I met up with Moya not too long ago (Click here for the post), and I recently saw her again. We had dinner, and I went to her place afterward for a nice chat.
I only know Moya because of blogging. We went to the same university, but we majored in different fields. I saw Moya on the bus to school a few times, but that was it. If not for blogging, we would have just been strangers on the bus. Interesting, right?
Ever since I saw this ad, I wanted to see the Drop in Downtown, Vancouver. Can you believe that I never saw it until now? I feel that I was always two minutes away from it when I was in the area but had no idea it was there hahaha.
My blog is over 8 years old. I want to post more frequently, but I’ve seem to lost whatever spark or inspiration I had some time ago.
I envy new bloggers because they seem to be a lot more motivated and excited than I am. They have fresh ideas. I feel the same toward old bloggers that are still at it.
I am not quitting. Don’t get me wrong — this is not a farewell announcement. But it is harder to blog now. No motivation, no original ideas, the list goes on. It would be lying if I said I don’t feel this way with my other hobby, cosplaying.
Is it the passage of time? Laziness? Tiredness? I don’t know.
Not enough engagement, perhaps? I don’t think so. I don’t think I’m fixated on numbers.
Whatever the reason, I don’t know what to do. Blogging is supposed to be a hobby, isn’t it? So why would I push myself to blog if it feels like a chore. Though it does feel sad to leave it alone.
Have you ever felt this way?
I liked Annie’s Spill the tea: Creativity in Blogging post. Here’s my response to Annie.
From my personal experience, it is hard to be creative if you don’t have much energy. If you’re tired all the time, you’re not going to be thinking about creative ideas. So, I think that having energy is #1, almost like a requirement to being creative. When I have a lot of energy, I will cosplay, blog, draw, and do a bunch of random crafts.
I mostly get inspiration after having fun with my friends. I think this ties in with what I wrote above about having energy. It naturally comes to you when you feel happy and motivated.
I agree that other bloggers and creators are sources of inspiration. If it wasn’t for Annie’s post, this post wouldn’t even exist.
Thinking about my posts, I got a lot of inspiration from anime, songs, and a lot of other things. I’m driven by my passion and love for my interests and hobbies. One of my main reasons for blogging is to have a space to talk about my interests, often because I don’t have anywhere else to dump my thoughts.
Hmm, I don’t think that you can force out creativity. I don’t think it would feel very authentic. Breaks are fine, and sometimes we need them. That way, we can blog with a fresh mind and new ideas. I feel that prolonged breaks are scary, though. What if you become too comfortable and never return to blogging? Or, what if you lose your enthusiasm towards blogging? This is similar to what Annie voiced re: those who never come back. Here’s what I think: Your health comes before blogging.
I’ve been thinking about social media for a while; here are my thoughts.
Social media is what you make of it.
Social media is a tool for you to use. Some people use it to boost their social standing, while others use it as a space to post their artworks or cosplays. Some people are collectors, and others enjoy eating food and/or making food. Some people use it to stay in touch with their friends; others use it to keep records. There’s no right or wrong way to use social media.
On Validation: Social Media versus Blogging
I’ve heard a lot of people say that you don’t need validation from posting, or from followers and engagement. Okay, then why do I see so many people asking for more followers and views on their blog posts? Many bloggers have written about their blogging goals for 2021 and most of them include achieving a certain number of followers and views. Is there a difference between needing validation from social media versus blogging?
I don’t think so. Many Instagrammers pour a lot of time and effort into their posts, just like bloggers. Both Instagrammers and bloggers create content. Is it “seeking validation/attention” or is it “having goals”?
On Taking Breaks versus Productivity
I’ve seen many content creators (cosplayers, bloggers, writers, artists, podcasters, YouTubers, and VTubers) apologize for not putting out content on time or for taking a break. It seems like taking breaks is a bad thing. Does anyone else find this weird?
I know that for certain platforms, the algorithm works in the favour of those who constantly post. I also sympathize with those who want to stay “relevant” and avoid losing followers.
How I Use Social Media
In my The Kore Wa Watashi Blog Award post, I self-proclaimed as a kuudere and used Houtarou Oreki’s photo to describe myself. While watching Hyouka, I resonated with what Houtarou said (shown above). It made me think, Why do I post on Instagram? I’m not enjoying it as much as I used to, and I don’t need validation from likes.
People use social media differently. Like I said, I view social media as a tool. You can find me most active on my Twitter, and I seldom use Instagram now. I still get some enjoyment out of Instagram – at the moment, anyway. If there comes a day when there is nothing to gain from social media, I will cease to use it.
Final Thoughts
Some people live their lives on social media, and I won’t be the judge of that. I hate it when people tell others to go outside/do whatever they do, as if they are superior. I will say this: social media shouldn’t be an exhausting thing. If you find that you are drained from it, consider taking a break. Perhaps you are putting unnecessary stress on yourself by placing too much importance on it.
I’m participating in a graphic design workshop hosted by Jon Spencer Reviews. I made a new blog header and graphic for my About page and I’m pleased with the final results!
I have to thank Jon because I wouldn’t have done this if it weren’t for the workshop and all the support from fellow blogger friends!
These feel more personal – not just because I created them but also because I used my drawings.
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The next task is for your partner to create you a Twitter post. I thought about it and made a Twitter account. If you’ve known me long enough, you probably know that I was super active on Twitter a few years ago. I wasn’t very happy on there at the time so I left. I think I will primarily use this new account to tweet about anime and share my blog posts. I think this move will also help me feel more connected with my online friends (especially with COVID right now and because I graduated university).
My username is @melo__nsoda (two underscores, the same as my personal Instagram).
I think I will keep blogging until I can no longer type (wrote about this in my post, dead blog). I’m quite certain that my blog has already passed its prime but if my motivation for blogging was weak, I would have stopped a long time ago. 🙂
Thanks for caring about what I have to say. Q_Q
Listening to: https://youtu.be/Xem2uJARZHo
Let’s be real here – there are a lot more interactions on Instagram. Instagram is more convenient to use and more people go on it. Research shows that people generally have shorter attention spans now.
I still see the value of blogs but newer platforms do have their pros as well. I don’t necessarily like that, but I’ll continue to use both Instagram and WordPress. As times change, we also need to adapt.
For those who genuinely enjoy visiting my blog, don’t worry. I’ve done this since I was 16 and I will continue to blog until I can no longer type. In my experience with WordPress, it used to be such a lively place. Y’all are all such lovely folks and I enjoy talking to you guys so much. It is a little sad to see that it is not the same as it once was (for reference, 60 people liking my posts and 30 comments on more ‘successful’ posts). Ultimately, I blog for myself. My blog is a space where I can express my thoughts, feelings, love of anime and cosplay. It is my diary and safe space.
If you’re an anime blogger, you probably know Moya from her blog, The Moyatorium. If you’ve read a certain older blog post of mine, you would know that I met her for the first time in February of this year. I bumped into her on the bus a while back, so this is technically our third time meeting!
We went to Hachibei, a Japanese restaurant my Psych professor told me about. I ordered katsudon (pork cutlet) and Moya ordered the tofu hamburger.
WordPress reminded me on February 25 that it was my blogiversary! I’m a little late on posting this but thanks everyone for reading my blog~
Wretched and Divine 