#Controversed Week 4

In this post, I’ll be writing about how I manage criticism on the blog and my thoughts on this topic. If you haven’t heard about the Controversed project by Moya, click HERE to read about the project and HERE for more information about Week 4.

I have received criticism regarding my blog, drawings, and cosplays before, but it’s happens once in a blue moon. I get a lot more compliments than criticisms. When I do get criticism, here are some things I think about:

• Did I ask for feedback?
• What is the commenter’s intention? Do they want to help me or are they saying it out of spite?
• Do I agree with what they are saying? Even when I don’t, I still try to see things from their perspective. People’s feedback don’t always align with my goals. On the other hand, when giving feedback, you must consider the individuality of the content creator. Not everyone is going to want to do exactly what you do.
• Is the issue something that’s out of my hands? If there’s nothing I can do about it, then I will just leave it.
• How are they phrasing their words? Are they being clear and specific, or are they so vague that they’re unhelpful? If someone is rude, I will likely ignore them, which goes back to the second point on the commenter’s intention.

I will listen and try to understand why those comments were made, but I will not follow everything. Not going to lie, feedback when I did not ask for it can feel like mansplaining. I think this can be mitigated by the last bullet point on how you phrase your criticism. I’ve found some feedback incredibly helpful, but those were mostly when I asked for feedback.

When it comes to work or academics, I am a lot less critical of feedback. In fact, I often ask for constructive feedback. At work, there is a quality of standard deemed “acceptable” or not. When it comes to my personal blog that I just update for fun, I feel that it’s a lot more subjective.

I rarely criticise others because I feel that I would need to be really knowledgeable or really good at something to do that. When people ask for my feedback, I will let them know my thoughts. However, whether they decide to do something with it is up to them. I will not be upset if someone does not listen to my suggestions.

The Joys of Writing Reviews

I wrote this post in March 2019 but never published it because I thought it was too corny. 

---

I would like to take a moment to express my appreciation and gratitude. I’ve had readers tell me they’ve watched the Asian dramas I’ve recommended, watched the anime I’ve recommended, enjoyed the songs I’ve recommended, and more. It’s a wonderful feeling when someone tells you that they enjoyed your recommendation. It really brings meaning to the work I do. Blogging is not a paid job, and this blog comes from a place of love. I do put my heart into my reviews and what I write.

If you’ve read my extremely personal post, Why I Like Anime So Much, you might remember that I’ve had a lonely childhood. The thought that there are people out there that are interested in what I am watching and reading was unimaginable. All your comments, messages and emails have showed me that things do get better.❤

7 Years Blogiversary

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

Why Do I Blog?

Blogging is my hobby so I would say that I blog for myself. Sometimes I ask myself why I blog, or why I cosplay or draw. Sometimes I have thoughts like, “There will always be people who do it better than you. What impact do you make?” but I don’t think that this is a correct way of thinking. Undoubtedly, there are people who are better but there is only one of you- and no one can be better at being you. 

1. I blog because I hate boredom. I become bored very easily, did you know? 

2. Even though I say that I blog for myself, I still want my writing to impact at least one person. One person, that’s all I wish for. I believe that I have accomplished this. Should there ever be a time where absolutely no one reads my blog, I am unsure if I would keep writing. 

You could argue that the satisfaction I gain from impacting another person is still blogging for myself. 

3. I need an outlet. I spend so much time watching shows. How could I not write down my thoughts about an episode or show that left a big impression on me? 

4. My hope is that people will become interested in the things I like after reading my posts. ^^

5. Online friends and the AniBlogger community. This should be placed higher but I’m listing these in random order. I’ve been lucky enough to have met a couple of blogger friends in real life. ^^

6. I can convey how I feel through writing. When I write a blog post, I feel like I am writing a letter. 

7. It is a record. This is probably one of the most important reasons to me. 

8. “Hey! I exist!” This is also a feeling I want to convey when I update my blog. I really value all the comments, emails, and messages I receive from readers and blogger friends. 

9. I don’t want to stop writing. Sure, I write messages through social media every day. I argue that writing on the blog is different and I don’t want to lose the routines of reading or writing.  

10. I genuinely enjoy blogging.

11. Self-care.

---

I don’t have desires to monetize my blog or make money off of my blog. I don’t want to make a career out of this. As Lumi said before, my blog is my corner of the internet. 

The Significance of the Letter

Violet Evergarden does an amazing job of portraying the significance of writing letters and receiving them. I thought the beginning of the anime was slow, but I’m very glad I completed it. Violet Evergarden does a great job at pulling at your heartstrings. Definitely give it a watch!

I was thinking about Violet Evergarden and letters in general, then thought about the letters and cards I’ve received over the years. I actually keep the majority of them, any card or letter that contains a personal message. Some, I keep in a box in my room. The rest, I keep downstairs.

Some letters and cards are from people I am no longer in touch with. I think it’s natural to drift away from people. Then we meet new people. There is nothing strange about that. The people that were once a part of my life were there for me during my highs and lows. Their letters and cards serve as a way for me to remember them, and evidence of the good moments we shared.

I write letters. In fact, I rarely give people cards. Some people tell me that they love that I write letters. I think that it is sometimes easier to convey feelings through words. I spend a long time on my letters. I write with different coloured pens sometimes. I also decorate them with stickers and stamps. I hope that people enjoy reading my letters. ^^

dead blog

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.