Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Philosophy

February 317 I’m going to bare a smidge of my inner bits today and admit that I am prone to bouts of self doubt, low self-confidence, and your basic run of the mill inferiority complex. It’s something that I’ve always struggled with. That I am constantly working on. It is a challenge that I hope my children never face. I do so want them to be confident. In whoever they become…if only they can be confident!

Choosing to start a blog was easy…actually starting it was not! You see, prior to jumping into this beautiful community I had only brushed the outer most edges of it. (I still think I really haven’t met a fraction of the amazing talent out there!) After starting this blog and beginning to meet some of you I began to see the true immensity of the talent of this community. The community of mothers, crafters, artisans, teachers, writers, etc.

It is both beautiful and breathtaking. And there is no end to it! Each blog I discover through one of you has it’s own blogroll…and each blog on the roll has it own blogroll….! It’s incredible! Now I have to admit that I love a good blog hop! Sometimes it is just what I need….it’s kind of like chocolate for the crafter…not that it replaces chocolate..it’s just another form of it!! Lucky crafters! I have found that a good perusal of the creative blogs that I love can inspire and uplift, the way only likeminded people can. However, at times, those perusals can leave me completely overwhelmed by all that I am not making, all the time others seem to have, and all the time that I do not!

I see snippets of others lives through their blogs. Just as others see snippets of mine. They see the snippets that have brought me joy. The snippets that I want to remember forever. The snippets that have inspired me…and hope that they inspire you. It would break my heart if my little space here brought anyone feelings of inadequacy and grossness! I know the same must be true for all those bloggers out there whose beautiful blogs terrify me at times!

I wonder at times if I’m alone in my thinking. I have often thought I was alone in much of my interests till I met this amazing community! It is fantastic to not be the only weird vintagey crafty one!!!

So…all the sharing of inner bits aside…I have realized several things and made adjustments to my blogging life.

  • Blogging about the creative life I share with my children can easily get in the way of living the creative life that I share with my children…at least while they are very young. So…I never write while my children are up busy and playing…if I don’t write at night…I don’t write! So if you find this space quiet you can know that we’ve been much too much fun creating!

  • Reading the blogs of other amazing mothers can’t get in the way of my being the mother my children need. So…blog reading needs to happen at night too, or the rare moment that my children are on their own and content. (This is difficult as the computer seems to be a magnet for mayhem for the littles! Oh how my little man likes to push the power button!)

  • Creating for my family is what led to blogging…and blogging should not lead away from creating for my family. So I work very hard to keep things in focus and create for those I love because I love them and forget about tutorial requests or the fact that I have visitors each day that may want to see this or that…it can wait a bit!

You may have noticed a trend among these bullets. It’s all about focus and balance. Focus on a creative life. Balance in regards to a blogging life. Though, oh my, do I love this blogging life. I wouldn’t trade meeting and being a part of this community for anything. It is a truly beautiful thing and it has brought such inspiration and joy to my life. I hope it has brought you joy as well.

These adjustments have worked wonders. Though it is an ever changing process…as most things are…I believe I’m on the up hill of really utilizing and enjoying this community. My circle is small. I focus on my family. I focus on my home. I focus on our journey towards creative lives. I keep myself in check. I limit the number of amazing things to be a part of for the sake of the little dears I spend my days with. I limit the number of projects I begin for the sake of my sanity…and in turn the sanity of all those around me! I limit the time I spend blogging for the sake of my creative endeavors. I limit to achieve more. And I have!

In case you are worried…I have no intention of going anywhere! I love to share our life and creative days with you. I hope they inspire and uplift and never leave you discouraged or overwhelmed. It really would break my heart to know it.

Thank you friends. Really…thank you!

