11.12.2012

why I blog

This is my response to Laicie's question "Why I blog", but I've been jotting down notes and thinking about this idea since this summer so I'm glad that her question pushed me to finally put all these thoughts into one post.

Blogging takes up quite a bit of my "free" time (read: not working, sleeping, in class, cooking, etc) and sometimes bleeds into time that isn't strictly "free" as well! There have definitely been times when I have asked Nick why I am even bothering to blog and why I should keep doing it because there have been times when nothing I shared seemed good enough and it's seemed like no one really cared. It was at those times, when it would have been so much easier to give up, that I realized that I blog for me more than anyone else. 

Don't get me wrong, I love you. I don't know everything about you or even most things, but I appreciate your comments and that you care enough about what I share to read my blog, but I have kept blogging when it's only been Nick and his wonderful grandparents reading because writing is a part of me. And
 blogging pushes me to write everyday.

I don't think that all bloggers are writers, and this isn't a criticism, because there are some amazingly beautiful blogs that are mainly images which draw me in every time that I look at them; but I consider myself primarily a blog writer. The images I share are very important to me, but most often they supplement what I choose to write about on that particular day. I see blogging as this new form of writing that adds images and interactivity between the writer and the reader in a way that hasn't really existed until recently. In my English Novel class we've talked about the evolution of writing and how blogging builds on books by becoming literature for a technological society; each day there's new content and feedback from readers.

However, to contradict what I just said, I also blog to push myself to become a better photographer and to document my life at a time when there doesn't always seem like much to document.

I blog to discover my passion and purpose in life and I think that the quote Ann Marie shares by Howard Thurman is exactly how I feel: "Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." 

The last reason that I blog--although it's the one that I get the most instantaneous gratification and obvious rewards from--is that blogging allows me to "meet" people I never would have otherwise. I blog to find kindred spirits, like-minded souls and even more so, people who I connect with even though we're different.  I really mean this and not just as a way to end on a good note, so if you are ever in Provo (at least for the next 8 months) or San Francisco (where we'll be moving to at the start of next fall) I would love to meet you, have lunch with you and let you sleep in our spare (but chaotic) room. And if you think of Anne Shirley when you read about being allowed the honor of a spare room then maybe we could be more than just blog friends, maybe we're  meant to be bosom friends. (Nerd Fest!)

Images were taken by Sylvia Magleby 

10 comments:

  1. I love that you use this blog for writing more than anything. Photographs are interesting and definitely their own form of art, but I've always been seduced first and foremost by words. And yours are great.

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  2. Oh, you are one of Laicie's friends too! So funny how we all get connected through the web. I can't wait to hear all about her wedding. :)

    As for blogging, there are probably about as many reasons to blog as there are people in the world. I love how you do it mostly for yourself. I blog to keep me inspired. I needed a place to capture my crafty projects and motivate me to do more. So far... it's working :)

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  3. I love this piece, thank you for sharing Alison!

    I agree with everything you said here. Our blogs are our memories and, at the same time, the easiest way to share our stories to those dear to us who are far away. It also helps us improve on our writing and photography. And of course, the interesting people we meet while doing this thing we love is just a bonus, but a great one at that! :)

    Oh how I wish I was near your area so I could meet you. Maybe someday!

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  4. This is beautiful! I blog for me, too, and I've decided that's what's most important (even if no one is reading it). Also, I ADORE the Anne of Green Gables books and think we just might be kindred spirits. I don't live too far from Provo, either! :)

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  5. You've captured my thoughts here. I blogged for four year with NO readers at all. I still did it, because I love to write, taking photos and having an online journal to help me remember what life was all about back then... Now, there are a few people visiting my blog, although I'm far, far from one of the big bloggers, and I love all the comments I get. But I still do it for me.

    I think it's important to keep that focus as long as you don't get paid for blogging. Blogging should be fun!

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  6. okay, great thoughts.
    that quote is brilliant and I love it.

    thank you for sharing!

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  7. Amazing post! You've articulated a lot of my own thoughts on blogging that I hadn't had a concrete way of expressing... especially the part about trying to find my own passions through blogging - it's definitely given me a clearer view on what I'm passionate about and what I actually enjoy!

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  8. i love meeting people through blogging so much! it's def a great reason to do it, i've met up with several bloggers and it's always a good time :)

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  9. I blog for me, too. I call it my "online journal" when people ask me what it's about. I suppose it could be classified as a lifestyle blog but, to me, I write down memories and experiences. I used it as a way to tell about my entire trip to Canada with my friends. Like you, I love words and stories, and the use of one to convey the other. Blogging gave me the ability to get back into writing, even if it is only sparse, and if it is "creative nonfiction." It still makes me happy to share it. To see people's thoughts. To read comments and get feedback--it is healthy criticism, as you noted. As for the ruts you feel? EVERY blogger feels those. EVERY. SINGLE. BLOGGER. I have, too, and have almost deleted it. However, I'm happy I haven't. There are real friends here, and it is always nice to stumble upon them. We have a way of seeing the world, of viewing the world, of documenting it. As long as we never try to hide what we see, or hide our feelings or reactions, then our blogs are always going to be an excellent representation of our world, our experiences.

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  10. Hi! I appreciate this post! My husband and the little imaginary person on my shoulder ask me occasionally why I blog. I say it's for our families, that live very far away. But I actually think it's probably half for our families and half for me, as a creative outlet. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. They've inspired me and helped me define my blog purpose, i guess, for now.

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Thanks for your nice words. I appreciate them so much.