Why I started a Blog In 2021?
Going Against My Better Research
For what’s it’s worth, I will be the first to admit that I’m just as surprised as you are that I’m starting a blog in the year 2021. I’ve been one that has followed many a blogger and envied their ability to showcase their personality, be it real or for show, through their words. I’d be lying if I said the idea of starting a blog hadn’t crossed my own mind a time or two before now, but I never knew or planned how I would actually go about it.
Now that I’ve started one, I still have no clear idea about how I’m going to develop and maintain it while balancing my day to day life. To add insult to injury, the research I’ve done about blogging suggests its world is oversaturated with voices and a waste of time due (in part, at least) to short attention spans - thanks to ever evolving technology. And let’s not forget the blog world’s wicked step cousin known as the comparison game I play with my work or ideas against those who’ve been doing it far longer.
Reclaim Some Space of My Own
Be that as it ALL may, I’m focusing on why I started this space. The short answer being: BECAUSE (clap) I (clap) WANTED (clap) TO (clap). Please forgive me (or don’t) for sounding like a toddler, but I need to reclaim some space of my own to do with as I chose. Between constantly chasing a work deadline, supporting my littles (nieces and nephews that is), and celebrating major milestones of friends, I seem to do very little for myself. Yes, I shop for (occasionally) clothes, read, travel, and exercise, but those are all creative spaces created by others for anyone to optimize.
As we get older, I think we assume our ship has sailed as it pertains to trying something new or creating something we’ve always wanted. I do not want to look back on my life and wish I had given this a try. I wanted to develop something that had my blood, sweat, and tears attached to it if for nothing more than to have a different type of focus and purpose. Where it might be scary, I most assuredly think it will be worth it-even if I’m the only one who reads it.
Revisiting An Old Friend
As my fun fact stated, I used to participate in local improv. Yes, I’ve (in one way or the other) considered myself to be funny and theatrical enough to “make it,” but signing up for improv had very little to do with getting discovered. I just wanted to exert my energy towards creating that had absolutely nothing to do with work or school.
Up until I signed up for comedy classes, I was in graduate school full time while working my full time job. My mind, time, and energy were spent creating and delivering for others and I needed to do something different. I kept going back and forth about taking the plunge into local comedy. I told myself that there’s no time like the present. So, I signed up for a level 1 improv class almost nine months after graduating with my master’s degree.
I remember being a big ball of nerves as I drove from my place to my first improv class. I kept asking myself who I thought I was to presume I was able to handle the art associated with improv.
However, after my level 1 class began and a few exercises and introductory games were played, I determined I was right where I needed to be. I started creating imagery and obscure circumstances with persons I had met only moments before I walked into the class and feeling as if I had known them for years. I took a breath of fresh air that I didn’t know I needed.
That was the day I remembered that I’m the happiest when I’m creating for me. After my first class, I would go onto spending the next three years going to shows, taking classes, and even auditioning and making (ayeeee!) one of the two improv teams that would perform nightly once a week for two months.
After the pandemic hit though, I wasn’t able to perform with the improv team I made nor did the comedy house I held so dear survive. I was devastated. The rug was pulled right from under me. I just did not know how I would create a purpose and focus that improv provided for me.
Through this space, I’m revisiting a friend that I thought I lost, only to reconnect with unexpectedly and pick right back up from where we last left off. No, I won’t be showcasing my comedic skills developed on the stage of a comedy house, but I will be creating my own stage and (hopefully) grow a community of people who feel seen, heard, and revered while sprinkling in some comedic muses just as if I were at the comedy house that will forever be held so dear to me.
Chip Off the Ol’ Block
My father was the designated photographer in my family. We have tons of photo albums where everyone and their mother are featured, but my father makes very rare appearances because he was always behind the camera as opposed to being in front of it. Back in 2014, I found myself really interested in learning more about photography just like my dad.
I received a rather high tech camera as a Christmas gift in 2016 and started researching and testing out photography tips and tricks I learned along the way. I started taking shots of family members and friends and spent hours editing the shots I took only to realize hours were passing without me even noticing.
Fast forward to present day and I’m still just as interested in photography, if not more. I was recently gifted with the camera of my dreams and live for capturing images of books I’ve read or help and direct those taking shots of me with it that hold true to my overall brand and aesthetic. This space will not only create an opportunity for me to shoot with my camera, it allows for me to save and use images I capture in order to expand the telling of my story.
Creating A Way For My Littles
I want to be apart of the ever growing Black Female voice in the digital curation world to display an aspect of our uniqueness and connectivity. I know how important it was for me growing up to see other Black Women experiences being depicted through authentic art that reflected and mirrored my own. Though I feel more spaces are being opened for Black Women to shine and thrive, I still feel as if we’re underrepresented and often times still showcased monolithically.
As a proud Auntie to eight - with five of those littles being young Black Women, I hope my digital voice allows them to feel their place in this world holds great value, has a wealth of purpose, and worthy of sharing. Though my space may not be seen by the world, I know it will be seen by my littles and that, frankly, means the world to me.
Here goes a (little) something.
