Me and B, around the time I started this blog. Yes, we are ridiculous like that, all the time.
I started blogging back in high school when Xanga and Live Journal were where all the cool kids rambled on about what they ate for lunch, or told unamusing stories about their day and shared anecdotes on life and inside jokes that made no sense to anyone else. Or was that just me? We're skipping right over that whole period, and even past my Wordpress days, and jumping to nearly four years ago when I started a blogspot blog that has morphed into this one right here.
Dear slightly-younger-and-still-in-California Addy,
It is New Year's Eve 2010, and you are thinking about creating a new blog with the idea of "separating" your work blog from all of the personal stuff you have been sharing on it. Know now that you will completely abandon your silly Wordpress "work" blog. You will be an amazing blogger for the first year, and then slowly start to taper off. But that's okay.
Actually, what you should know now is, it's okay to be a bad blogger. You don't have to participate in lots of blog hops. You don't have to visit ALL OF THE blogs everywhere and try to make friends, but you will want to, because those girls will become some really awesome friends you will have for life. You don't have to post every. single. day. You don't even have to post at all, for months at a time.
This blog is for you. It's to chronicle your life as you live it, and should not be compared to anyone else's masterpiece of a blog. Oh yeah, you will get really down on yourself, all the time, when you start comparing yourself to bloggers who are more "successful" or have "made it". That's their life, not yours, and everyone makes decisions that work best for them, and their talents. You do you, girl.
Do try to be consistent, though. Post about things that you love, that make you happy, even if you don't think it will make for good reading for anyone else. If you want to slightly tweak a recipe, and think it's worth sharing, do it! At least you can come back to it later if you want to make it again. If you want to just post a photo and quote from Audrey Hepburn, go for it. If you would rather not post at all, by all means, it's your prerogative- just remember your memory is pretty hazy, and you forget details the further you are from the source, so you might not recall how awesome a trip was, or what a great time you had with so-and-so.
Most importantly, this blog is not the be-all, end-all for you. Your worth is not dictated based on your blog content, your photo manipulation ability, or the number of subscribers you have. Look for meaningful friendships that start with the simplest of comments and email chains. Find other bloggers who support what you have to say, and like it, rather than chasing after people who will never acknowledge you or your blog. Find other things, away from the computer, that make you happy. When you are happy and your life is full, you have better blog content, anyway.
xoxo,
the-slightly-older-and-maybe-wiser Addy
