thoughts on why, how and what for

mav at port2port has been thinking and writing about community - specifically the online kind. she's proposed for us all to think about the way in which we interact and how this interaction effects and incorporates into our lives. what's our motivation? do we have expectations and boundaries?

I know that I started this bloging journey in the summer of 2004, inspired by my friend Sarah. I was working through the end of a relationship and I wanted a place to comment on my thoughts, life and basically just journal. I didn't expect anyone to read it and it took me a little while before I told more than a select few about it. from the start, I've been all over the board. I've kept journals since I was a teenager and this blog is similar in many ways. it's a place to keep inspiration, ideas; a place to make lists and to get the thoughts that can swirl about inside my head, out of my head.

since I started, I've also become more involved in reading others blogs. some are for information, design inspiration or art related in theory and practice - some are personal. through it all, I have found people that I want to know, that in real life I would love to meet for coffee or invite to dinner or brunch. I comment most on the more personal blogs and when I look at it, I see that these types are the parts I've think of when I think of community. a lot of the members of my pieced together community are women. fantastic, creative, smart, sassy women who continually inspire me.

from this community I get great ideas, I've rethought having children (like, maybe I will? gasp!), I have been pulled out of the slumps and I have been reminded (on and off the computer) that this world is brilliant, fragile and a wonder to be a part of. I love thinking about you all and exchanging packages in the mail. it's a call back to pen-pals and the wonder of reading about worlds other than your own. I see similarities and I see differences and I am blessed by it all.

as for boundaries, I've thought about editing past posts. since this was started at a rough time in my life, some of the posts are raw and emotional. I've always tried to remain honest in my musings but in the past I've thought that maybe ya'll don't need to know everything. in the end, I've decided that I'd rather not censor myself. this blog is freeform, relational, idea and art related - it's a little bit a journal and a little bit a log of life. sometimes I don't post for days. sometimes I call my mom to say, "let's talk in person" because she just catches up here.

I love having this forum and it is so much easier to keep around than those paper bound journals - though I still keep a moleskin in my purse at all times.


(image above is a dog and pony show design > you can shop their goods here)