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| Thrifted wrap pants, silk scarf and tunic top |
This time last year I started a blog.
You may have heard of it?
I didn't have a clue where I was headed.
I just knew I needed a creative outlet that could fit into my home bound life.
Here is my first baby post. Isn't it cute? And I'm still collecting jackets!
What I know now I didn't know then.
The negatives
I would:
Feel frustrated that more friends in my day to day didn't follow or care
Find time management hard
Be swallowed up by the internet
Feel totally overwhelmed by the need to read and comment on others' blogs so it's not just one sided
Be frustrated at the need to restrict blogs I follow so I can get around to commenting
Here is my first baby post. Isn't it cute? And I'm still collecting jackets!
What I know now I didn't know then.
The negatives
I would:
Feel frustrated that more friends in my day to day didn't follow or care
Find time management hard
Be swallowed up by the internet
Feel totally overwhelmed by the need to read and comment on others' blogs so it's not just one sided
Be frustrated at the need to restrict blogs I follow so I can get around to commenting
Feel annoyed at myself for not managing more linkups
The positives
I would :
Learn to Instagram and Pinterest
Learn photo editing
Learn how to add gadgets and add-ons
Write blog posts with my kids
Share my difficult personal stories (sexuality, gender, autism) and receive so much acceptance
Sell one of my paintings to a fan overseas
Create a visual diary of our family's travel
Learn to model and pose
Have photos of me for posterity (I take most family photos)
Learn to write meaningful comments in a couple of sentences
Use more than my fair share of smiley faces :-D and exclamation marks!!!
Create over 200 art works in the form of my BeautyScopes
Become friends with the amazing bloggers I was stealthily following
Be recognised with awards for my work
Get a better camera and learn to shoot manually
Have my work seen all over the world
Gain hundreds of followers
Enjoy encouraging others' creativity
Feel amazed at others' creativity
Feel extremely artistically stretched (in a good way) and fulfilled
Find a family of unique creative gutsy warm funny individuals
As you can see the positives far outweigh the negatives.
Where will we be a year from now?
The positives
I would :
Learn to Instagram and Pinterest
Learn photo editing
Learn how to add gadgets and add-ons
Write blog posts with my kids
Share my difficult personal stories (sexuality, gender, autism) and receive so much acceptance
Sell one of my paintings to a fan overseas
Create a visual diary of our family's travel
Learn to model and pose
Have photos of me for posterity (I take most family photos)
Learn to write meaningful comments in a couple of sentences
Use more than my fair share of smiley faces :-D and exclamation marks!!!
Create over 200 art works in the form of my BeautyScopes
Become friends with the amazing bloggers I was stealthily following
Be recognised with awards for my work
Get a better camera and learn to shoot manually
Have my work seen all over the world
Gain hundreds of followers
Enjoy encouraging others' creativity
Feel amazed at others' creativity
Feel extremely artistically stretched (in a good way) and fulfilled
Find a family of unique creative gutsy warm funny individuals
As you can see the positives far outweigh the negatives.
Where will we be a year from now?
The unknown can be frightening (especially with my brain), but also mysterious and wonderful!
And if this past year is anything to go by, I welcome it with open arms.
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| Happy New Year! |
Thanks for being part of my life.
Will you journey with me a little further?
Much love,
Jazzy Jack
PS Linking with MisPapelicos ShareinStyle.
Come on over and see Sacremento in white and pearls and vintage curtains!
Happy blog birthday, JJ. I started around the same time you did so I guess I have had a birthday too. I can relate to your frustrations list and share many of them. I love your list of positives, especially how it is so much longer. I can relate to some of those too. Right now I am thinking...'you have hundreds of followers? Cool! I think I have 20. ;-) I am also thinking I need to learn more about gadgets and add-ons. Do you think I am competitive? ;-) xoxo
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to you, happy blog day to you, happy best day to you, ...we hope you are well :-)
ReplyDeleteDon't feel bad, most of mine are through Google + for my photography. We don't compete at all! I actually often look at your comments and wish I could have more in depth relationships with more people like you. But you've done more commenting over time and drawn more to you :-) I'd still like to add tabs, but haven't worked them out yet. Google is a great instructor! Happy blog birthday to you, Happy blog birthday to you, Happy blog birthday dear Director of Awesome...Happy blog birthday to-oo yoooouuuu! :-D xo JJ
ReplyDeleteCutie! :-)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your blogs birthday! I can strongly relate to your first negative. It seems that close friends have a strong aversion to blogs. Oh well. I had to take on the attitude of, "It's their loss."
