i’ve had a few conversations lately with fellow bloggers that has left me feeling…a little frustrated at this blogging world.
NOT bloggers – but this perception that has somehow been so loudly un-spoken that every. single. blogger. feels this pressure to perform.
there is no magic blog rule that says “you must do this, this, and this to be successful”
and then i start thinking well what is successful.
maybe that means you have 1,000+ followers on bloglovin.
or your pinterest is blowing up.
or companies are reaching out to you for collaborations.
or you’re making mucho moola by writing some sweet words.
those are all great things, and can be a wonderful result of hard work.
but to me…
…to me, that is not what success is measured by.
it got me thinking, why did i even start blogging?
i’ve always had an online presence…i’ve had xanga, live journal, open diary, tumblr, creative poetry, etc…and i still have a lot of those and remain mostly anonymous (aka no promotion) due to it just being an outlet.
truthfully – this blog, taking steps home, was started as a way to share with friends and families and strangers (hello y’all!) my transition in taking the house i grew up in, lost my parents in, and making it a reflection of who i am now.
is that what this blog reflects today? no
and am i okay with that? yes.
because honestly…taking steps home is about my life and home – in transition and in the present and dreaming of the future – and my life has value, with or without readers.
am i glad people read these ramblings and invest in me and reach out? my goodness yes…this blogging community that God has woven me into is just…beyond words incredible.
but i’ve come to realize – i will not feed into the pressure.
i will not post just to post.
i won’t be fashionable always (hello my lovely sweat pants and messy bun days!)
my instagram account will never look fully polished.
my pinterest can be forgotten.
my sweet design skills (ha, jokes!) will take a back seat…
…but my words, my words i want to stay.
i want them to impact others.
to awaken this connection of you’re not alone, and my gosh you are so loved and so incredibly gorgeous, to all of those who read.
yes, i write fluff and post fun pictures.
yes, i ramble…on and on and on again 😉
but i write for me.
i write to get out my thoughts, to mark events, to share experiences.
i write with the intention of just getting all the raw emotion and thoughts out – for myself.
not with a specific audience in mind.
and never with this impression that it will hit this viral status and be shared everywhere.
i don’t dog those who have a target audience, or who push to be a better blogger.
sometimes i’m a little jealous of y’all!
…but for me, personally, i look at a lot of blog advice and think “dang, that is just too much work” and FOR ME – im ok with that.
i’m a different breed of “blogger”…and i like that.
i’m also friends with some solid, transparent, and IMPACTING bloggers that are taking this place by storm – and i’m their biggest cheerleader!
i feel like that lone feather that has broken away from the bird and is just floating around.
maybe landing here and there and soaking up wisdom and encouragement, and maybe even some new blogging trends/ideas…and then i keep floating.
i’ve heard people say they stay with me because i’m real.
i’m honest, and raw, and i just tell it like it is.
thank you.
that is the biggest compliment to me ever.
i hope this is a place where it feels like we’re sitting down for a cup of something warm and just chatting.
swapping stories, laughing, pulling our phones out to show pictures, and then digging deep.
i’m so invested in you, as a reader, and i’m so invested in this thing called life that i want to be transparent.
all of this to say…
..i’m amy, and i’m weird, and i don’t blog the “popular way”.
but i still love those who do.
