Friends, I’ve been confounded lately by the pressure for bloggers to be more and more naked in front of their readers. No, not genuine– naked. It’s almost as though if I show my thighs or how I look when I’m sick, I’m automatically going to be more popular. Or, if I link up my Instagram account to my blog and post photos of every pumpkin-spice latte I drink, you’re going to feel more connected with me.
The truth is however, blogging is performed.And we as bloggers– no matter how candid we appear to be– can never forget that. We call our readers our audience for a reason. These are the people we hope to engage in a meaningful way, even as millions of other online voices shout for their attention.
Furthermore, some of us desire that our blogs be more than just ramblings, or worse, rants. We hope our readers find our posts inspiring, useful, thought-provoking, encouraging and creative. We hope you feel better, think more, speak louder, and live more fully because you spent a few minutes of your day with us.
But this doesn’t mean that I divulge every last detail about myself here; in fact, I would feel inconsiderate doing so. Instead, I share pieces of my life that I think are uplifting and relatable– not just things that will convince you that I, too, am human.
Meanwhile, I’m careful about making my life appear seamlessly perfect. Life can be tough, frustrating and unpredictable, and you will see that here too. But somewhere between blinding perfection and self-deprecating imperfection is where I hope Simplicity Relished will fall.
So what does my blog say about me?
It says that I’m a woman on an adventure much like yours. Last month I embarked on a journey to simplify my wardrobe and it was a lesson in humility. As a college grad I’ve only started to work part-time while taking graduate courses, and I’m trying to be generous. And I don’t always feel good in front of a mirror, but I’m finding ways to overcome my insecurities so that I can live a more outward-focused life.
And as my dear blogger friend Amy wrote last week, our blogs are simply a glimpse of who we really are. We are not our blogs, and I can hardly have you believe that this space represents the entirety of my everyday life. I don’t eat lemon rosemary shortbread cookies everyday, nor do I successfully shop at the farmer’s marketfor all of my groceries. I am still working on loving my friends in ways that best lift them up. And as a recent newlywed, I’m also learning to care for my husband in self-giving ways.
Not “How To” but “How I”
This blog is not a space for me to tell you how to think, understand, act or respond; it’s a space to share how I do some of those things. None of us our experts, but we can journey together towards the greatness we desire to achieve.
And this is why I am so honored to be sharing this moment with you. You’re joining me as I tell the story of “how I”— and I hope you find some encouragement and friendship here!
About Instagram…
I don’t dislike Instagram, not at all. But I’d like to further examine what it means in our generation to be known, seen, heard, and understood by others. Growing up, we were told that there is so much more to everything than meets the eye. We’re told not to judge books by their covers. To not dismiss people by their appearance.
But now, we scroll through our feeds, deciding within half a second whether or not to press “like”.
So, in our image-driven culture, let’s get beyond the pictures and superfluous details. Let’s actually get to know each other. Let’s share our hearts, our struggles, our passions, our desires. Because that’s what ultimately moves us towards the life we hope to live. Thank you for reading, friends, from the bottom of my very full heart!
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What do you share on your blog? What does it say (or not say) about you? What do you look for in a blog post? I’d love to know!
