Life Letters: On Blogging

Life Letters On Blogging - Two Purple Couches

Thanks for your thoughts and comments on my first musing a couple of weeks ago! I thought I’d give it a go and see how this plays out as a recurring series around here. So, here goes! Life Letters, Vol 1.

Today’s topic: Blogging.

I think blogging is incredible, and I’m so glad that I decided to take the plunge into writing my own. I often muse over how it is SO strange that you can meet so many people and make so many friends through blogging, yet you don’t really know them. I always think of this scene in You’ve Got Mail (one of my all-time favorite movies) when I think about the phenomenon that is blogging and the connections and friendships we form with one another.

blogger buds - Two Purple Couches and the Thinking Closet

My friend Lauren asked me “What about blogging gives you life? What about blogging do you hate? How do you balance working full time and blogging?”

This space has quickly become a creative outlet for me. While I work in a very creative environment (I am a Copy Director for a branding agency. You’ve probably seen some of my creative copywriting and naming skillz in your local drug, grocery, and home improvement stores), my work isn’t my own. The language I craft every day is language I craft for my clients. To bring their brands to life. To create emotional connections with their consumers. I liken what I do to being an actor of sorts; I play different characters depending on what I’m writing. Packaging label copy for a beauty brand? I’m an editor at Lucky or Elle. Articles and direct-mail content for a babycare brand? I’m a mom, sharing my tips and advice for all the first-timers out there. Naming a new snack? I’m an easy-going dude with a serious case of snack-attack. But when I’m here, cozied up on my couch typing to you, I am writing whatever I want to write. This blog has allowed me to embrace my dabbling nature, and to flex my crafty fingers and try out different projects. And the crazy-cool thing is that you listen, comment, and follow along with me! How cool is that?!

Thankful Notes

What about blogging do I hate? The time. Ohmygawd the time it takes! And the bizarre stress that I’ve never felt before, to create, create, create. And photograph, photograph, photograph. The time wouldn’t be as much of an issue if I didn’t have a full-time job to balance. After 2 years behind the proverbial blogging wheel, I feel as though I’m coming apart at the seams a bit. I wake up on Saturday mornings feeling stressed because I feel I need to cram all sorts of projects into my day, plus photograph them to take advantage of the good daylight I miss during the workweek. Plus write them all up by Sunday night so I have posts to sustain this blog throughout the week. Whew! I’m tired and stressed just reading through that paragraph!

Now, if I wasn’t a bit of a perfectionist, I probably wouldn’t feel this way. But, if I’m going to do this, I want to put good stuff out there, right? No sense in not doing a good job!

But, even with the time and somewhat self-induced stress, I’m certainly not going to give it up! This blog has connected me to so many wonderful, beautiful, creative people. I just need to remind myself to take a deep breath, and maybe a day off here and there 😉

 

4 thoughts on “Life Letters: On Blogging

    1. Two Purple Couches Post author

      Awwwww, thank you Bex!!! Sweet compliments likes yours keep this blog humming! I’m so appreciative of the readers who tag along with me, especially when there are so many other blogs out there to read! Thank YOU 😀

  1. Lauren @ The Thinking Closet

    Yay! So honored to have you tackle my questions here today AND that I even made a cameo appearance in one of your photos! Woot woot!

    I agree with so much of what you said: about the value of having a creative space that is all yours, to express yourself and your creative ideas without any restrictions or parameters from others. And yes, the dreaded time factor! If only we could just create things and poof! Have the brilliantly captured photos and carefully edited text appear on our blogs instantaneously. Oh yes, and a snap of the fingers and it’s shared on social media! Lol. But I guess we put up with the work of it all for the joy of creating and connecting. It does really make it all worth it!

    And yay for deep breaths and days off. We all need that. Especially perfectionists like us!
    Lauren @ The Thinking Closet recently posted…Chill Pills Gag Gift & Silhouette GiveawayMy Profile

    1. Two Purple Couches Post author

      Haha, I love the questions you posed to me, and this certainly won’t be last time I answer one 😉
      When is someone going to invent an app that shares all of our social media posts at the snap of a finger?? That person would become a billionaire if they could figure it out!
      I think balancing the perfectionist strain can be especially challenging! But I think I’m getting the hang of it, and keeping my stress levels in check.

Comments are closed.