Over the past few weeks, I actively chose to take a break from blogging and YouTube. There were so many things going on in other areas of my life that I just needed to focus on myself for a little bit and everything that I needed to do. In my head, I was ready for the break. I needed the space to digest all the things that were going on. Trying to fit everything in just seemed practically impossible, and physically, I just wouldn't have had the time I needed to make space for blogging.
But I don't think I realised how guilty I would feel. I felt like I had abandoned my blog, and left it behind as I carried on my merry way. I felt like a fraud. I felt like a failure.
But should I really have felt that way? I think for all of us (correct me if I'm wrong) there is some sense of obligation. I know for me, if I've been on a roll for a while in terms of the number of posts I upload, and then this number decreases, I am overcome with a sense of guilt. If I upload an Instagram picture that just doesn't quite fit in with my theme, it is instantly taken down.
But why?
Why does it really matter? Will people really mind? And why should I even care? Surely being a blogger is about sharing things we love, that we are passionate about. But that shouldn't get in the way of life. Especially if we do not do it full-time. Maybe if I was a full-time blogger type, this sense of pressure would be justified. But I'm not. So what am I trying to prove?
It can be so easy to get caught up in the explosion that has been the blogosphere over the past few years. To place yourself up against those who are more popular/more successful/more "out there", when really, who we are as bloggers should stem from who we are as people. Rich posts that are well-constructed and true to our own style is what should be important. Not conforming to archetypes, in any sense of the word. If we are proud of the content we put out there, I think it shows, and if we publish a post just for the sake of hitting a self-imposed 'three posts a week' rule, well, I think that's pretty obvious too!
It's time to go back to why we all started blogging in the first place. In the grand scheme of things, taking a break doesn't matter. Not being present at every single Twitter chat doesn't matter. Upping the saturation and applying all the filters on an Instagram post doesn't matter. What does matter is that our passion, our love, and our spirit is still there. Because, when it comes down to it, for it is that which sets us apart.
Do you feel under pressure as a blogger?
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