I have been thinking about why it is that I seldom post anything to my blog except poetry. I frequently e-mail my friends about the things I am reading, and it only occurred to me recently that those e-mails are essentially blog postings. I guess I'm still a digital immigrant in the sense that blogging those reactions isn't my first thought (although sharing them with others who are likely to enjoy them is).
Perhaps there is also an element of perfectionism involved--sharing with friends doesn't compel me to craft my thoughts as carefully or as completely (in part due to trust--they have enough of a baseline with respect to who I am to be able to identify and ignore any anomalies, and in part because I can anticipate their prior knowledge due to shared experiences, so telegraphic representations work). I suppose quality blogging, in its own way, requires the same discipline as the development and refinement of any other talent or skill--regular, habitual practice.
As a song by Anna Nalick says, I think it may also have something to do with the fact that, "If I get it all down on paper, it's no longer inside of me, threatening the life it belongs to." Nonetheless, there is also a positive side to it--it seems to be my way of making art (and sense) out of my life.
It was fun to clean up some of the e-mails I had sent to friends about the interesting things I've encountered online today for posting. Perhaps I should do that more often.
2 comments:
Oh, I love Anna Nalick. And I can second your feelings on what you blog. I often find myself in a blogging rut. Sometimes I post nothing but pictures, while other times I get caught up with nothing but announcements. And those cycles often keep me from posting that which is most meaningful. Or perhaps I avoid those meaningful posts because they require more effort. I haven't disciplined myself to the point where I am able to make quality blogging a habit.
My new-found favorite is Natasha Bedingfield (and the other artists that they play along side her music on Pandora).
Blog rut - For me, matching the words and the pictures (or even going out and taking pictures that suit the text) is very satisfying. Unfortunately, when I'm pressed for time (which seems to be often), the pictures are the first thing to go.
I think the most important part of your comment, though, is where you say, "And those cycles often keep me from posting that which is most meaningful. Or perhaps I avoid those meaningful posts b/c they require more effort." I suspect that both factors conjoin to constitute the truth of the matter.
I think knowing that one has a thoughtful audience makes a tremendous difference! Most of the time, I just blog for myself and I am my own intended reader. I think that may improve the quality of some posts b/c I'm not so inhibited as I might otherwise be, but in most cases, I think I post things that are less polished and less carefully considered when I'm just posting them for myself so that I don't lose the thoughts.
I would also be interested to know what constitutes a "meaningful" or "quality" post for others. For me, those posts tend to include incisive or insightful tidbits, things that resonate with me emotionally or psychologically, things that tap multiple facets of who I am simultaneously, things that are multimodal, and things that take common, ordinary situations and give them a totally new spin by plunging them into a new context by connecting them with other common, ordinary situations in unexpected ways.
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