I have been sitting here for about forty minutes, staring out the window and daydreaming away as I try and think of something to write about. Some days the words just pour out of the tips of my fingers and other days they hide away from me.
I am not that fussed by my mild bloggers block as in an attempt to cheer me up an internet friend on twitter told me even Mozart has quiet bits. That made me laugh out loud and did indeed put things back into perspective.
There are zillions of blogs out there in the blogosphere and I have been talking to you my dear internetz now for over three years, so a bit of silence from me wont be noticed in amongst the white noise of the internet.
I have been asked on more than one occasion why I feel the need to blog and the question has also been put to me that as an artist shouldn’t my blog be more serious and professional and just deal with my art? Aren’t I worried about people stealing my words, my ideas, my identity? How on earth can I expect to be taken seriously as an artist if “that blog of yours” is your public face? *sigh*
Why do I blog?
I had things to say, stories to tell and my circle of acquaintances, neighbours and friends weren’t interested in what I had to say. Sure people would ring me up when they needed to know why their broccoli had bolted to seed, or how to help a pig with a runny nose. If they wanted a recipe for simple ointment for eczema or needed to know what insect was skeletonizing the leaves on their trees I was sure to receive a call. But as for listening to what I was thinking about politics, society,ethical food production or my concern for the environment, for our survival as a species, there was no point even starting a conversation.
The women that I knew from the local school were interested in Michael Jackson’s nose not Michael Moore’s films. Don’t get me wrong I had friends in the local community as well but for the most part I was lonely and frustrated, a tree hugging hippie greenie in a community of graziers and poppy farmers, mill workers and liberal voters.(for my American friends liberal voters in Australia are conservatives not liberals)
I was different, my children were different and I would have been much much happier living in the hills above Cygnet instead of the hills above a small Southern Midlands town.
So I started to blog because I was isolated and lonely and by blogging I found my community. I have made friends and connections that ten years ago would have astounded me had I known the range of international friendships that I would develop crossing the length and breadth of mainland Australia, America and Europe. My life is much richer for these friendships and I am not lonely at all any more.
As for being taken seriously as an artist. I don’t think that is what I am after. I am too eclectic a person to be pigeonholed into one small box and I don’t have the time or the energy or the money to complete an arts degree.
I am driven by passion. Passion for the environment, for education, for my family, for beauty. I am passionate about a lot of things and to try and stifle that passion in order to fit into some sort of prescribed box that someone else wants me to fit would be impossible.
So I have been silent here on my blog lately as I try and work out where it is I want to go with my blog.
When I first started blogging, Australian blogs were thin on the ground and there were only a handful of Aussie bloggers in my reader. Now it seems that every man and his dog has a blog and whilst I think that is a good thing it also leads to blogging fatigue on my part. I am simply unable to keep up with the amount of interesting new blogs out there and find myself leaving one random comment on a blog, or clicking the friend connect widget and tucking the blog away safely in my reader and rarely if ever commenting again even though I read regularly.
So I have been pondering away as I work in the garden, do I just keep on going as I am and write what ever moves me, write about my passions and see what happens. Or do I close down Frog Ponds Rock and just use twitter and facebook to stay in touch? I don’t know. I will see what happens.
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Mozart does indeed have quiet bits as does every other worthwhile person. A bit of quiet reflection is good for the soul.
Selfishly I hope you continue with the blog as I do not ‘do’ the other things.
xox
I hope you don’t close down your blog. I’m not always on Twitter or FB, but I know I can click here when I have a free moment and catch up with you. I love knowing what you think about politics, society and the environment. x
Don’t go. Selfishly reasons. I don’t do Twitter. FB a little but like the privacy of bloggy land. Its my place where I read wonderful stuff and see beautiful photo’s and more. FB always seems to involve too many people and I find it somewhat stifling. I don’t know why.
I like to lose myself in my Reader. I don’t have many there and I haven’t blogged for ages. I think my blogosphere buddies understand? I can comment but am having an internal fight with myself about my blog. I nearly wrote a post today then bottled out.