ReplyDeleteAgain, congrats to your accomplishment.
Hey Glenda. That's interesting! Maybe they think they know everything about us already. Yes, I agree, their loss. Thanks for stopping by :-D
ReplyDeleteHappy first anniversary! To me it feels like I know you for much longer then one year, I was actually surprised. Am looking forward to yet another year, keep creating!
ReplyDeleteparty! champagne! crackers! ! ! :-D
ReplyDeletecongratulation! the first year is the hardest and you stayed true despite the "bad list". btw. - my "old friends" in the big city don´t read my blog too although it was created for them so they can see how i live now in the woods and can hold contact easy......
love your birthday outfit - cool with wrap pants and that pretty tunic and the little scarf is just the right dot to make it really elegant!
a supertanker of hugs and best wishes for more years of beautiful and authentic blogging!!!!!! xxxxxxxxx
Happy Bloggy Birthday :0)
ReplyDeletexx
Happy 1st birthday! I'm so glad to have met you and can't wait to see what the next year has in store. (And, it's so cool to see you on IG too!)
ReplyDeleteI agree Olga, it does feel longer, but in a good way! Looking forward to keeping in touch. You have a fabulous blog too my friend 😊
ReplyDeleteOh Beate, you brought tears to my eyes :-)
ReplyDeleteI actually thought of you as I added the scarf because I remembered it was one you liked when I bought it.
How strange about your friends. I hope they keep in touch in other ways!
I nearly fell over with that supertanker of hugs!!! Love you! xo Jazzy Jack
Thanks so much beautiful angel :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm loving the extra contact and more relaxed platform on IG!
ReplyDeleteI just told my 12 yr old about your latest rain post. He looked at me with awe and smiled " that is so cool!"
Thanks for your congrats. I love that you have a different focus to my other blogger friends. Broadens my horizon :-) xo Jazzy Jack
Happy Birthday! Yes, I'll journey into the darkside with you. If I lived near you I'd be over doing plays with you and your kids on a weekly basis. I miss that with my kids so much.
ReplyDeleteYour list on the positives makes me think of how my abilities on the computer have grown. Confidence has too in a general sense. All this complimenting and support we give to each other is contradictory to what we can get via the media and that's one of the things I love about it so much.
Aww, such a great birthday post! I know I don't comment enough on the blogs I follow, yours included, so I'm always trying to be more purposeful about that. And I love to use exclamation points!!!!!! ;) Love this blog and keep it up because it brings joy and beauty to your readers (and to you I'm sure). xoxo
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! The positive comments are sometimes hard for my low self esteem to believe, but people don't have to comment, so I'm trying to believe them more.
ReplyDeleteWe would love some acting expertise over here. Pop in when you are next passing! :-D
Thanks for continuing with me. I feel we have a rapport around shoes. I have to wear orthotics too!
But we both manage to find funky ones! Loove your new ones! xo Jazzy Jack
Thanks Andrea! It's always a balancing act, especially with work and kids too. Since I started on IG (which I looove), I'm finding less time for my G+ communities so will probably leave them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me know you are watching. Don't worry about commenting all the time. I do understand, and keep a sneaky eye on the stats to see who has been. I'd rather you enjoyed my work and not feel guilty. I don't always comment on yours either! :-) xo Jazzy Jack
What a lovely, positive post! I'm delighted you started blogging and joined our gang! xxx
ReplyDeleteCONGRATULATION!! my dear friend! I´m so happy our paths crossed!
ReplyDeleteWe are in the spirit quite similar and this is very rare.
