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| Painting, Crone of Crowns, by Kime Einhorn. Love this. Source. |
A year and a half into my blogging experience I find myself reflecting on the lessons I've learned. Some have been bonks on the head, others have seeped into my consciousness, like a lovely scent. Today I want to jot down some of the lessons, before they slip away. They do that more and more, you know.
Blogging has taught me:
- Innumerable computing skills, including how to use Twitter, Pinterest, photo-editing, Blogger quirks and video edits. I'm young again!
- Better composition skills. I have always been an adequate writer, and often got drafted for writing projects at work. But this kind of personal writing called on another part of me - how to disclose, entertain (one hopes), and make contact with a larger audience through electronics alone.
- Not to take criticism too personally. OK, I knew this before; you can't get to age 57 without being criticized a few thousand times! But from strangers, it stung/stings. Still working on this. Every reader is entitled to his/her view, and as one of my wise patients once told me, "Not everyone is going to kiss your ass in this life." Smart lady.
- To be unafraid of change, risk, and adventure in style. It's not surgery, it's supposed to be fun. Don't work too hard at it, throw something on and check it out. Take a freaking chance. (Thanks to George Carlin, who used a saltier word.)
- That we are all in this together. Best lesson of all. I was fearful of putting myself out there for the world to see, at age 56. Fashion and style are for the young beautiful bloggers who resemble the models of Vogue and Elle, I thought. So wrong: I found hundreds of "just like me" women, some my age cohort and many much younger, who are not models but beautiful all the same. We have got something to share and we're Not Dead Yet.
Very nice post! Blogging has taught me to take some risks, but stay true to myself. It has helped me build confidence, and also take constructive criticism. Helping with time management, but also learning to know when to take a break. My favorite thing about blogging is "meeting" some really great ladies who are a lot like me (a mom, full-time employee, bargain hunter, venting out some things on our blogs). Can't wait to come back and see what some of the other comments are! Heather
ReplyDeleteThe very best thing about blogging has been "meeting" other bloggers online (and sometimes in person!). New skills, check. Thicker skin, check. Honing my writing, check. I've also learned (and am still learning) to be less critical of my own image.
ReplyDeleteyou put it in a nutshell! i agree with every item. blogging has changed me and still does. it makes me more curious, and while photographing, let me have a deeper look at things and persons. but the best is that i'm in contact with so many wonderful people, who broaden my horizon and who are encouraging me to be braver and to show and tell more of me as i ever did before. your visible monday platform gives us the chance to see how unique we are while we are equal at the same time. i hope i could explain what i mean in my poor english.
ReplyDeleteI agree witht he last post about taking risks. It has helped me to accept my vice/passion for clothes is allowed. Lots of other educated/sensible/warm/friendly women love to pose too. It doesn't make you a bad person to blog your daily wear.
ReplyDeleteGreat thoughts, Patti! I do not think any of us get used to criticism...especially how ugly some people can be on blogs...but remember "it is not about you." I have learned so much from blogging, but the most important thing is that I could fulfill a dream of daily writing and interacting with the readers. For a writer, this is water to a parched soul. It has been so much fun! The closest I have been to having my own publication...for me that is a dream come true. Of course, meeting so many incredible ladies like yourself and making some real friends has been a true joy.
ReplyDeleteGreat post - I think I've learnt similiar things as you have especially about how to use social media platforms like twitter (not that I'm great at it). I've also learnt a lot from following other blogs and seeing different approaches and ways of thinking about style, clothes and shopping.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fab post! The best thing about blogging is meeting fabulous women like yourself who are gorgeous, stylish, wise and witty. x
ReplyDeleteGreat post Patti!!!
ReplyDeleteThe one thing I've learned was to be comfortable having my picture taken. Seriously--I was SUPER camera=phobic before my blog. If I saw a camera I ran!! There is pghotographic evidence of me as a child being the blur leaving the frame in the picture!!
I'm so over it--taking my picture practically everyday and posting it for the world to see has made me more comfortable about myself!
What a wonderful post!
ReplyDeleteBlogging has taught me- to improve my english- to read interesting new books- that women over 50 are both interesting and beautiful that I can take photos ( not very good, but with love...) that I like blogging!!!Rana
57?!! Goodness. (I thought you were much younger).
ReplyDeleteAnyway, your blog is awesome so please keep up the good work!
Agree with everything that's on your list & love the 'Not everyone is going to kiss your ass' quote.
ReplyDeleteHow did you learn to use Twitter and Pinterest? And do you like to use them and why? I wonder if I would like them or not? Like you I love learning new things.
ReplyDeleteI mostly used trial and error, and asked my teenage niece for help! I find Pinterest is wonderful as an electronic filing cabinet for visuals, including decorating ideas. Twitter is a fun way to chat with a lot of like-minded people at once, but you can also "tune out" for a while as well, if it gets overwhelming. I do recommend you give them a try and see if you enjoy them.
ReplyDeleteI've blogged for 4 years now and still learning a few tricks of the blogging trade and also when to simply ignore people that are unkind,,,,or kill them with kindness. LOL
ReplyDeleteWell put - I like blogging for pretty much the same reasons (community; learning new things; improving writing). I've told young bloggers to put their blogs on their resumés--what skills! When I was 16 I didn't know how to digitally manupulate photos, share online, add external links to posts (because those things didn't exist - shhh). There are a lot of skills involved in blogging.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best takeaways is that I look different in photos than in a mirror. I've fixed a few wardrobe malfuncions thanks fo a tripod and camera (the dress didn't look see-through in my bathroom!).
Great post, and timely for me too. The point that strikes me most at this particular point is the one "we are all in this together." Also, the risk and change comment hits home. I was terrified of blogging personal style - I almost never had my picture taken as a kid so when cameras did appear as I grew up my instinct was to shrink away. Blogging in a supportive environment has helped me flower in every possible way.
ReplyDeleteI think it's so awesome that you blog! I learn so much from other bloggers, I can hardly list everything. But things I've learned from my own blog is accepting my real self rather than the abstract self I assumed I looked like. I grew up with a lot of comments on my looks, my weight, and my age, but blogging has given me a lot of insight on that. I've also learned to be more fearless with my clothes and where to invest my money.
ReplyDeleteIt's also helped me with my GAD and made me learn how to make friends. I'm a fairly solitary person by nature (who somehow got married?) but blogging has allowed me to meet so many people and actually maintain friendships where my "real" life isn't so conducive to that.
Dear Patti...first I want you to thank you again...it is your blog and generous spirit that has helped develop a community of 'not yet dead' folk...for that i am ever so thankful.
ReplyDeleteBlogging has changed me. It has made me realize i am not alone on this journey of aging...that I can still claim to be interested in fashions and so much more importantly, it has afforded me the gift of connecting with so many like minded woman...and by doing so...has saved me. Like so many other women I know...i gave everything I had...in raising a family...and lost myself almost completely in the process...it is through blogging...that I have found my way back...to me....to continue my own personal journey. I am thankful for each and everyone I have 'met' on this journey.
Your blog, and Visible Monday in particular, has been very instrumental in helping me face my mid-50s with positivity and hope. Thank you for "putting yourself out there"...thank you for blogging!
ReplyDeleteCindy at Notes in the Key of Life
Dearest Patti,
ReplyDeleteBlogging is a great way of bringing kindred spirits together from around the world. There are no borders, and it is refreshing to find so many that think alike, that have the same morals and values. It is a powerful tool for communicating.
Have many more happy years as a blogger!
Mariette
Patti, I've learned that there's a bunch wonderful women (and the odd man) out there that I like connecting with every few days, and that you don't need to be in the same town/city or even country to be part of a community - it's something for which I am truly grateful, especially being in two new countries in the past seven months and not having made a ton of friends yet! I l also love blogging as a form of expression and even self-definition (am not working yet so how I see myself has changed), and I've learned to accept blogging as a fluid thing, which can and naturally will change as life does. I've learned to hold back a bit on some personal details - not because of the odd person who will always make a ratty comment if you reveal something personal - but more out of respect for hubby, who doesn't even do Facebook! ... So respecting and being mindful of others who may not be as comfortable having their lives on display is another thing I learned very quickly. Thanks for the post; it made me consciously think about the subject. :)
ReplyDeleteTotally agree!! And yes... blogging has change my life in so many (good) ways.. I never stop learning :)
ReplyDeleteI echo others on the amazing feeling of connecting with smart, stylish, funny, awesome people, something that had been missing from my life. It's helping me regain some efficiency in terms of writing, decision-making, and putting things out there instead of agonizing over every word and being all perfectionist about it. In terms of shifting patterns, I'm looking to explore and enjoy what I already have in my closet rather than just wearing the few things on top while continuing to accumulate more. So far, so good!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy other blogs so much because they provide what mainstream media misses altogether - images of women as they exist in a range of shapes and sizes, going about their various occupations and lives while enjoying what they're wearing and expressing themselves.
