some or a statement you made that you're clearly wrong on, any time you open your mouth to populate the web with your internal processing, you're opening yourself up to criticism.
When you write, you're giving unspoken permission to your audience to interpret those things you leave open. Moreover, cognitive dissonance plays a huge role in the reader's experience of your work. It's a risk you have to be willing to take.
But the fact of the matter is, having a voice is far more rewarding than merely churning out work. If all you put forward into this digital echo chamber is a portfolio of pixels, you're selling your execution and your thoughts as they pertain to the output of design, but offering a significantly smaller view by means of your process, your protests, or your passions.
I've heard people complaining about our industry as a petty popularity contest where the loudest, most obnoxious voices are heard above all the rest. By taking the time to write and have a voice, you enable yourself to be advocate for changing the conversation. What you choose to do with the voice is up to you.
If you're someone that doesn't yet have a large following, I'd encourage you to not let the number of your readers discourage you from keeping at it. If it helps you, don't look into statistics for some time. Stop paying attention to follower counts, favorites, likes, or retweets. That could mean disabling site analytics or using a platform that doesn't allow you track those metrics. Only you know what steps you need to take to ensure your perseverance. Take those steps. Write like you already have the audience. Don't allow reaction or inaction to impede your progress. Building a voice takes energy and, more importantly, time.
The truth is, you won't always be right. What you said on Monday might be challenged on Tuesday. You may experience a change of heart and fall on the other side of an issue altogether. Maybe you'll find that what you were trying to communicate wasn't what was heard at all. You might even have to retract an earlier statement and admit you were wrong. These are the realities of hosting thoughts in a place where your words are etched in digital stone and then opened up for internal processing and/or criticism. You don't have the luxury of clarifying your thoughts over a beer or recanting something that was said in the heat of the moment quite as easily. But the more comfortable you become with the idea that you're growing, you're learning—just like the rest of us—the more comfortable you'll become with the idea that you don't have it all figured out, the easier it will be to have a voice.
When I get older and look back, if I don't completely laugh at who I was a decade ago, when I thought I understood so much about the world, it would be a great shame indeed. If this is what having it all "figured out" is like, then that's the greatest tragedy of all.