I’ve had a lot on my mind this past week. Mind if I share?
I can’t stop thinking about…
- Hurricane Sandy and the destruction she left behind. One of my grandmothers is still without power! (Luckily, she might be part polar bear and is likely more frustrated by the lack of electricity than she is about the heat.) My heart is heavy for the communities that lost everything, including Staten Island, the Rockaways and the Jersey Shore. Click here to learn where you can donate or volunteer to Sandy relief efforts.
- Today’s presidential election and what is at stake. With the race at a statistical dead heat, there is a very real possibility that big changes are around the corner–and that scares me. Did you vote today?
- This little blog of mine. I think about it all day, every day — how can I attract more readers? How can I improve its content? How can I improve my graphic design abilities? How can I find more time to make these improvements?!
After Levi, my blog is the second biggest thing taking up space in my mind — though perhaps it shouldn’t be. Truth be told, I want Bunny & Dolly (or some iteration of Bunny & Dolly) to become my career. It may be a blogger faux pas to admit this, but I’d like to be able to significantly contribute to my family’s income by being a blogger. I love to write. Writing is more than just a hobby; I’m pretty sure it’s the only thing I’m actually pretty good at (and I mean that in the most modest way). And to make a living doing something we love to do is everyone’s ultimate goal, isn’t it?
But lately I’ve been feeling like a teeny tiny drop of water in an ocean full of blogs.
How do I make myself and my blog stand out among the masses? How do I make a name for myself? Sometimes I think I lack the self-promotion gene necessary for becoming a blogging success. (I also think I’m missing the self-important gene that I’ve noticed many — but certainly not all! — big bloggers seem to have.) If I don’t think I’m a big deal, why should you? Why should any reader? Like I said, the blogosphere is like a vast ocean. There are a gazillion other blogs you can read.)
So why do I blog?
I’ve been asking myself that question after reading Erin’s honest post yesterday. I blog because I want to share real-life experiences with other women and new moms who, like me, are sick and tired of reading about other people’s perfect lives. Perfection is not reality! At least, it’s not my reality. My goal has always been to truthfully share the ups and downs of motherhood — and of life in general, I suppose.
At the same time, I’d like to use my little corner of the blogosphere as a safe place to discover more about me. I’d like to more clearly define my style, to explore new interests and to become more well-rounded. Ultimately, I’d love to be considered an expert or tastemaker in something, anything! But what…
I began blogging in 2006 at Somewhere in Middle America, late in the game compared to many of the “big bloggers.” Still, six years is six years. If I were working in corporate America and had not been promoted after that length time, I would be out-of-my-mind depressed. I’m not that miserable, of course, but I’m still frustrated. Frustrated enough to need to vent on the blog, at least.
I have no expectations that this post will lead to any resolution, but since honesty is my policy, I wanted to share with you what I’ve been thinking about. Perhaps you can relate in some way.
What’s been on your mind lately?
PS: For the record, I love to pieces all of you who read Bunny & Dolly and who follow me on Twitter and Facebook. I’m truly grateful for your support. Thank you, thank you!
{photograph by Anna Kay}
Hmmm. Well, seems to me like you are making your mark slowly but surely – writing for other blogs, participating in AltSummit, getting listed on the blog rolls of “more prominent” bloggers… I honestly think it’s a saturated market and so it’s harder and harder to establish yourself. But I’ve noticed that there seem to be three ways to get a lot of followers really fast: a) write a super snarky blog so lots of people come to gawk and comment; b) make your blog unbelievably sunshine-y and rainbow-y with tales about your amazing life and lots of drool-worthy photos of your unbelievably cute kid doing unbelievably cute things; c) be super crafty and have amazing tutorials that everyone wants to copy and put up on their Pinterest boards. And if you are a good writer who wants to post things that are true and relevant and who isn’t going to stage a picnic in the park or a playdate tea party or sew a quilt by hand every single day? Then you build an audience of real followers, slowly but surely, who actually have an interest in what you have to say but who won’t necessarily make you a ton of $$ — just actual connections and people who care about you.
Courtney, you are so on target. It’s much harder to get noticed in a saturated market without doing a, b and c as you mentioned above–and I’m definitely not about to purposefully ruffle some feathers, fake a picture-perfect life or start creating craft tutorials (I am the least DIY person I know!). I would much, much rather make actual connections through my blog by being true to myself, even if that takes a while. (Says the incredibly impatient girl.)
And thank you for saying that I appear to be making a mark. Although it doesn’t necessarily feel like it to me, I have the tendency to discredit my own accomplishments. I am very thankful to be writing for other blogs and am excited to attend Alt! Though I’m not sure which blog rolls you mentioned… Maybe you can send me some names so I can check them out?
xx
You know what, I have this sinking feeling that a blogger never really lets go of the self-questioning, identity-crisis moments. For me at least, it seems to come with the territory of having total control over something. I’ve had a very lucky year, and I finally feel like I can say I AM a writer thanks to my blog, but prior to this year, I spent 3 years in total obscurity, or at least it feels like it. One of my biggest frustrations is the lack of comments I get – I know I have readers, but I’m not sure why I don’t have a community…. Perhaps it’s like Courtney said above. A lot of my traffic is thanks to pinterest, and no one is coming from there to “read”, just to look. Sigh, so much to question and dissect.
Sometimes too, I’m worried about burnout, and I think when I question the blog the most it’s partly thanks to too many late nights and not enough time for myself. Perhaps a couple days off? A weekend without blogging?
Thanks for leaving a note, Mari. I’ve always been the self-questioning, identity-crisis type — maybe that’s why I became a blogger! I think the lack of comments is definitely a huge part of my frustration, especially when I see the amount of comments blogs similar to mine receive. Twenty or more on a simple “here’s what we did today” post? Makes me wonder what I’m doing wrong…or just differently, I guess. Am I not engaging enough? Is my life too boring to warrant comments? That’s when I really start questioning the blog. I think what I need to do, though, is stop looking at stats for a while and just focus on writing about…whatever.
I hope to grow a successful blogging career like yours! Your Pinterest stats are out of control! I have no idea how to effectively use Pinterest. I should probably learn, though, right?!