Day -2
I’m on a quest to find my blogging identity! Last night I went to bed thoroughly depressed. After a weekend of visiting some pretty amazing blogs, I came to the realization that I am having a blogging identity crisis.
As a hopeless creative eclectic who cannot seem to say no to “just one more artistic endeavor,” I’m finding it extremely difficult to decide what I want my blog to look like, be about, or represent. I constantly change the banner because I never like the ones I make. Most of my photos are either blurred or lack those close up, artistic angles. I spend hours surfing the same theme templates, all of which are not to my artistic satisfaction. It is as if I have a blogging itch I just can’t scratch. I cannot decide what to include and what to remove.
Then to top it off, my husband and I rented the movie “Julie & Julia.” I related a little too much with both of these women’s struggles to find their creative identities (except for the cooking—the one part my husband hoped I would miraculously fall in love with). Julie’s struggle as a want-to-be writer hit close to home. Her idea to cook through Julia Child’s cookbook in 365 days sparked an interest. My husband laughed out loud several times during her meltdowns and then looked at me shaking his head up and down as if to say, “That is just like you!”
Then this morning I awoke with an epiphany, “What if I set out on a quest in 2010 to find my blogging identity? (I have a sneaking suspicion it is directly linked to my creative identity, which is in a constant state of flux).
This New Year has a “10” so I will come up with the “Top 10 Components of Interesting Blogs.” Although my readership is small (a relief due to my present lack of talent), perhaps some of you might decide to go on this journey with me and actually begin your own blog as well.
So I wrote down some basic guidelines, which I will most assuredly change because I get bored with rules. Nevertheless, I have to start somewhere. In 2010, I will try to do the following everyday:
Rule Number 1: Visit at least one new blog site and leave a comment (I love to get comments)
Rule Number 2: Post one new finding on my own blog
Rule Number 3: Take “no longer wanted items” off my computer in order to make room for new pictures (I am down to 2:29 GB of storage and can’t afford a new computer yet)
Rule Number 4: Organize my discoveries into “Top 10” categories so those new to blogging can easily find them (banners, photos, sidebars etc)
Rule Number 5: Create some helpful and simple tutorials for new bloggers to follow so they can avoid some of my frustration with navigating this new terrain
At this point I decided to stick with my WordPress hosted blog because it is easier for new users to navigate. However, as I get more expertise under my belts, perhaps I will highlight the “how to’s” of setting up a self-hosted site.
So I labeled this first blog -2 since the quest and numbering will not officially start until January 1st.
My husband and I are off to Las Vegas for the New Year and plan on indulging our insatiable photography habit. What we cannot have in reality, we will have in fantasy—traveling around the world taking pictures of ourselves. The many international hotels will suffice for now. Posts highlighting will follow along with my daily “Search for a blogging identity.”
JoDee Luna Art 
JoDee,
Well, here is a new blog person response…(rule @2). I rarely write back on any blogs, and rarely even check my own, i probably should though, i never know if anyone is reading it or not..i just use it to write, get stuff out..FB..takes way too much of my time.
I like your ideas here…I’m alsowith wordpress, that’s with Peter, P, I write the stuff and he posts them for me, edits first. I barely have time to keep up with my websites,..I do both of them, i desperately searched for someone to help me set them up, but it was hard to communicate what i wanted, so i just learned it myself. what a task..i don’t like doing that kind of stuff.
I also started a writing group, “glory writers’, and we meet monthly, it helps. I like to write, and am still trying to get my book done, i don’t like editing, grammar, etc..so that is always a challenge as i really don’t have extra money topay someone to check them. I thought about self publishing, but that is just soemthing else to learn, and I”m pretty maxed out now.
Anyway, would love to sit and talk with you sometime, about all of this writing stuff. oh,..and you know arnold used to be into photography. A few of my friends are professional photographers, and one has a gallary here, awesome work. I visit his gallary often, taking friends. I know this is a public site..but didn’t want to go back to email.
So come up and visit sometime.
marta
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Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. Our interests sound so much alike! I will read your blog fully appreciating the difficulty it took to create. I would love to sit and talk about writing and am envious of your group (in a good way). My passion for writing has taken over most of my free time so to create a blog is a squeeze.
I finally found a professional editor for my manuscripts and send the first book to her. She has a doctorate in English, teaches at a university, has published books, and is a literary agent. Paying for editing is a financial stretch and leap of faith. Let’s email further about this. I am convinced we could do far more if we supported one another.
I also found a co-author for my educational book. She is also a published writer with a doctorate and a wonderful blessing! I have extensively researched the world of self-publishing and decided on a publisher. Let’s talk!
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