13 April 2007

la blog

over sack lunches the other day, we had a discussion about blogs in general. i was playing defense. obviously i adore blogging. it's not only my outlet to write, my chance to connect with imaginary cyber friends, get & give ideas, a motivation to snap photos... my blog creates an opportunity to spread good news. if i spy something fabulous, find an inspirational quote, discover an 'oh so twee' item that makes my inside girlishness squeal, i yearn to inform. it's an addiction. therefore a blog is a necessity. okay maybe not absolutely necessary for a happy life, but a darn fun luxury.

here is a question for the curious george in all of us, is la blogging an inventive & creative exchange of ideas or simply a regurgitation of the same ol' thing?
{posting about another's post who perhaps copied someone else's post.. where do the originals come from!? i mean honestly, anthropologie could survive w/o any sort of advertising whatsoever, thanks to all of their beloved blogging fans. all across the nation we are obsessed with the same terribly lovely place. anthropologie brings us together in unity. which is another post entirely.} are we spurring good advertisements or are we mimicking the annoying radio dj, replaying the same song again and again? your once favorited song quickly becomes the song you most despise & can recognize after only the first three notes. 'hurry click it off.. change the station.. make it go away..' not as fun as 'name that tune' is it? more like 'i wanna kill that tune'.

are we stimulating minds here or simply circulating duplicates?

thought this was an intriguing post over at decor8 about the pursuits of the blog. the comments themselves are quite thought-provoking. so go ahead and read it, if you haven't already and do some pondering. for me, blogging is about climbing out of the box. i've met some truly creative new pals and have been captivated by your words + photos + handmade goods. when i sit to peruse my blogline list - which is rapidly accumulating, i feel happy to peer into your space for awhile, to glimpse into your world. i get to see your art, your work, your studios, your gardens, your kitchens and sometimes into your little ones' faces and see the world from new eyes. what could possibly be more eye-opening than that?

does the pursuit of blogging add to your pursuit of happiness?


ps. on a side note, i wish you could come over to watch Freaky Friday to celebrate this thrill of friday the thirteenth. am i too old to love this movie?!


10 comments:

Travelin'Oma said...

I love blogging.

Reading blogs is similar to reading a magazine. There are the artistic photo shoots, and the creative "spreads" that I look at; the articles that speak to me; the letters and the editor's notes that say what I feel, or seem way out there. Plus there are ads that interest me, and many that don't. I follow up on some and not on others. Reading a variety of blogs keeps me up to date on trends, fashions, politics, etc.

Writing a blog is like writing a letter. I love to feel I'm connecting with someone on the other side. Keeping a diary has always felt empty to me because there's nobody there. I love comments and responses, but just imagining a reader is enough to make me feel more creative. It's an outlet for me and I love it.

Life isn't very original. We are all just rediscovering and expressing what others have already experienced. But it's new to us. Our response to thoughts and ideas is unique and exciting, and what we take and add to anything gives it originality. Sharing sparks creativity, and makes us ponder and think in new ways.

Blogging adds to my pursuit of happiness!

ali said...

Mmm, I love the comments from the two "Marts." Blogs are magazines, but best, I feel like I get to know and love the editors.

I've had this same discussion regarding blogs, though not over a delightful sack lunch, and I've been meaning to address it.

I think it's easy for a blog to become a sort of trend report and I am guilty of doing so. But I don't mind when blogs regurgitate things on other blogs, simply because I might not have seen them at their point of origin otherwise. And who doesn't like to hear good news/see good ideas/be introduced to cool new products?

That said, I love peering into the lives of my old and new-found cyber friends. More than anything, I am inspired by them (and you Marta, my old dear friend and new cyber friend, too).

My theory is to focus on the do/make/see/say rather than the buy, buy, buy. I always worry that my blog makes me appear too materialistic. But really, I'm just pointing out someone else's inventiveness ... and sometimes a good deal or two that I can't keep to myself. :)

I love to blog. And I love your blog.

I'm A said...

m. nicely written. truthfully, there is a lot of the "same ol stuff" out there. but perhaps great minds think alike? :) and i can not discard the fact that reading the blogs of friends, whether they be new, old, or met online, ALWAYS makes my day brighter. i learn, laugh, connect and get inspiration every, single day. and what is greater than that?.

Stacie said...

I, for one, love to blog....and I love to read blogs too. My list is so long,that I've had to just choose a few favorites to list, so as not to seem obsessed!! LOL. Your post is so true as we all re-post things from time to time..... but in answer to your question, blogging adds to my pursuit of happiness!!

Robin said...

Marta, I'm glad you posted on this subject. It's a topic that has come up several times with my family (my mom and sisters and I all started blogs around the same time and it's a regular topic of conversation). I personally love blogging and I love being able to discover new blogs that make it onto my favorites list. I like having glimpses into others' lives and projects and thoughts.

I have noticed a dangerous tendency I have had, and that is to compare my blog with the ones I think are so much more clever, classy, beautiful, and to take it personally when I don't get many comments. I have to remember the reason I started it in the first place - to keep a record of my doings, likes, tidbits of info I find, and to connect with my family and friends in a more creative way. My blog is constantly evolving as I see things I am inspired by.

I think blogging has added to my pursuit of happiness. It has made me a little more creative, made me see things (and especially people!!) in a new way, and given me another thing to get excited about!

Jade said...

Excellent topic! Blogging for me another medium of communicating to the outside world. I'm mostly stay-at-home looking after my girl bub, so blogging transports me outside the four walls I'm in.

Sarah said...

Hi Marta

I've been thinking about this question all weekend.
For me, I started my blog because it was something I had been thinking about for a while. I'd been discovering & reading lots of really cool blogs and I wanted a piece of the action.
Lately I have been suffering from blog envy and low blog esteem! I mean, there are so many gorgeous blogs (yours included) and I feel that I can't match that. But that's not what all of this is about anyway. For me, it's about connecting with like minded people and I have been pleasantly surprised by the interactions I've had with complete strangers since I started my blog.
I think it's perfectly ok that someone might post about a particular something which starts a chain event to posts on loads of other blogs. In fact, I think this is really cool! It's uniting people from all other the world.
I think we all bring something different to our own blogs and have some of our own readers too.
For several reason I had lost my passion to be creative and by having my own blog, it's my way of getting not only creative again, but being passionate about something. I'm loving it.
Last words: You and your Mum are both so articulate! I love reading your writing.
:)

jordan said...

hmmm. You make some interesting points. I have a few thoughts.

1. I started my blog because I was bored at work and would email links to my friends all day long. It is a place a can aggregate all the things I see that are wonderful and that I want to share.

2. I've found that blogging about something beautiful makes me get rid of some of the desire to buy it.

3. On the idea of regurgitation, There are some things in the world that are very original. But not many. Some of my favorite writers and artists are clearly inspired by other people. And that is ok. All of culture builds on ideas thought by previous people. Also, in the case of my blog, I'm not doing it so I can be original. I'm just putting things that make me happy in one spot.

4. Lastly, I have reconnected with people I never would have. It's like all my friends are scattered all over the world but we can me together everyday in one spot.

mama jo said...

i have loved blogging...i love just being able to write whatever pops into my mind...i've never really enjoyed writing and it's been fun to like to do this..but, what i really like is reading everyone else's blog..i feel like i'm really getting to know you better. i've always known how creative you are, but, now i can see it...it's the greatest...

Unknown said...

regardless of the regurgitation, blogging is the online popularity contest that my cute little sister is beating the pants off me at. who knew my geeky computer world would be invaded by the ranks of my sisters, mother, brother and wife . . . and they all are so good - but worst of all, my little sister's the best!

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