Soon I will have my 2nd blog birthday and your positive and negative things are with me exactly the same. The beginning was hard, but now we´ve found every day better our place in this blogging world. Since I'm more active on G + and Instagram, but also on Facebook, it has become more quiet on my blog (perhaps some of my old visitors don´t like my blog anymore, don´t know). I´m very happy to see you every day on Instagram and this is wonderful! Keep it up! Looking forward to your 2nd blog birthday! It is always nice to see you and to read from you. You have enriched my life..thank you from the heart.
Your ouftis is amazing, love the tunic and this wide leg pants and of course this cute little scarf.. but most of all.. I love... YOUR DANCING VIDEO!!! XOXOXOXOXOXOXO
wish you a beautiful, sunny and stressless day
Dana :)
Many congratulations on your first blogging anniversary.I have been blogging just over a year and share many of your thoughts on the joy of discovering like minded people and skills I never thought I had.I laughed at reading your first post about jackets,I must admit I too have quite a collection. Thank you for visiting fromIG and thank you for your kind comments.
ReplyDeleteOh Happy Birthday Natural Medley and dearest, dearest Jazzy Jack!
ReplyDeleteYou are such a warm, original, creative and alive, so very alive, phenomenal woman! I'm so honored and happy that you started commenting on my blog, and I treasure our Internet friendship - and I do believe that we'll meet some day!
I also learned how to use many. many !!!!!!!! - but then, how else to express my excitement and adoration? Maybe like this xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Much love to you, my dear! You are AMAZING!!!!!
And I was so honoured (and surprised) when you started commenting on my blog! Queen Vix!
ReplyDeleteSo happy we have a connection across the world :-) xo Jazzy Jack
Oh Dana! You make me laugh :-D
ReplyDeleteThanks sweetie, you are so generous.
I too love connecting every day. Will swing over to your blog soon...it's on my list, very high up the top! :-) love you! xo Jazzy Jack
Thanks so much! Nice to find another crazy jacket collector!
ReplyDeleteLook forward to continuing our connection :-) xo JJ
I too treasure our internet friendship! I sense in you the same creative and alive spirit.
ReplyDeleteYou have such a lovely way with words, as befits a writer! And I enjoy reading your accurate summing up of people's situations and your warmth flows out of the screen and into people's hearts I'm sure. At least it does to me!
I look forward to more conversations around the screen...it's almost like a dinner table when we all chat and comment, just a bit more drawn out!
Love you! xo JJ
Of course I'd journey with you forever! :D I love your posts and your awesome personality, your quirky comments and crazy amazing fashion sense! :D I think blogging is one of the things that helped me in so many ways, it's not just a creative outlet, but it's a way to connect with wonderful people, which I wouldn't even have the chance to meet here in Bulgaria. I wish you a Happy Birthday to your bloggy, hope you don't stop entertaining us with your hilarious family posts and creative fashion writings! ^_^ Hugggggssss from me!!!!!
ReplyDeleteNice post!
ReplyDeletekisses,
Maggie D.
Fashion Blog Maggie Dallospedale fashion diary
Congratulations and Happy 1st Blog Birthday!!! I'm already looking forward to the next year of your blog, it's a beautiful place to be! x x x
ReplyDeleteOh Keit that means so much to me. I admire your writings so much!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing to me that I can hopefully comment on a blog I admire, and turn around and find they have become a friend.
I think we are writing open letters to the world! Writing is definitely not a dead art.
Hugggssess back! xo Jazzy Jack
Thanks for stopping by! Love your orange and brown and the faux fur looks so snuggly. Xo Jazzy Jack
ReplyDeleteThankyou so much! You have a pretty lovely place to be as well. I always love reading your take on the world. So happy I stopped by all those months ago! Xo Jazzy Jack
ReplyDeleteHappy Blogversary!
ReplyDeleteIt is your creativity and open warm spirit that keeps me coming back.
bisous
Suzanne
Oh what a nice surprise! Thanks! And ditto :-)
ReplyDeleteI only wish I was closer to meet you at the blogger meetup. Xo Jazzy Jack