Saturday, January 31, 2009

Celebrating One Year of Blogging

It was one year ago in January that I created my blog and published my first post.
And as our calendars flip over to February, it’s clear that the date itself, January 13, wasn’t particularly remarkable for me. But knowing the anniversary was passing caused me to look back and reflect. And as I did, I was reminded of how simply it began, as a desire to display photographs and art and write about nature. And I see what it has now become, an interactive community of mutual sharing, learning, mentoring and inspiration.

And so to celebrate my first year, I want to highlight for you, in this post and the next, two aspects of blogging that have become particularly important to me and inseparable--the stage and the inspiration it provides.
The stage of course is the blogging platform, a place to "perform", to publish your writing, your photographs, your artistic endeavors, whatever they may be, to an audience that remains largely anonymous but that can span the globe. It makes the sage advice, “You make your stage. The audience is waiting”, spring vividly to life.Every stage we create has something to give us. We step forward, find our courage. We practice and make our mistakes. We change and we get stronger, not just on the blogging stage, but in every aspect of our lives. We learn as we create and we learn as we experience the stage, whether it's this stage or any other we have selected.I was recently talking with a friend who is a published author and artist, and said, “I haven’t done one thing toward publishing my novel. It just sits there along with the writer’s market books that are stacked on my buffet and I do nothing.”
“Well, why not? Why aren't you getting it out there?” he asked.
“Umm…avoidance, I think. I’m shy.”
“You’re shy? What do you mean you’re shy? I’ve never seen that in you.” We stared at each other. I finally spoke.
“I don’t look shy. It’s what we sometimes call counter-phobic in the mental health field. Everything I love requires that I be on stage. So I push myself out there until I make it look easy, but it’s really not.”
And that is one of the many ways this stage has become important to me—practice. We create, we let the world see what we have to say and then we’re stimulated to create again by the very stage we dance on. It’s an energy that feeds itself. We get some feedback and we have some control. But most of all, the more we practice the more courage we have to say what it is we have to say and to show the world who we are through our passions and creations.
Next post: The inspiration in blogging

Photos from top to bottom: Greater sandhill cranes at Bosque del Apache (more in an upcoming post); Golden-crowned kinglet in watercolor (also upcoming); possible female rufous or broad-winged hummingbird in New Mexico; a stack of writer's market books; me (right) with Natalie Goldberg (2008), who doesn't like photos, but isn't shy about her teachings; writing and hiking buddies in the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico (2008).

17 comments:

  1. Your work is delightful and inspiring. I look forward to every post. Happy blogiversary!

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  2. Happy Blog-o-versary!
    I think that's a brilliant way of looking at the blogging.

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  3. Happy blogiversary Vickie! This is such a lovely place to visit.

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  4. Hey, Lynne. Thank you! I loved your visit to Hasty Brook.

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  5. Congratulations on one year of blogging. I enjoy reading your blog and look forward to more in the next year. The photo of the Sandhill Cranes is especially beautiful.

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  6. One of my favorites, too, Mick. Thank you.

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  7. Happy blog anniversary Vickie. I'm looking forward to a whole year of sharing and inspiration.

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  8. What an inspirational post for a new blogger such as myself. Really re-confirm my interest in participating in the blog community.

    I came across your blog through IATB and enjoy reading it ever since. Thank you.

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  9. Hi Toni, thank you and yes, I'm looking forward to another year of inspiration.

    Hi PSYL, thank you and welcome! I'm glad you mentioned IATB. Its a great place to find new blogs and meet new people.

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  10. Vickie, I'm enjoying this very much and look forward hearing more of your thoughts on blogging. I, for one, am always analyzing the reasons I blog!

    I'm glad I found you. Congratulations on a year! That first year is a blooming good time.

    Mary

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  11. Lovely, reflective post -- and congratulations. I definitely relate to your insights on being shy. Desensitization is hard but the key.

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  12. Congratulations on one year of blogging Vickie! Great post!

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  13. Hi Vickie - congrats on the year in blogging! I'm just back from a long road trip, and one of my stops was Bosque del Apache! What an amazing place! Maybe our paths crossed!

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  14. Congratulations on your first year! As someone who visites your blog almost daily, I hope you continue blogging for a long time.

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  15. Hi Vickie, I love your blog, your writings and your art. Happy Blogoversary!

    Your concepts of blogging and creativity are inspirational to say the least. Seeing some of the incredible photographs on blogs around the world has inspired me to become a better photographer (even if it meant getting better equipment).

    Reading incredible stories on other people's blogs has inspired me to be more creative in my writing. To convey my convictions with more passion.

    Thank you for your inspiration over the last year! We have all been lifted up by your art and your words and we are all looking forward to another year of growing together.

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"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action; and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. If you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. You must keep that channel open. It is not for you to determine how good it is, nor how valuable. Nor how it compares with other expressions. It is for you to keep it yours, clearly and directly." ----the great dancer, Martha Graham