Comments (16)

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it's all about that ever elusive balance, isn't it? glad you found a system that works for you!! and I think everyone feels that way sometimes. not here, surely, but it's hard not to somewhere.
I really enjoy reading your blog. I dont blog about my children more about the things I make. When I lack confidence in how to raise my children I enjoy reading blogs like yourw which remind me that a simple creative life is the best way for them. It has been a tough winter in the UK and spring is just arriving so the 3 year old and I are off to plant some herbs.
thanks
jo
Ps. Hace you seen Postcrossing? we have a large map in the kitchen and we stick the postcards on to get a veiw of the world.
I so get this. I feel the same. In fact, i rarely leave comments because i'm stealing a couple minutes when I actually check into blogs. But I thought I'd leave a comment and tell you that you are not alone in all these feelings. It's a beautiful thing to be able to share pieces of our lives and have a creative outlet. But it's another when it gets in the way. I feel the ebb and flow constantly. I'm constantly adjusting to make sure things are in balance. But I have learned that blogs are something that build over time. All the beauty isn't there over night. It takes years to accumulate. So yes, it can be overwhelming to view it, but just remember that you are not lacking. You are not wanting. You are enough. You are such a thoughtful and wonderful mother and human.

Love to you.
I hear you! Thanks for taking your time to leave the inspiration that you do.(P.S. My little guy is constantly after that power button too!)
erica hill's avatar

erica hill · 783 weeks ago

my husband and i have been talking about personal computer time and how it needs to be only at night. it is hard when i see so many beautiful blogs but i must also care for my children, too. anyway, you reminded me of that conversation and how i need to stick to that rule. :)
Your blog is a piece of beauty in this world. The reason your blog is so engaging is because you put the most important things first in life and your blog is like the mirror which reflects that. Here's to you, your family, and your creative life. Cheers.
I also totally get what you're saying! I'm a new blogger, and with four children (3 who are five and under), it is SO hard to get the balance some days...I still manage to get the little ones all to sleep at the same time most afternoons, but sometimes I get this panic about what to do first - make dinner, fold laundry, make essential phone calls, catch up on my knitting or just make a cup of tea and sit quietly? I do pop on the pc during the day for a few minutes here and there. For me, it's like little commercial breaks...I get a couple of minutes to recharge, become re-inspired, make some small contact with another adult. And I don't think there's anything wrong with our children knowing that we need/deserve to meet our own needs. I'm not talking about being online for hours in the day. But just as I would expect to be able to take a few minutes to have a coffee or answer the phone to a friend, I think it's good for the little ones to *see* us bringing balance into our lives as mothers, wives, friends and just plain people. I hope that makes sense.
I read and feel uplifted not overwhelmed. At times it reminds me of what I am doing and I am not alone in this.
Thanks, I think a lot of people, including myself can relate to what you wrote. I've only been blogging for a couple months and I've already had these feelings. I think you are wise to not let the blog get in the way of your creativity and you can trust that your readers will understand little breaks and just look forward to your next post! Love your blog, you are very inspirational to me!
Ooh, ooh! I forgot to say that I loved your playdough recipe post so much...it inspired me to make some with my girls that day, and I blogged some photos and linked back to your recipe (hope that's ok...I'm still finding my feet with bloggiquette :-)
So thank you very much for that one in particular - we had so much fun!
1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago
I did check it out..! �And totally forgot to let you know how glad I was that it worked out so well for you that day. �Guess I'm not so awesome at basic etiquette! � �
Great post! It can be so easy to see all the things we *could* be doing, when truly each of us does so much - most importantly, just being with our families. Great reminder, for yourself, and all of us too!
Loved reading this post. I have some of the same blogging "rules" to keep in balance, thanks for putting up with all my comments at once on your blog. =) Thank-you for sharing your philosophy, your talents, and yourself on your blog.
1 reply · active 783 weeks ago
I love your comments! �Don't go anywhere...I like having you around friend! �
Thanks for sharing your wisdom and insights here, mama. It is hard to balance it all, share it here, and come away without judging ourselves or discriminating unskillfully. It's always nice to see that even the most experienced mamas and bloggers must make a conscious effort to keep the balance. Much love & light. <3
Very nice blog, a lot of very interesting information. Hopefully good blog continues

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