My self confidence has improved immensely since I started blogging! Seeing myself on photos day after day has changed my negative attitude towards my body and dressing it. I also used to be camera shy, and there's hardly a pre-blogging photo of me in the house! I'm also beginning to get an idea of my style, or what could be my style...
ReplyDeleteThe network among bloggers is incredible and enriching - love both the support and the inspiration that is everywhere!
My English skills have really been challenged! I have never written much in English before, and I hope I'm improving a bit every day.
So very true, I hadn't thought about all the new skills one has to learn with blogging. I'd also add basic html coding to my blogging resume too!
ReplyDeleteI've also learned some great computing skills, including some HTML - I built tables!
ReplyDeleteI am also a lot more aware of what I really look like, not that exaggerated image in my head, and hey, I'm not too bad.
Love your post, Patti!
I am still so new to blogging (only since 06/12) so I've got a long way to go. I find it hard to decide how much or little to share about myself to my readers. Still learning to find the perfect balance.
ReplyDeleteI need to brush up on my computer skills..my blog needs so much work!
Alice
www.happinessatmidlife.com
I am now much more comfortable in front of a camera. I used to hate to have my picture taken and rarely did. It was scarey to start having my picture taken, but I am so glad that I did it. I have much more confidence in myself and now realize that flawsI thought would be very noticable really weren't to others.
ReplyDeleteThanks to your Visible Monday I feel like a part of a wonderful community. The bloggers I interact with on a regular basis are some of the most wonderful people I have ever known even if it is virtual and not IRL.
I have so enjoyed learning about other countries and fashion all over the world that I would never have seen without blogs.
Knowing that we are on the journey through aging together makes it so much more enjoyable.
I've learned that some outfits that I thought would look good don't look as good when I see the photo! :-) I'm also thrilled to find so many other women over the age of 45 who love fashion and share their style photos. When I first started all I could find were young girls who were so much thinner than me, and I thought there was no chance that anyone would be interested in my blog.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I've also learned to take criticism with a grain of salt. I don't assume that it's valid, but I do think about it to see if there is something that I should improve upon.
I'm not totally comfortable being "out there" yet - I don't use my real name anywhere, but maybe some day...
Thanks for writing what you write and bringing together all of these women.
Hooray! Blogging is so much more than the "selfish" endeavour that so many make it out to be. There was even a New Yorker article not so long ago about how style blogggers are a genre full of a-holes (written by a woman no less...whose name I can't remember and I wouldn't want to give her the publicity anyway, even if I could). There is a sentiment that bloggers just write about ME, ME, ME. Yes, we do. Because it is a type of JOURNALING. Its also a great way to meet other people who have an appreciation of style, and to engage in deeper discussions about what we represent and what our looks say about who we are. I guess if that makes me an a-hole then I'm proud of it!
ReplyDeleteVery nice post, Ms. Patti! For me, what I got most from blogging are motivation, inspiration, and ideas. Motivation to dress up on regular basis even when I don't feel like it (my husband loves it), motivation to write better, improve my grammar, learn more, etc. AND I got tons of inspiration and ideas, not just about fashion tips, but also about life, about faith, about homemaking, professional life, interior decorating, and countless others.
ReplyDeleteOh, and you know what? I prefer to read blogs by ordinary women, instead of Vogue-ish types. I don't know why, but I tend to have this mindset that magazines and movies are where I seek inspiration in perfection (from models, the socialites and movie stars), while blogs are where I seek inspiration in real people whom I can relate to!
Visit me:
LeeAnne, Style N Season
http://stylenseason.blogspot.com
Blogging has really opened my eyes to the diversity of fashion. I used to think that the majority of people didn't have a sense of style and struggled with fashion, in the end buying just what fit and living their lives in hoodies and jeans. I now see that just because someone doesn't organize an outfit like I do, does not mean that they are not just as proud of their style as I am of mine. Style is a lot more subtle that I thought it was.
ReplyDeleteBlogging became my connection to the world. It doesn’t matter where I am, as I can still leave in a mark in the online community. Through blogging, I can connect with people from different walks of life. And yes, blogging helps us grow and improve ourselves. Continue to blog and stay young, Patti! =)
ReplyDelete