Before I became a "travel blogger", I just, um, travelled. I didn't have a Twitter or Instagram account (heck, I didn't even have an iPhone) and I took a picture when I wanted to - not because I thought it would be "shareable content" (gross). My life was a hashtag-free zone.
But then - and I can't exactly pinpoint when the shift happened - I suddenly had a few more readers. I started sharing my posts on social media and they were shared, and my writing got a little bit of attention from people other than my mom (no offense, Mom).
It made me happy. I liked being part of this community of travel enthusiasts. I'd always wanted to be a travel writer and this blog allowed me to do just that - without any pressure or pitches or expectations or rejections.
But slowly, that's exactly what happened with my blog. I started pitching to a hypothetical audience (that's you). I asked myself before writing a caption, composing a tweet, or pressing "publish" on a post - would you read this? Would you like it? Like it enough to leave a comment? Like it enough to share?
I'd be lying if I said that I wrote this blog just for myself. Sometimes, I feel like I only write it for you. So, I started obsessing over what you would want to read. What your reaction would be. What would annoy you or make you laugh or make you think. It made (still makes) me anxious and paranoid and insecure.
My vacations became all about taking photos and pre-planning blog posts (which I wrote about here). I was anything but relaxed. I was on my phone all the time and ignoring my poor husband, who simply wanted to enjoy where he was - and whom he was with.
So, before we landed in Bordeaux, I decided to do something a little different: I would take any photos I wanted to at the beginning of a meal or a hotel stay, then put my camera away for the rest of the time and give myself half an hour or so in the evening to post any images I felt like sharing.
It made all the difference. I could fully focus on savouring the flavours on my plate, or taking in my surroundings and chatting with my husband, instead of being pre-occupied with getting the right angle or light for a photo and saying, "Yep, mmm hmm," as I uploaded another photo to Instagram or Twitter.
As a result, I returned from Bordeaux feeling refreshed and inspired. The slow-living culture had appealed to me, sure, but more importantly, the self-control I practised helped me get the most out of our trip.
I'm not going to pretend that it solved all my problems. I'm still anxious. I still fret over which photo to take, which image to post, what words to share. I've just reduced that anxiety by a fraction. And that fraction has allowed me to remember why I write in the first place - not for you (sorry!), but for me.
This month's travel link-up theme was "Travel Blogger Problems" - if you're a blogger, what tops your list? And if you're not a blogger, what do you think of it all? Have we become too preoccupied in documenting and sharing every aspect of our lives? Join in the discussion with hosts Angie, Emma, Jessi, and this month's guest host, Lauren.
Totally with you, I only dabble in Instagram at end of a day away (normally when Mr P is having a shower before dinner actually) as agreed with my husband, for my mum!! The rest of the time is for R&R
ReplyDeleteYou're so good, Anna! It sounds like you've found a great balance.
DeleteYou are right - I've got to get better at switching off I have to admit...
ReplyDeleteI think we could all benefit from switching off a little more often, Emma!
DeleteIt can get a bit all-consuming sometimes, can't it? I mean I would still take tonnes of photos regardless of whether or not I had a blog, but I think it's a good thing when abroad that we only have wifi in the hotel room, as it means that during the rest of the day I can't be on social media, which makes me enjoy it far more.
ReplyDeleteI agree re: the wifi. It makes me sad and also feel guilty for all the time I've missed out on spending with my husband when we're travelling because my attention is elsewhere. And sometimes, I don't even feel rested after coming back from a trip because I've been too distracted by social media/coming up with blog post ideas!
DeleteWhen I first started the blog I was more than eager to share, and I always made sure to capture every moment. I am still like that, but I am starting to notice how much it actually is taking away from being present and enjoying the moment. Although my biggest concern about blogging is social media, need to promote blog on every platform possible for which I have no time or frankly any interest. I hate Twitter with passion and barely use it and use Facebook only for my personal account (which is reflected on my number of followers). It takes so much time! I feel like if I make myself follow all the "must-dos" to properly attract traffic I will loose interest in blogging altogether. So I decided to do what I enjoy - write and take photos, and use Instagram because I love it.
ReplyDeleteI think that's a fantastic compromise, Nano. And I agree that all the self-promotion (which makes me feel icky on a regular basis anyway) takes the fun and joy out of blogging. So, it's good to step back once in a while and I'm trying to do that now!
DeleteSuch a great idea to reboot your inspiration! I bet Bordeaux just gave you so many creative ideas :)
ReplyDeleteSilverSpoon London
Thanks, Angie! Yes, it was a very refreshing and revitalizing trip!
DeleteA conclusion that you have come too quite quickly. Well done Jaime.
ReplyDeleteIt's all-too-easy to get caught up in recording your life, to the extent that enjoying your life comes second.
*to
ReplyDeleteI meant "come to" of course. Flippin' fat fingers ;)
Haha, I knew what you meant, Iain - thank you for your comment! :)
DeleteI love this post, Jaime! It's so so true! When did it all become about someone else? I find switching off so hard - no matter whether it's from school, from my blog, from what I need to do tomorrow... I feel like I'm on the go *all* the time, and it is SO nice to just...not!
ReplyDeleteLauren xx
I think we all struggle with it a little bit, Lauren, but it's so easy for that "little bit" to become a lot! It feels like a full-time job that I'm trying to squeeze in on a less-than-part-time basis. Argh!xx
DeleteSo far blogging about my trips hasn't really changed much the way I travel. I don't want to tweet about my trip when I'm on the trip, I want to enjoy the place I am, and then when I get home I write about it:) s
ReplyDeleteThat's great, Tanja! I feel a pressure to share, in order to retain the following that I have, but I'm definitely working on paring it back.
