10 Blog Posts in 10 Months
And let’s be honest…..there’s not been a post at all round here in over 6 months.
It wasn’t that many years ago that this space saw daily new content, where blog posts were scheduled weeks in advance, where bullet journal posts saw thousands of views and whilst I did tick over 1 million in January of this year, my poor old blog seems somewhat neglected of late.
I remember in about 2016/2017 when my blog was at it’s best, when I was shortlisted for a Blogosphere award and I had a large loyal following of people devouring my every word, I remember thinking how those who complained about not having enough hours of the day clearly didn’t have the dedication.
Fast forward to July 2018 and my full time freelance career had been sidelined for a full time office job and I was eating my words faster than you can say dickhead. And it’s only got worse from there.
Now, as I sit here in bed with a stinking cold in October 2021 I find myself writing yet another blog post about how much I miss tapping away at the keyboard for someone to read.
The world has changed dramatically since the heady days of blogger chats, meet ups and the advertising slots that earned me a coupla hundred quid, but a pandemic isn’t to blame for once. No, the online world has changed and where brand collabs in a 3000 word blog post once stood, now an Instagram post can earn you thousands and the way we consume content is sharper, faster and more in your face than ever.
And yet, I still find myself gravitating toward long form content for comfort. I crave the written word more than ever, a meaty blog post about someone’s life or their latest finds or the music that shaped them. I still seek out those who write content like we all used to, who have adapted to the new world, who’s Instagram feels like an extension of them, who’s posts and stories i catch up with daily but who still pop a blog post up every week or so. Think InTheFrow, Liv Purvis, Kate La Vie, Sophie Cliff….the people who I still find aspirational and inspirational.
So if I am seeking out that content, perhaps I’m not the only one. And whilst of course the years of knowing my content was read in droves, the years of viral bullet journal content, awards, articles, collaborations and shout outs were nice, blogging for me (and I suspect for us all) always started as an outlet for ourselves. It started with a domain name, a free page, some crap low quality photos and a poorly worded stumble into an introduction. A start which soon found us crafting our art, easing out the perfect sentence the perfect word and phrase, a passion for imagery, a brand we wanted to nurture, an outlet to speak in. It starts and ends as a passion, as a place for us to speak, as a hobby to take our time and as simply a voice.
I toy every January with the idea of not renewing my domain name or my squarespace subscription and perhaps if it wasn’t a business expense I can offset, maybe the decision would be harder. But aside from the cash, the thing that’s always held me back is the love I have for this site. The memories it holds, the ease of picking up where I left off, the familiar tap tap tapping away at the keyboard when I get back into the swing of it. The sheer love.
So yes, 10 blog posts in 10 months is nothing to scream and shout about. But here we are again. And long may it continue.