I've been blogging since I was 12 years old and I'm 23 now. Started exploring the first of my "feelings" on Xanga back when internet was still the stubby loner-child licking Cheeto Puffs off his fingers in the cafeteria corner. Blogging's come a long way since. I used to consider it a playground where I could just have fun, act silly, and be grammatically lazy, but now it's all so serious. You look along the fence and there are always predators lurking around, stalkers in varied t-shirts — potential employers, love interests, the conglomerates, trolls, complete strangers, and the Grammar Police ("it's 'you're' not 'your'", some genius makes a public announcement as if they're the first person in the world to figure that out ever). I find myself scheduling lunch dates with fleshy substances to "take a break" from the internet.
The height of my blogging occurred in 2010, during my time abroad in Paris, France, as a means to fulfill one of my scholarship requirements that I maintain a travel blog. That blog paid for a substantial portion of my trip and eventually followed me throughout college, helped me land editorial jobs, caught glimpses of my depression, a heartbreak once, and chronicled my move to New York, as well as a new apartment and a new job. It perversely served as both my parent and child, alternating between supportive and obligatory.
I shut that blog down today to start this one. I've been dreading starting all over again but you can only avoid the inevitable for so long. The predecessor had gathered one too many dust bunnies so I figured I might as well start from scratch. PDA will stay much more dedicated to my photojournalistic practice and occasional essay writing. I've always been pleasantly surprised to receive emails from strangers all around the world, or even friends whom I've lost touch with, who manage to find me through my blog and just want to chat or ask questions. I look forward to more of those. Thanks for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment