I was interviewed last night. During, he mentioned my love of photography and blogging, and how those two interests, the written word and the visual art, don’t seem to be two things that would be housed in the same person. I had to think about it. And come to think of it, a lot of us are bloggers and photographers; why?
I concluded that I am driven to document. A long time ago, I joked that if I lived in an ancient village, I’d be the town story teller. Keeping track is important to me.
While our parents only dragged the camera out for “special occasions”: birthday parties and Christmases, I take photos of casual dinners and walks in the park (I’ve been known to defend my rabid photo taking with the line, “Life is a special occasion!” which is vomit-inducing cheeseball stuff, but I mean it.)
I write about walks in the parks, too, I want to remember everything and I want to share everything with the world and I want you to be my friend and like me… or hate me, whichever is fine. But know about me.
We’re all like that, us bloggers, and I guess that’s why we blog. It was something I hadn’t thought about before, and now I’m thinking to myself, “Why? hasn’t it occurred to me before to figure out why I keep doing this day after day, year after year?” It is exactly five years today (dude, my blog is in kindergarten), and I’ve written nearly every day since that first entry.
Do you blog, and if so, why? What’s in it for you?
Happy weekend.
photo by Gabrielle Kai
I think I blog because I talk too much, lol. I always have something to say, and never enough venues to say it. So why not blog? (And Tweet, and post to Flickr, etc.)
BUT you’re right, there’s also this drive to document life, ordinary life in all its simple wonder and beauty.
Also, to connect with other people.
Kristan
29 May 09 at 9:01 am
I started blogging so that our families could keep up with what we were doing. I continued as I had kids to document their journey. But these days I blog for the community. And because I’m a bit of an attention hog.
AmberS
29 May 09 at 1:10 pm
I think I blog as a creative outlet. I wonder if there are others like me… whose jobs don’t quite fulfill this need to express and relate and create – and all those good things.
I actually type almost all day every day for work. But that is for them; this is for me!
stu!
29 May 09 at 7:19 pm
I first started blogging because it was just a way to document life and to write about things that were painful or embarrassing to express in other ways; a kind of cathartic process for healing and releasing shame about insecurities, fears, and the past. But then I discovered I actually had a large audience of quiet readers when they started writing me privately, expressing how what I went through and how I handled it, helped them. I knew people MIGHT read the blog, but it wasn’t a goal to have an audience as much as it was to just have that sense of opening up. By knowing someone MIGHT read the blog, it helped me to release some of those insecurities, fears, and shame. Now I blog for both the original reasons of documenting and personal expression, but I keep in mind that people are actually reading my words, so now I feel like it’s more of a communication than just a palette. So now I do it to share, to maybe help others, and to allow the help, supported, and friendships from those who respond!
CocteauBoy
30 May 09 at 4:41 pm
I wish I had such a good reason, heh. It’s a self indulgence for me. I get to pretend that someone out there finds me interesting (even though my site’s stats prove otherwise).
Brianne
31 May 09 at 9:23 pm