Don’t go. Be you. Please. Here. Don’t listen to those who think an artist should do it this way or that. Your blog makes my life more interesting. If you are silent for a while, no matter. A photo occassionally can say more than words.
The words will flow naturally whenever, please don’t go….
xoxoxoxo
Oh Achelois,you have made me cry. Nice tears though.Thank you. I think that I just needed to write the words out to see how they felt. Taste them and roll them around on my tongue for a bit. I probably just need to photograph lizards for a day and share some photos of Tasmanian wildlife.
Oooh, please don’t go! Facebook does not feel the same as this blog does. I myself am a lot quieter than I used to be too, and I know I don’t always comment like I used to but that’s not because I don’t love reading this blog. Time seems to sometimes run away with me. But I love reading your opinions and seeing your beautiful art and photos. Please, I’d hate to see you go!
Please don’t leave us………
NO! DON’T GO!
From one with a very limited readership (and even fewer regulars), the blog is about saying what we otherwise cannot express. Perhaps you can do it through your ceramics; I don’t have that avenue at present and I and the GOFA both value your input and perspectives. What’s more, I have every intention of lobbing back on your virtual AND real doorstep in the hopefully not too distant future. You’ve shown me an aspect of life I otherwise would not perceive. take a breather for as long as needed – but come back! X
I would miss you terribly, as I don’t do facebook or twitter. But you must do whatever feels right for you. So many artists take themselves too seriously. You are so much more interesting!
*gasp*
You better not go – I forbid it! 😉 Personally I enjoy all the aspects of your blog from the mundane things we all go through to the environmental ones – it is one of your biggest attractors in my opinion being able to mix all the things you have going on into one cohesive blog. Did I mention I forbid it?? Besides who would I send chocolate to if you left!
FB and Twitter have their place, but they cannot be a blog. They cannot replace a blog. The difference between FB and a blog is like the difference between an evening in a noisy pub and an evening before the fireplace. And Twitter? It’s like being in the midst of a crowd and you can’t shout over the noise.
We found you here. Here is where we WANT to find you. It’s nice here. It’s like home, here. There’s a lot of heart, here.
I think it is the time of year that everyone seems to be going through this type of thing. We are a little bit quieter, we are commenting less, and we’re wondering just where we are headed.
For some reason, it’s Twitter that has fallen flat for me, I just can’t seem to make it there (I think it’s time I just don’t have during the day with a 4yo attached to my hip, and by the time I am free a whole day has passed again and I know I won’t catch up).
I am hoping it will pass, that as the world returns to normal, holidays ends and routines return we will find ourselves, and our voices, and get back to being those people again.
And, don’t ever try to box yourself in. I grew up knowing so many people like you, and they all left the boxes behind and disappeared. Probably because my parents were box-y people and I could never understand how they had such friends. They were always so much more inspiring (even to a 4yo!) 🙂
Please don’t go from here. I don’t do twitter, and I keep facebook for keeping in touch with friends. I usually check it on my phone on the bus in the morning – and as much as I like my phone, it is definitely not the right medium for admiring your lovely photos! Also, I often get motion sickness if I read too long on the bus, which is probably not the response you want to induce in your audience 😉
?? O baby please don’t go…. baby please don’t go, ??
please don’t go ……down in Bagdad town??
……. you know we love ya so… ??
So baby please don’t go ………..??
??
Oh damn…… the question marks above were supposed to be musical notes …. but for some strange reason have come out as Question marks…. OOps …..
I keep telling myself to just focus more on my novel, but I keep coming back to a tug toward blogging. I want it all. I want to do it all. I want to blog, and write, and work, and parent, etc. etc. Then, sometimes I feel silent and still. I just kind of take it as it comes.
http://www.pampersandpinot.com
I wish I’d commented on this as soon as it popped into my reader but days go by sometimes without me reading the posts in my reader. I skim the less interesting ones or the ones I know will be easy to comment on (365s are very good for that!) and comment if I want to straight away but the blogs I love and find interesting and want to spend time reading, thinking about and commenting on often sit there for days before I can find time to look at them.
