The Good Old Days of Blogging
9 Oct 2014
I have seen a few seasoned bloggers talk about the good old days recently–bloggers who have been at it wayyyy longer than I have. (I’ve been here for three years, unless you count a very soft opening in late 2009. By very soft opening I mean starting a blog and then not telling anyone but your mom and your boyfriend about it. Yee-ha!) They were talking about the days before photos and giveaways and sponsorships and social media, the days when blogs were like open journals (and I suppose LiveJournal is probably one of the things they grew out of).
It made me think about my blog and why I write. Truthfully, I haven’t been here very much since Micah was born, not because I don’t have things to say, but because I don’t have projects finished or a chance to take photos of things during daylight hours, and thus I feel like I can’t post. Case in point: I have been wanting to share the nursery (and I will!), but it’s mostly in use during the daytime. Seeing those posts about the good old days reminded me that I can just write without having a project or a trip or even goals to share. I can just write about what my days are like now, or just write to say hi. It reminded me that posts like those are often my favorites on the blogs I read. That was such a good realization. Because I really miss you guys. I’m such a visual person that I still don’t want to put up a post without ANY pictures, but I can easily enough pick something pretty from the archives and set it in place.
It’s interesting too to think about the (often self-imposed) pressures we place on ourselves as bloggers. I am sure this is much harder for people who need to make an income from their blogs. My blog is not monetized (except for that 41 cents I earned once from Amazon’s affiliate program), and I intend to keep it that way. When I feel frustrated about not having time to do the posts that I want to, it’s good for me to remember why I started this blog in the first place: for a creative outlet, to keep in touch with far-flung family and friends, and to make real connections with like-minded people. Those are still very much my reasons for being here, and I have been so fulfilled in all three of them.
Things are slightly more complex for me because I am still sifting through what belongs here and what belongs on Micah’s blog. It honestly makes blogging a lot more complicated, but I think it’s the right thing for me (while fully respecting others’ decisions with regard to this issue). Maybe the truth is that I’m still sorting out the distinctions between me as a person and me as a mom. Micah needs me so much right now, and I would not trade that for the world. I know that I only get so many days of smelling his sweet little head while I rock him. I am sure it will be a little while before I get back to the level of personal projects (and writing) that I had before he was born, but that doesn’t make this time any less special. It probably makes it more special.
What I think I am trying to say is that I’m still figuring it out–how to make time for writing, what to share and not share, and how the prism of who I am has a new facet since I’ve become a mom. I would ask you all to bear with me, but it seems presumptuous to think that anyone’s life is actually disrupted by my not being here every day. Maybe what I should offer instead is a promise to bear with myself as I figure it all out. A promise not to be afraid to write a post without pictures (okay, maybe just one picture). A promise to respect a post that just says hi. Thank you all so much for being here. It’s no exaggeration to say that this wouldn’t be any fun without you!
Oct 09, 2014 @ 03:18:39
I just don’t know how you do it. How you sit down, rapidly hit key,key,key,key and touch me right to the heart. I needed to be reminded of your goals for blogging as they are the same as mine. It’s way too easy to get caught up in pressuring ourselves and comparing. Take your time figuring things out! Love you and love you!
Oct 15, 2014 @ 16:49:05
Thank you so much! I am so glad you are blogging because you are the most hilarious person I know, and I selfishly want to imbibe your humor as much as possible. 🙂
Oct 09, 2014 @ 04:26:33
What a sweet post. We all need to be reminded to bear with ourselves, whatever the circumstances. And please add me to Micah’s blog list. 🙂
Oct 15, 2014 @ 16:49:18
Thank you! Yes we do indeed!
Oct 09, 2014 @ 13:12:51
So true! I’m pretty much going through the same right now, and don’t seem to find a solution for my desire to keep blogging regularly and my lack of time. Sure I know at some point down the line, we’ll get some of our time back and things will be flowing again. In the meantime let’s enjoy our littles and let’s keep the blog photos free…I still love reading your posts, even if it’s just words . xxx
Oct 15, 2014 @ 16:50:51
Thank you so much, Marina! It’s good to have another mama in solidarity:) You are doing so much more than I am, and I admire you so much. I miss reading your posts, but I would not want to take one second of precious baby time away from you. It makes me happy to think of you enjoying your little ones as I enjoy mine:) XOXOXO
Oct 10, 2014 @ 11:07:27
I’m sure many bloggers have felt some of what you’ve shared here.
