When I first thought about starting a blog.
Before I even tried to figure out how to start a blog.
I thought, whom am I going to be?
Will I be the fashionista?
Would I be the politically oriented, scientifically thinking, intelligent glasses wearing professional?
As if.
Would I try to pretend, and pass my self off as some type of expert on something?
My mind very quickly ran through a million or more scenarios, and quickly tossed them out the window.
It does that at times. Smart of it to do so.
It’s tempting to wonder what persona we should take on, if we should be someone whom we might think would be more successful then being ourselves.
At the time I was deeply entrenched in my Garden Center jobs, and plants were my passion. I was no more a politically oriented, fashionista fascinated scientist then I was an astronaut.
Photography was starting to take a edge over the blossoms, but it made perfect sense to read and think about garden blogs. I joined a Garden bloggers community that posted my blog to it’s members, exposed me to other great garden bloggers, and all seemed fine for awhile.
Much as I loved being part of the community, I felt fenced in when I realized that I was expected to write about gardening all the time.
Every time, each time, and I was trying to post every day.
This was great during gardening season, but during the bleak, wet winter, how can you wax eloquently on foliage, and be beatific on buds if you can’t take photos in the rain.
There were only so many things I could say about gardening much as I loved it. But I lost my words, my voice, my way. I struggled on not knowing that the lure of success was tempting me like a brilliant flower just out of reach.
It started to droop, and fade.
I dreaded having to post.
One day I rebelliously wrote a post describing the awe I felt at seeing masses of washed up jelly fish on the beach in the cold and frosty morning, it was a magical moment for me. I got real comments from that post, not just “nice shot.”
I felt good about writing it, it felt real.
I started to write for myself, describing how I felt, telling a story, being real, and I saw changes in the way my blog was reaching out to my readers.
Sure I couldn’t tell a great story every time, trust me there are still some cringe worthy posts in my archives, but I was trying, and sometimes succeeding.
It’s all been worthwhile, I feel like I am being me, I write about what I love, I write about life, and light as I see it. And I am seeing growth in my blog, my writing, my photography.
I’m not knocking communities, they are wonderful, but they didn’t work for me, I needed to write posts that have some sort of meaning as I grow and change. One reader commented that her blog has evolved past anything it used to resemble. I can completely understand that.
I think mine has too.
So write meaningful posts, blog as yourself, it’s worth it in the end.
Some of you have said that you are not sure which direction your blog is going in, your direction will come, be patient, don’t give up. Others have said that they don’t have that many readers, v isit other blogs, comment, build that village.
They will find you. It might take some time, but they will.
Grow.
And blog on.