Why Blog for Blaugust?
I noted in yesterday’s post that this will be my 5th Blaugust. But I didn’t really note it you know. It has taken a day or so since typing the words to really process that fact. Five years is a long time, by my reckoning, particularly in the context of running a blog. Time to Loot isn’t my first rodeo, far from it, but it is — based purely on the metric of longevity — my most successful.
A large part of that stemming from the fact I finally came to understand my ‘why‘. I think for my original efforts at blogging, the motivation was a lot more externally focused. Internet fame and metrics probably featured a little too highly in my drives. Absolutely, community and being part of that community were big reasons too — but at least for myself, there had to be an internal motivator and reason as well to have any chance at lasting the long haul.
But none of this speaks to the question posed to myself in the title.
Why do Blaugust, specifically? Especially when ‘Blaugust’ for me means to post every day of the month. Especially when it would be so much easier just… not to. Definitely last year, and probably this year, too.
Surely there’s more to it than just… habit…?
Fortunately, yes.
I think so.
Last year, my motivation for participating in Blaugust might’ve wandered a path a little bit close to that one. The reason may well have been, if not in full, then certainly at least in part because ‘I’ve done it every other year I’ve blogged so far, so why would I stop now?’.
But even should that be true, this year at least, I think it’s more about searching again for some sense of normalcy again. Reaching for something perhaps a bit more difficult in the process to show myself that it’s possible to get back to much of what life was before.
I already know from every-Blaugust-past that posting every day isn’t something I wish to do long term, but perhaps I’ll find the necessary spark here in getting back to, I don’t know, perhaps even just one post a week again. Maybe two. Getting back to my three of old would be great, but equally — that entailed a lot of time spent and perhaps I will want to rebalance that out somewhat to something easier to manage.
Especially given there are plenty of life changes afoot outside of the recent events. A move, right across the country to a whole new city is on the cards. I’ve never lived outside of the city I was born in before, so that’ll be different. And it’s going to involve the build of a whole new house as well! We’re going off an existing plan, but there still seem to be a lot of design and colour choices to be made.
Exciting times to be sure.
What was I talking about again?
Oh yeah!
So Blaugust.
I guess I do it because I can. Or at the very least, in the strong belief that I still can — and this will be the challenge that puts that to the test.
Completing Blaugust this year will mean I’ve been here for half of its life under the reigns of Belghast. Crazy. Next year will then start being ‘over half’. Even more crazy.
Who woulda thunk the guy who hasn’t ever met a hobby or game he couldn’t find a reason to jump on from to the next thing would’ve stuck around this long, eh? Certainly not that guy in question if you’d asked me back during the starting months of this thing!
This was posted during Blaugust 2023, 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!