Blogging is not easy, even for prof writers. I know a few & they too will feel guilt if they don’t feel like blogging. Remember, it’s writing: English, grammar, editing, time consumption, i.e, SCHOOL WORK! But it is beneficial when we can do it.
Blog when you can. Regularly. Even if it’s only once per month. Yet, take a break if needed. I’ve only written 2-3 articles this year without too much guilt. Maybe it’s because while I have a relatively large readership, the commenters are few, and thus I don’t feel too pressured to get out the next piece “by Monday.”
I just did post a new article & plan (that’s the plan!) to write regularly now through the end of this year.
Photos. They can be more time consuming than the actual text. Still, I recommend you attach one to each article. One pic is often all that’s needed.
Subjects. You know mine is Pasadena centric, yet somedays something will suddenly pop in my head or experience and I’ll have to write about that. Unplanned! You might suddenly take a different turn and write about something you had no idea about just 10 minutes earlier! Feel free to write about it.
Anyhows, I’d better stop now or else make this a blog post! Join the blogger club of mutual feelings.
Oct 15, 2014 @ 16:53:44
Indeed! Thank you so much for this thoughtful reply. I think you hit the nail on the head. We have to enjoy blogging, or no one else will enjoy what we’re doing–it’s too easy to tell when someone is posting because they feel like they have to. I am glad you took some time off without feeling any guilt! Good for you! I will enjoy seeing more posts whenever you want to write them, but I am glad for you to have some time off too.
Oct 12, 2014 @ 16:18:44
Oh, I like this Cameron! It makes you real to us, and encourages us to be real for ourselves. We can’t do it all, not now, not ever. Making peace with that has been a game-changer for me (when I succeed!). I can’t read it all, eat it all, see it all, remember it all, do it all. . . and posts like this remind me that it is okay! Thanks for sharing where you are right now! 🙂
Oct 15, 2014 @ 16:55:29
Thank you so much! I think being real is the best thing we can do for ourselves, and probably for others too! Still, I have to keep reminding myself that I can’t do it all (because I certainly want to sometimes!) Love you! 🙂
Oct 14, 2014 @ 04:15:45
I’m glad to hear you are not pressuring yourself too much. In that we share some of the same character traits, I know how that can be. You and Eric are going through probably the biggest change in your lives and it just takes time. Your blog posts are like special treats; not necessarily to be consumed everyday but savored when available.
Oct 15, 2014 @ 16:55:55
Thank you so much! That is so sweet and so beautifully put:)
Oct 14, 2014 @ 13:57:16
it has become a sot of competition.. who is giving away better swag, who is being sponsored by bigger brands. A minority have been able to make blogging into a career, good for them.. they are able to turn their blogs into books, introducing apps etc.. it is because they treat there blog like a business not a journal
i feel it is about what you want from your blog, what is important to you.. is it a hobby, a career and source of income or a public diary.. and
Oct 15, 2014 @ 16:57:22
Thank you, Hena, this is so true! There is a distinction between blogs as businesses and blogs as journals, and I am glad we can all co-exist. I am happy for those who can make a living, and happy for those who write for a creative outlet and to share their lives. I always love seeing what you’re up to on your blog!
Oct 22, 2014 @ 12:34:47
This is such an overdue comment to this post. Just before you published it, I had been looking at your blog on feedly (I’m a follower! Or at least I think I am. I don’t really use feedly all that much, but somehow I was there) and wondering when there would be a new post (if my computer is handy, I do this during my very rushed breakfast before leaving for work). Then, you commented on my post–great minds think alike….–and I read your post the next day and, immediately following that, there was a flu shot and now something resembling bronchitis or a really bad cold (am going to the doctor tonight; good times!). Clearly, commenting slipped away from me.
But belatedness aside, I feel like you and I are on the same wavelength on the blogging front. Although so much of it can seem competitive or even silly, there’s definitely something that keeps me coming back to the space I’ve carved out for myself on the internet (and those that my friends have carved out, too); I like to think that there are places where sincerity still reigns and where it’s just about sharing thoughts, moments of inspiration and some honest creativity. I think it’s important to remember that people change, lives change and, as a result, blogs will change. I know that with the new job, it’s been a very different ballgame for me; what happens next–where we will be, what I will do–will change my relationship with the blog again. The only thing is to remember that there are always stories worth telling and that, at the end of the day, all that really matters is that you’re happy with the end result.
I suppose it makes sense that capitalism would eventually conquer the internet, but I just didn’t think that so many sites would become brands and little marketplaces of their own. This, my friend, is why I’m often convinced I was meant for another century. 🙂
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