DeleteAvailability of wifi generally limits my sharing, which is one way of doing it... Also I find I'm quite forgetful and assume I've taken loads of pictures when in actual fact I haven't. I'm not sure whether that's a good problem to have or not!
ReplyDeleteHaha, I think it's a good thing, Rachel! Wifi availability helps - one thing I've noticed that I do is check my phone for "likes" or notifications once I've posted a tweet/photo. I let go of that in Bordeaux and made it a habit to immediately turn my phone over on the table so I wouldn't be distracted by it lighting up with notifications (I know I can turn these notifications off, but I like to know when someone has left a comment so that I can reply!). That helped a lot as well! I'm starting to do that at home now too when I post a photo.
DeleteSounds like you reached a good compromise! I'm glad you were able to fully enjoy your time away with your travel buddy :)
ReplyDeleteI think I let it go a little too far with the not thinking about whether or not something is "worth sharing". I think not having a niche makes things a bit odd, too. My blog is a grab-bag of randomness, so each post seems to be liked by people belonging to different web communities depending on the content. I can't seem to decide how...seriously I want to take my blog. Like you wrote here, blogging and social media can be great vehicles for getting your work out there without the threat of formal rejection -- something I should be taking advantage of... But I think I'm worried about my identity being reduced to whatever my blog is devoted to. Do you ever worry about that? Great post!
This is a big one. I don't have a niche - I like writing about everything! And I've been told more than once before that I'll never be a "successful" blogger if I continue on this path. But I can't help it. So I can't stop/won't stop.
DeleteBut I totally get what you're talking about in your comment. I love your blog because it's random (and I don't always leave a comment but I do often read it!) and fun and you're a great writer and you're insightful and thoughtful. Like I said to Connie below, it's tough when your blog is about your life, or what happened to you. Wouldn't it be easier if you just posted about food every damn day or an outfit? It's less personal. Well, to me it's less personal than writing about my grandma dying or my panic attacks. I feel so consumed and overwhelmed by blogging sometimes because blogging sometimes feels like my LIFE. Because it IS about my life. And drawing that line, knowing the boundaries, is hard. It's still something I'm navigating. Sometimes I don't get it quite right.
Great challenge you set yourself and I hope coming back refreshed as inspired you to keep it up - it's tough isn't it when we're always thinking about 'the blog' when instead we should be thinking about enjoying the moment we're in because ultimately when we've had a good time, the rest will follow!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Connie. Yes, it's especially hard when your blog is about your life. It's a thin line and sometimes I forget who I am ... "blog" me or "real" me? The difference is subtle.
DeleteI've just recently started a rule with T - we're not meant to post on social media whilst we're having dinner. Like, okay take pics then stack phones up. You're right, it makes a big difference. You get to sense more, and you get to enjoy the experience more.
ReplyDeleteBut I do love your photos ;)
Honey x The Girl Next Shore
Thank you, Honey! That's a great rule you have with T. John never posts on social media but he does have a habit of reading the news and checking emails on his phone because he doesn't have time to use it all during the day. At one point, my posting habit got so bad (I don't do this anymore) that when we were out at dinner, etc. John would take away my phone and put it in his pocket. If I'm out reviewing a restaurant at their request, I'll post one or two pics "live", but now I've decided to just take one photo at the beginning or end (or both, maybe) of the meal and put everything away for the rest of it.
DeleteI know this struggle. My audience has been growing recently and that's exciting, but I notice I lose followers when I'm not as active. I then have an internal debate about posting for the sake of posting and keeping numbers up or posting what I enjoy. The blogger struggle is real.
ReplyDeleteThat's tough, Erin. I definitely go through the same thought process and cycle. It comes in waves. When I was away and after I came back, I definitely was in a dip of one of those waves. I don't like looking at things like rankings and page views, but at the same time, those things are important to me because ultimately I want to share writing that's interesting to others. So it always makes me feel like, "What am I doing wrong?" when I see those numbers drop. Still, I know that what I really need to do is to just keep my head down and KEEP GOING! :)
DeleteThis is such a great idea. I'm much more like this when I travel with my husband - he hates it when I'm on my phone for the whole meal or taking lots of photos. I try to take some at the beginning and that's it. Because it does take away from being in the moment. I'm not so good at doing this in the UK though. Always on my phone! x
ReplyDeleteThe other night, I was watching TV and I realized I couldn't stop checking my phone - even in the middle of a show! Our brains are so hyper-stimulated. I think my short-term memory is decreasing because I have problems focusing on one thing at a time. I typically schedule my blog posts for 5:30 a.m. so I'll tweet and post about them on social media on my bus ride to the station ... this is so stressful. I'd love to be a bit more organized so that I can just stare out of the window on my bus ride then read a book/the paper on the tube! x
DeleteSuch great food for thought! I know I'm driving my husband mad at the moment taking a million different pictures of everywhere we go and everything we eat so I really need to get better at enjoying the moment and not just thinking about my blog 100% of the time!
ReplyDeleteHaha, I feel your pain, Maggie! John used to take away my phone at mealtimes when we were out for dinner ... sometimes I wouldn't even be posting a photo, but had just wanted to check my notifications, which is so bad. I got angry and sad when I realized that I wasn't really enjoying my own personal (vs paid/sponsored) holidays as much as I could anymore because I was so distracted by getting the right photos!
DeleteGreat post. I definitely need to find this balance too. I've turned off a lot of notifications but often can't resist checking when I've posted a new pic or post anyway. I do try to stay present as much as possible... it's a work in progress :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jessi! I think I should turn off my notifications too - that's a good idea. Otherwise, I need to turn my phone over so I don't get distracted. But like you said, it's definitely a work in progress!
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