All of which is a ridiculously long winded way of saying, don’t go, I really love reading your blog. You’ve opened my eyes to so much and you are my surrogate mother so how will I keep up with you if you stop blogging?
For what it is worth I hope you don’t go. I love reading your wise words 🙂
Wow Kim what a great following you have. I love the quiet times but facebook & twitter have introduced shy little me to so many new connections and helped rekindle old ones. Sometimes everyday acquaintances are dull and predictable but blogs open up a whole world of new opinions, not to mention photos, graphics. We should not feel obliged to write or comment. Go with your natural flow…we are listening.
There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the infinite passion of life.- F. Fellini
You do whatever you feel you need to do. I myself find inspiration both emotional and artistic from your words and posts, but I also understand the need to open a new chapter. Remember that you are loved and admired no matter where you are.
🙂
Just realised I was being selfish in my last comment. It was just an expression of how much I value you comments and the friendship that seems to have developed between a few of us, though most have never met or perhaps just once. You must, of course, do what makes you heart peaceful and happy. There’s always email and phone calls. X
I’ve enjoyed reading your blog, please don’t go.
You know I believe that people should blog because they enjoy it… bugger what anyone else says, thinks or does… do what you enjoy. So if you enjoy blogging then keep doing it… if it is not so enjoyable right now then take a break for a little while or a long while… until it is a joy again.
On a personal note I would very much miss you if you did take a break. Your words are so often important and strong and help me get my jumbled thoughts together on subjects that I often would rather put in the too hard basket…
But you need to do what brings you joy… not what brings me joy! *hugs*
I don’t participate in facebook or twitter. I have never – never ever – left a comment on any blog. I guess I’m just too shy. And I never think of anything particularly edifying to contribute anyway. But I’m breaking my silence to ask you to please keep your blog, even if the posts are intermittent. I really enjoy reading it, and I know many others do too, and your photos are gorgeous. As for your art, it is beautiful and speaks for itself, independently of anything you might choose to write or say.
So waddya reckon, Kim? Hee hee! Don’t do this out of a sense of duty but because you want to. But PLEASE keep posting your gorgeous pics now and again at the very least – if you don’t mind, that is. Oh, and if you could add a thought or two sometimes, that would be good, but no pressure. And, um, could we keep seeing your pottery? And and and … but it’s entirely up to you. I mean, really xx
I hear you, Kim. I hear you.xxx
I hear you too. I am so tired trying to keep up.
it just becomes overwhelming.
I went through exactly this a few months back and the best piece of advice I was given was to step away, do it when you feel like it and do it for you.
Now I do just that.
I still get hung up on it and get overwhelmed somedays but, you know, when all is said and done, I started blogging for me and ultimately, it why I keep going.
Hugs, my friend.
please DON’T stop blogging! I am only just discovering your blog (and yes, I am basically about to put it on my yet to publish blogroll page) but I already know that the exploding ‘bloggosphere’ needs blogs like yours because every man and his dog (or every mummy and her newborn babeee..) will get fed up eventually and keep it with facebook/twitter status updates while there is still people who actually put some thought into their posts like you. I’m a scattered reader and follower like you but coming to a blog like this is always an inspiration for me and i feel like i am NOT just wasting time on the net.
@ Suburp I think that I will frame your comment. Thank you. I am smiling away here. Once I had written down the words and pressed publish I felt better and decided to keep on with the blog. So much so that I have just started a new photography meme and I also put an Ad up on The Bloggess’ blog. So I will be around for a bit longer yet. But thank you for your lovely comment 🙂
…and as soon as I had posted the comment I thought I should have mentioned your photos too 🙂 I’m pleased to see you have enough readers to tell you that losing your blog would be a real loss for us !