05 May 2012

for the record

I am most alive when I am not paying attention to the internets.

when I refuse to let internet trends, movements or unspoken rules affect what I share, how I share, when I share. I've never really been one for labels and I bristle at the thought of branding. no judgment, it's just not for me. I want to write what I want to write and share original work. I want to share photographs that excite me. I want it to come from an intrinsically authentic place and the only way I've found to do this is to ignore the ongoing noise of the internet and share freely, openly. with nary a thought to convention. I'm not always successful. but I try.

I want to say more about this (and I will) but the weekend is calling. the wide open weekend and something called a super moon.
at 12:48 PM
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36 comments:

  1. DebMay 05, 2012 1:24 PM

    I feel the same, and totally understand. Well said! Have a good weekend xx

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    1. andreaMay 06, 2012 12:18 AM

      thanks. hope you have a good weekend too, friend. xo

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  2. Hi KookyMay 05, 2012 2:05 PM

    You go, girl.

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  3. jkluginbillMay 05, 2012 2:43 PM

    That is the reason I visit your blog regularly. I don't comment often (anywhere) but felt like I should today. Love the spirit I can feel by reading (looking at) your blog. Stay true to you! :)

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    1. andreaMay 06, 2012 12:18 AM

      thanks, jerrie. means a lot. it really really does. xoxo

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  4. AnneMay 05, 2012 2:56 PM

    It's so nice to see someone who doesn't yield to those pressures. It seems everyone is interested in making their blog full of regular features that bring in readers, or tutorials that place them at the top of search results. It's very tiring and so many blogs end up looking the same and having the exact same content. Also, what's with the fear of losing readers when you don't blog for over a week?

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    1. andreaMay 06, 2012 12:42 AM

      thank you! and I agree-- it's a sea of sameness out there. as someone who's been blogging now for seven years, it's been interesting (to say the least) to see how this medium has changed. I think there's a lot of pressure out there to conform, to make your blog look and feel a certain way... and then you add social media to the mix and wow. it's a lot of noise. the blogging everyday, I guess that's a strategy of sorts but I've been reading a lot of articles lately that argue why that's not always a good thing. wish I'd bookmarked a few of those so i could share with you. xo

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  5. Meghan @ Life RefocusedMay 05, 2012 3:42 PM

    Bravo. Yes. So good. You inspire me. Always. Can't wait to see you in July. xo

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    1. andreaMay 06, 2012 12:43 AM

      thank you so much, meghan! looking forward to seeing you in july too! xo

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  6. AmandaMay 05, 2012 3:57 PM

    i hear ya, sister!

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  7. lisa solomonMay 05, 2012 4:30 PM

    amen. [but hard to do. i sometimes get that icky lump in my chest you know?]

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    1. andreaMay 06, 2012 12:43 AM

      oh my goodness so hard to do. I get the icky lump too. oh I do, I do.

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  8. JennMay 06, 2012 12:08 AM

    Agreed. Thanks for putting it into words.

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    1. andreaMay 06, 2012 12:44 AM

      thank you! it's something I've been thinking about for a long, long time.

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  9. andreaMay 06, 2012 12:44 AM

    thank you. :)

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  10. NateMay 06, 2012 8:03 AM

    How apt. :)

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  11. little partMay 06, 2012 10:30 AM

    whatever you do...it works! you have created a beautiful place here.

    ps. did you get to see it? ur supermoon was clouded out :(

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    1. andreaMay 07, 2012 1:41 PM

      thank you so much! and yes, I did get to see it! the super moon, that is. obscured by clouds early on but then it finally made an appearance. totally worth the wait. just posted a little something about it. :)

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  12. trrouperMay 06, 2012 10:49 AM

    That´s the reason I visit Your blog also! Thank You for honesty, it rules:)!

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    1. andreaMay 07, 2012 1:41 PM

      thank you! that really means a lot to me. xo

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  13. BrittanyMay 06, 2012 11:20 AM

    this is just one part of what makes you a total original. the internet is a wonderful place to connect and find out more about amazing things, but it isn't a place that genuinely feeds the soul.

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    1. JasmineMay 06, 2012 3:23 PM

      May I quote you on that last line? It is so what I needed--the truth.

      I also love this post, agree whole-heartily. I have to refrain from blogging just for the sake of blogging and trying to gain readers.

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    2. andreaMay 07, 2012 1:42 PM

      thanks so much, brit and jasmine! xo

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  14. DanielleMay 07, 2012 1:23 AM

    i feel ya, girl. totally and completely. : ) Seems like this feeling is in the air a lot lately for a lot of folks.

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    1. andreaMay 07, 2012 1:45 PM

      thanks, lady. definitely something in the air these days. it's something I've been thinking about for a loooooong time, for the past year or so.

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  15. MariellaMay 07, 2012 1:46 AM

    Thanks Andrea, because your post arrived for me just about half an hour later I told myself what the heck I was doing tweeting meaningless words just because I felt I hadn't been "out there" for long time. You know what? this is not for me either, and somehow reading your post made me smile and feel ok about it. It's too much, the noise as you call it, everything, is just too much.

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    1. andreaMay 07, 2012 1:46 PM

      oh mariella, I feel your pain. glad you feel better about it, so glad. xoxo

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  16. kristinMay 08, 2012 2:43 AM

    Thank you. I really needed to read this. My blog is still newish and gaining some success in my little niche, and it's hard not to feel pressure to do more. And then there's also this pressure to "be more real." My blog is about making things, not about how messy my laundry room is, you know? So I think I'm going to stick to posting what I want to post. Thank you!

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    1. andreaMay 08, 2012 4:00 PM

      man, do I hear you. I think we all know that everyone has dirty laundry, everyone has days where the house is a mess and the kids are a mess. just because we don't show it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. don't get me wrong, I'm all for people 'being more real'. I just think that kind of sharing needs to come from an authentic place. if you feel moved to write or photograph and share those bits, awesome. but if you don't, you shouldn't be criticized for it. those kinds of posts need to flow naturally.

      so stick to what you're doing, lady! post what you want, when you want. post what you feel good about. that space is yours. xo

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  17. Michele H.May 16, 2012 3:16 PM

    this is so what i needed to read today. the other day I was telling my husband that I think i'm going to quit blogging (and creating)...and he said in the most loving of all voices (not really) "Yeah right...you enjoy it too much."

    And the truth is, I do. But as of late...i've been feeling that something is missing. something is just not right. So, once certain commitments are done, I want to re-evaluate why I'm doing this. It's been on my mind so much.

    thank you for sharing your thoughts on this! i do so appreciate it.

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    1. andreaMay 24, 2012 2:34 PM

      michele, I'm so glad I helped in some small way. it's tricky, this online space. trickier to navigate than some might think. xo

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  18. Heather @ Life Made LovelyMay 18, 2012 2:50 PM

    This is glorious!
    I feel the same and feel so encouraged to read this.
    Thank you!!!!!

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    1. andreaMay 24, 2012 2:34 PM

      thanks so much, heather! glad to know I'm not alone in my thinking here, thrilled to have been an encouragement! xo

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  19. keishuaMay 24, 2012 4:32 PM

    thank, thank you for this post. I have been thinking this for a while. I am so tired of the sell-up in the blogworld. i just want to blog for the love of it.

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  20. MelaneeJuly 06, 2012 12:12 AM

    My first visit here tonight at the fireside of this post. And yes! How I resonate with the true disdain for labels, brands, and being flattened and folded into a neat and pretty bow by the internet machine. Thank-you for reminding me that I am not alone. :)

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