Fourth Time’s the Charm
This year marks my participation in four Blaugust (or Blaugust-variant) events. It feels somehow… wrong… laying it out like that. I don’t stick to things. That isn’t me. Not outside of work, at least. None of my prior blogs made it past a single year of sustained life. Games are lucky if they warrant more than a week of attention. Hobbies fly in and out of awareness as if they possess the lifespan of a butterfly.
So… Who on earth is this person, before you today, who has somehow managed to not let a single month go by without at least some form of posting activity?
Don’t worry, that was rhetorical. For he can hardly expect you to answer something he, himself, cannot.
… Does make for a good reason to trot out the wonder art done by Alli for me, though. Might be nigh time I start considering what else to commission. :) If you’d like to check out more of her work, you can right here.
Wandering back onto my initial path, I think I have a learning to share this year after all.
It’s a learning I suppose I have talked about — albeit indirectly — before, hell, I even remembered it enough to link it in my start-of-Blaugust advice wrap-up post.
But there is a difference in knowing and knowing. And now, I know. What I know is that all kinds can blog. From your most stringent of planners to the most chaotic of pantsers. If I can find a reason and a way to stick to this crazy hobby of ours then I absolutely believe that anyone can.
By method or madness, or method in your madness, there is a way forward.
Whose cookbook you follow is going to come down to you and your personal style, but one exists out there for you somewhere — even if you have to start out writing the recipes yourself.
What it all comes down to, in the end, is finding the reason why. With how often I cover this very point, with absolute sincere belief, it almost came as a shock to me to have almost a second epiphany on the same overall matter and have it sink into another… another level of… I don’t even know. Understanding isn’t quite right. Acceptance, perhaps? Maybe that’s closer.
Still feels so odd, too. My learnings post for each year were becoming perhaps slightly rote. Last year, I was even able to bullet point the top items. Here, I’ll copy them again, since they’re still also true:
- Daily posting? Not for me — not outside of a challenge context.
- Content overload! Way too much content is being produced to give everything and everyone the duly deserved attention.
- Still a valuable event. Those issues aside, I still view Blaugust as a community event of significant value.
- Ginormous thank-you to Belghast, for once again taking on all the efforts associated with running an event of this scale.
I was worried I’d have nothing further to add this year. And perhaps I don’t, not in any practical way that I can impart to another, at least. Not beyond what has already been said.
But still… This will no doubt have me bemused for the rest of the day.
Previous year wrap-ups:
Oh- and one final parting note. The reason for the title I chose?
It was to reflect that, while still it is very much the case that daily posting isn’t for me… The perception of difficulty was much less this year. When life really should’ve made me pull out of chasing the 31 posts altogether, it still felt less difficult and demanding than the prior years.
Whether that is a rebalancing of consideration for what constitutes stress, or, whether it is a practice effect, I’m unsure. I’m going to choose to believe the latter though. ;)
This was posted during Blaugust 2022, the annual blogging event hosted by Belghast. Blaugust is an event aiming to welcome new blogger blood into the fold and revitalise those who’ve been at it a little longer.
The Blaugust Discord is still available to join in year-round!
