The Whole Point
Since I first worked on the internet back in 1998 the dynamic has, in accordance with the law of physics, moved at an amazing pace and these day I do wonder why I persist and blog. There is such an amazing array of material available that it is easy to plunge into self doubt and question the whole point of it all. Continuing to blog is a bit like putting myself in a scene from Project Runway where Heide constantly reminds designers that ‘one day you are in and the next day you are out.’ It is difficult to see the point of maintaining a presence in such a highly competitive environment.
Originally when I established the Writing Directory at the Soul Food Cafe the object was to be a guide and show people things that I had found.
I have wondered if being a guide is actually enough.
Then I reminded myself that a good guide is curious about their surroundings and likes to learn about new things and share them.
So I find myself sharing Brain Pickings again today. This is the kind of site that a good guide would keep returning to. It feeds my elephant trunk like mind that wanders casually from one thing to another.
Brain Pickings is a fabulous site that focuses on the essence and anatomy of creativity, a subject that has long fascinated me.
5 responses to “The Whole Point”
Leave a reply to Suzanne Cancel reply
The World of Soul Food
The Soul Food Cafe
This wonderful, free resource, remains online and is a testimony to collaborative work: THE SOUL FOOD CAFE
Roads Well Travelled
The 2006 Adventure Calendar preserved one of the Lemurian Journey's with Enchanteur. Likewise, the journey of the heart, along the Soul Food Silk Road was preserved after work completed in 2005. You can find links to the collection of the Soul Food Cafe Advent Calendars housed at Squidoo. Wired Garden
The Wild Garden AdvenTURE Calendar takes people through twenty five steps towards understanding how the internet can be used as an interactive publishing tool. The Wild Garden introduced Soul Food community members to the potential of the web. This was made in 2005 and while there have been rapid developments in social networking in the interim, the Wild Garden provides important insight into the history of what became known as Web 2.
Just Nous 
I agree, Heather, that the whole Blogger scene is overwhelming, however, I’m also finding so much good about it when one does not allow it to run one ragged. I’m considering publishing a book of my poetry illustrated with my photographs. And though this will take a little time to put it all together, I’ve decided that instead of going with a publisher, I’m going to do it myself, electronically. After having five books published, I am tired of the dealing with the whims of the publisher and his/her editors. So I shall deal with only my whims and my editing. God bless the Internet, the bloggers, and the world of opportunity it has opened up for all of us.
Good post by the way. It is great to see you active again.
Vi
Great site! I clicked on it and had a wee browse. Lots of interesting stuff there. I also signed up for the news;etter, but do I really need another newsletter in my e-mail box? The time has come when I need to cull the weeds and keep the flowers which will turn to seeds!
Vi, great news about your poetry. Looking forward to seeing it in print!:-)
So true, Heather, one does wonder if there’s a point to blogging. It depends on what your purpose is, I suppose. It’s no different from writing a book, which is hard to publish and encounters enormous competition. It all comes down to passion. If you love to write, it’s excellent practice and you get it out there. Ditto, if you love to share. So, that’s the point, I think—if you enjoy it, feel the urge to do it, and finally love it–do it. If it’s a source of frustration or stress, why bother?
Vi, I’m so pleased to hear your plans; it’s wonderful news. I’ll be waiting to hear of your adventures and publication. Go for it!
I agree with Barbara when she says do it if you enjoy it, if it’s a stress don’t do.
I’m finding with my current blog about my travels it’s helping me put my experiences into words. Sounds weird but I find when I’m travelling I’m absorbing information in all kinds of ways – not necessarily verbal. There’s the visual stimulation, the sensory experience of being totally out of my comfort zone, the interaction between people etc. etc. Sorting out my photos and finding words to describe my experiences helps me put things into perspective. Sometimes it’s as if I don’t know what I think about something until I find the written words to describe it.
For me at present, having people read my blogs and comments is really nice but it isn’t the main motivation. I do love when people comment on a particular photo they like though as it helps me get on handle on what images resonate with others as one of these days I plan to market some of my photos.
That said, I think that ultimately blogging for me is about throwing ideas, images and creative work out into the universe and seeing what comes back. Sometimes my efforts pass unnoticed, other times I get some feedback. I guess what I’m really seeking to do in my blogging efforts is communicate.
Blogging for me is a form of communication. Sometimes it’s important to me that I get feedback, other times it feels more like I’m communicating with myself. Sounds weird but sometimes blogging works for me as a way to work out what I really feel about things.
With my current travel blog I’m finding sorting through my photos and finding words to describe my experiences helps me understand more about what I felt and thought at a certain place. When I’m there a lot of my experience is occuring on a non verbal level – there’s the visual stimulation, the sensory experiences and the emotional experience of actually being in a place I have long dreamt of visiting. I also get caught up in the more extroverted experience of relating to other people. When I write about my experiences I enter a more introspective space where all these inputs come together and I find the words to describe them – something like that idea that it is in the naming of things that they become tangible. Just trying to describe this is proving a challenge – maybe I’ll have to blog about why I blog to fully understand it – lol.
I agree with Barbara when she says do it if you love and are getting something out of it – if it’s a stress don’t do it.