Lately I've been in a bit of a blogging slump. Not becuase I don't know what to blog about, because I always have lots of ideas, but more because a)I have been crazy busy, and when I have hundreds of items to make for craft fairs and wholesale orders it is hard to justify taking time away to blog, and also because b) I've gotten into the vicious cycle of self-doubting. For example I wanted to do a mini tour of my craft room/studio. I got my camera out to take photos but then started rearranging things. I decided it didn't look how I wanted it to, so planned to tidy up and organise the room and then take the photographs. That was about two months ago! I keep putting it off because, as silly as it sounds, I am scared. What if people don't like it? What if I don't like it? Other people have such lovely photos of their beautiful spaces, what if mine looks rubbish in comparison? Maybe I should wait till I get my wide angle lens. Or maybe I should get someone else to take the photos. I'll wait until summer when there is more natural light. This is what goes through my head whenever I think about blogging at the moment, and I've decided it's time to take a step back and remember why I started blogging and why I continue to blog two years on.
1. as a sort of digital diary - I'm useless at keeping written diaries, and so my blog is a way of recording things I have done, places I have been, people I've met, as well as keeping track of my goals. One of my absolute favourite things to do when I'm feeling a bit blah is to look back at my old blog posts - never fails to make me feel really good about what I've acheived
2. as a way to meet new people and build friendships - when I started my blog I had just broken up with my boyfriend. We'd been together for five years, and he was my whole life. When we split up I felt like I had nobody really, and I suffered a lot with my depression. I started blogging, and reading/commenting on other blogs, and began to make new friends. These people have helped me to regain confidence that I thought was gone forever, and I can't even begin to tell you how much my online friends mean to me.
3. because it offers me a chance to reflect on thing - often in day to day life I take things for granted. Oh yeah, I went to this place, yeah I saw that person, yeah we ate this and talked about that. Everything is constantly moving, and sometimes it's easy to only ever focus on the next thing, without ever thinking about the things that have been and gone. Blogging lets me take time to write about and remember things that I've done, and offers a platform on which I can talk about subjects which I might otherwise push to one side.
4. because it makes me feel part of something - the blogging community is seriously amazing. Being part of it, however small that part may be, is amazing, and something I am so grateful for. It's like having a huge extended family!
5. because I genuinely love it - I love everything about blogging, from taking the photos, to planning post ideas, to reading and replying to comments. The only reason I would ever stop blogging would be if I stopped enjoying it.
Why do you blog? Have you ever thought about it, or do you just do it? How did you first get into blogging? And would you ever stop blogging? xo
I started my blog to document places I'd been to. I wanted to have all my travel posts in one place so, like you said yourself, I could read back on the things I'd done. However, I very rarely travel these days, but I'm always adding to a wanderlust list which I also keep. I first started blogging on LiveJournal (which I still use for personal things), but there were certain things I wanted to share with a wider audience! Like photographs, for example. I'm not sure if I'd ever stop blogging. Sometimes I think "what's the point" when I see I hardly get any hits, but, ultimately, I keep a blog for myself, because I am also terrible at keeping a paper diary!
ReplyDeleteI started because I wanted a place to record my new adventure into sewing - so one day I could look back and remember the times I learnt a particular skill or finished a particular project.
ReplyDeleteIm only just getting started with blogging - and sewing, so won't be giving up any time soon, hopefully!
Learning how to blog is just as important to me as learning how to sew, it helps me make sense of the things Ive just learnt/want to learn.
I love you and I love your reasons, especially the last one, I love it too and you're so right!
ReplyDeleteEmailing you now :)
also, I want to see your craft room, messy and real, I dont have one at all!
Hi Zoe, I do love your lists, they are always so real!
ReplyDeleteI had a similar debate with myself as to why I put pics of my craft space on my blog. It is not anywhere near as gorgeous as other craft spaces but I decided I wanted to document it for myself. I guess I'd say just keep it real and do it for you. In 2 years time will you want to look back at this piece of your life? If so blog about it and record it for yourself, if other people like it then all the better.
Jo :)
I love this. I love inspirations on why people blog, it inspires me more. I started blogging because I got married young (22) and it turned 1. abusive, 2. just beyond awful, I don't have any married friends or anyone to talk to about this trying time in my life. I wanted to blog the journey (among other things in my life) to be there for other people my age going through the same struggles, get advice from people who could help and hopefully some day be able to offer advice. Love your blog, glad I found it. -Baylee
ReplyDeletestopcents.blogspot.com
i've been trying to take some good pictures of my work space for what seems like forever! so i totally understand your hang ups about it. your photos are always so beautiful, i can only imagine you would capture it perfectly and make us all jealous! ... you should totally go for it. i love your blog :) xxx
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness. I just discovered your blog through the Dainty Squid giveaway (which I totally entered, btw. Your shop is ADORABLE)...and then here's this post, totally something I needed to read! I've only been blogging for a little over a month now, and I'm still so frequently caught up in that cycle of self-doubt/comparison.
ReplyDeleteI started blogging to get out of a creative rut. I was at a complete loss for ideas, and I'd always wanted a blog but never had the guts to get one going (self-doubt, etc). I finally did, and I do it because I want a space to share things with the world, even if no one ever reads it. I want a platform to call my very own, to fill with art and writing and to track life events along the way (like you said, an online diary-ish). Since I started blogging, I've been creating, writing, designing, brainstorming, and taking more photos than I ever have. Blogging makes me move, and that's my favorite part.
Thank you again for an inspiring post. Your writing is genuine and I look forward to reading more of it in the future (:
These are such fantastic reasons to keep a blog! I agree with all the points, the blogging community can be so supportive, and I love keeping a visual diary to look back on in years to come.
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