Why I blog
A year ago, on my last blog, I wrote an article titled “What blogging is all about.” It reads:
Blogging has always inspired me, intrigued me–pushed me to develop a style of writing entirely different from what is taught in school, and even, what comes naturally to me.
In school I have learned to prove a point, to take a stand, to back it up. Naturally, I tend to write creatively (though this blog does not particularly represent that facet of my repertoire). But when I blog, I express. I write what I think, what I want, what gives me pause, what makes me mad– when I blog I have the full scope of my own emotional, philosophical and mundane descriptions to disperse and attempt to make even the tiniest bit interesting.
Blogging is about finding yourself. It’s about digging deep into who you are. What makes Elyse tick? While that has not been the question that has begun most of these blog entries, when all are pieced together, a unique picture comes through. This blog, this collection of writings, is a piece of who I am.
A blog shows evolution of character and person hood. It shows the struggles you face and the ways you choose to deal with them. It records successes and failures (if you allow it to) and is oftentimes embarrassing to look back on–“there’s no way I really thought that!”
Blogging is the embodiment of Rene Descartes’s theory of rationalism: “I think, therefore I am.”
But in the same token, is a symbol of an artistic and crafted movement.
Blogging investigates. Blogging thinks. Blogging asks questions. Blogging inspires. Blogging creates. Blogging stirs its readers.
Or at least good blogging does.
I’ll leave you to decide where I fall on the ‘blogging’ scale.
And I still believe most of that today. But here I want to elaborate on why I blog here and who I’m blogging for.
Why blog here?
Leaving for Irkutsk is frankly an easy reason to do so. Truth is, I’ve been building myself up for a more publicly accessible blog for years. It’s easier than having to cover my tracks and worry. Why blog here? Oddly enough, that dies directly into how I blog for, in order of priority.
So who do you blog for?
01. Myself
I primarily blog for me. This is my place to express myself — my thoughts on subjects that range my interests. I have tried so-called “niche” blogging, and it does not work for me. I strongly dislike feeling shoved in boxes and I often grow quickly uninspired when I do so… it’s happened plenty of times in the past, believe me. So instead, I write what I want here. That may not always be interesting to you. But first and foremost, this is my place to write about what I find most interesting at the moment — be it personal issues, Russian issues, American issues, Internet issues or whatever. As I said a year ago: “when all are pieced together, a unique picture [of me] comes through.”
02. My Friends and Family
Knowing that people I know “in the real world” will be reading this does affect my discretion. Topics that might have been fair game on Reaching Maturity will now be off limits. It’s a little amusing, actually, how much easier it is to write about somethings knowing that no one you see on a daily basis will know that you’ve written. Not to say that they are malicious towards them, but just that they contain stories or opinions that you wouldn’t necessarily want the people you come in contact with to know.
Furthermore, a lot of the personal articles especially are directed (or will be once I get to Irkutsk) toward family and friends at home. Rather than send email newsletters, I prefer to blog in a public space.
03. Everyone Else
If someone else I don’t know happens to stumble across this blog and like what they read, then so be it — I’m happy for the readership and will be happy to engage in communication with you. In theory, if you are coming here without knowing me personally and decide you’ll keep reading, it’s because you enjoy what I’m already writing for myself and my friends and family which means (again, in theory) that I don’t have to change anything.
Conclusion
I truthfully don’t care all that much if I have a readership of 100,000 or 10 or 0. Because in the end, this is for me– for my own edification and reflection.
But I also wouldn’t be honest if I said I don’t care if no one ever comments. Because comments are nice. It’s nice to hear what people think about what you’ve said and it does give a little added boost to write something else. Even if the primary person I’m writing for is me, every little bit of encouragement helps.
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