Better late than never, I suppose! While my posts are typically published in the early mornings hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (my travel and work schedule permitting, of course)– this week has been a little hectic both in my office and as I make last minute preparations before I head off to the West Coast for another week-long adventure in the coming days ahead!
And so, with my 9-5 done for the day- I can take some time to talk about an interesting question that was recently posed to me by a friend and colleague who is also in the daily diary hustle- is blogging becoming an antiquated art form?
As someone who has been blogging in some capacity or another since my teens- and who has both participated in/on and watched various forms of social media and media in general take off (or in some cases- fall flat)– I felt like I had a few, potentially passionate, things to say about the subject.
Firstly, I’ve always stuck with what I was good at and what I knew I was capable of- which was writing. It has always been writing- and blogging was naturally the best way to do that with some regularity and freedom from the rules or restrictions that came with my education, career, etc., I challenged myself to write often- even when I didn’t think I had anything of any importance to say- which is sometimes reflected in my blogs. There have been plenty of posts on my past projects over the years and even here at my current home on Coffee & Chiffon– although I’ve worked hard to keep them at a minimum- where I have broken my own rule of “Quality Over Quantity” and made what I referred to as “Filler Posts”- short updates where I’ve talked about my schedule and/or why I haven’t shared a new recipe, or an outfit, or pretty photos from my travels.
But I am still proud of those posts- which serve as a peek into the more chaotic and busy aspects of my life behind the scenes- and are less about polished and carefully constructed content. It’s one of the reasons I’ve been able to connect with people through writing/blogging over the years- because I’m just a regular person living a semi-regular life and I’ve never really been embarrassed or ashamed about it or tried to make things more grandeur or outrageous than they are.
And I think that’s why blogging has staying power in the ever-changing landscape of media and how we consume it. There’s a lot of other people out there leading or even yearning for normal lives without filters, engagement expectations for every piece of content they create or advertisement breaks in-between their thoughts- but we still have things we want to share and talk about with friends, followers and strangers alike- and we actively seek out others who feel the same and who also enjoy just writing about something as simple as things they’ve made in their kitchen to a new pair of shoes to how they’re spending their Summer.
And none of this is a slight against the current social media app of the moment- TikTok. While I haven’t jumped on board- yet– and created an account, I have laughed for hours at a time at some of the funny and unique ones that have popped up on my social media feeds or that have been sent to me by family and friends. I’m blown away by others’ humor and creativity- I just know I’ve never been one for video editing talents- which is why I never started a YouTube channel and why I leave it to the people who are absolutely crushing it right now.
I’m a firm believer in practicing and perfecting your talents and craft in a way you’re comfortable and confident with- and if/when you’re ready to branch out to other avenues of creativity and self-expression- go for it. There will always be an audience ready to engage and interact regardless of the platform you pursue it on.
I also think, as a blogger- it’s important not to be afraid of change- especially since things have a habit of coming and going back around in cycles and waves. For example, years ago we had all jumped ship on MySpace (remember MySpace?) to join our college friends on Facebook, thinking it was the future of socializing and that MySpace would never, in any capacity, be cool again. And now, with Facebook becoming an endless void of conspiracy theories, misinformation, criminally unfunny memes, etc.- most people have given up on that, heading to the next popular thing and even voicing their desire for MySpace to make a comeback.
I’m fully on-board with that, by the way. MySpace was actually great. The Y2K fashion?- not so much- but even that’s making a comeback. Full circle, baby!
But the point is that while blogs/blogging may not be the most utilized form of media and connection/interaction right now- it doesn’t mean it’s going to stay that way forever, and if you’re thinking of starting a blog- I say absolutely give it a shot. Work on your content, cultivate your audience, and keep at it- because while it may not be an antiquated art form- it could certainly be considered a retro one in two-years time when there’s a possible blogging renaissance happening in-between the inception of new social media apps and trends.
And we love retro things, don’t we? Case in point- the retro motel photo in my header I snapped this past weekend.
I’ll be writing about that place soon!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 