I'm trying to change my approach to blogging. I feel I've fallen into a trap of using my blog to entertain others rather than to express myself- which isn't necessarily a bad thing, depending on one's goals for keeping a blog. I've decided my goals, however, need to be more personal. I need a creative outlet, and writing is a good one for me. Writing is also something I'm ok at it; whereas I totally suck at making things (such as blogs and crafts) look good. Therefore, I'm done with posting just for postings sake, and I'm tired of trying to meet my own silly criteria, such as these:
- I must be cute, cute, cute. I only feel this way because a majority of my friends' blogs are so stinkin' cute and creative that feel like I have to try to keep up. Cute blog templates. Cute fonts. Cute, chic pictures of attractive family and friends or adorable discoveries. With cute and fun things to say about said beauties. It's all very impressive and admirable, but also a lot of work. Believe me, I've tried. I've come to accept that as much as I'd like to, I just can't do cute.
- I have to talk about something fun or exciting. My blog is titled "The Salad Days" after all, an idiomatic expression referring to my enthusiasm for these early years in my life. I feel like I'm supposed to stick to the theme... and entertain... as well as show off a little.
- I have to like something. That statement may sound odd, but I feel pressure to be positive. I think about my audience here (the 5 of you know who you are) and wonder: Wouldn't people get bored if I complained all the time? Or if I were really sarcastic or ironic? (I really can be.) But then, what's the point of posting just to post? Do people really care what Amazon's top books are or if Erich bit the shape of a slug into an apple? Who am I trying to impress? And why?
All I really want to do is write about stuff - completely random and whenever I feel like it. Without feeling like I need to impress, or rate myself on the quality or quantity of comments I receive. I sometimes wonder if I should turn the comments off, and if that would relieve any pressure to post, or to impress anyone. Whether it would make writing more enjoyable and personal. I've also thought of creating a strictly anonymous blog, but I've decided that I don't really have anything to hide, and that I'd really like to keep an honest dialogue with my friends.
I'm revamping my blog. Very soon, I will no longer be The Salad Days. I may even delete some old posts that mean nothing to me. We'll see. At any rate, I hope this results in a blog that I'm proud of, a lot of randomness, and some better quality writing.
Keep it real,
Melbo
