Hello (again)
As Summer draws it last lazy breath, Autumn steps into the light. A new season full of promise. A turn of a page, a reboot of sorts, and a moment for me to say hello (again) to the blog and a hello to you.
Hiatus’ are becoming commonplace for me and I won’t apologise for this one. There were many reasons I strayed from the blog none very dramatic but as I am saying hello (again) I thought it fit for us all to have a catch up.
A digital detox of sorts
I know this sounds cliche but I am genuinely trying to be more mindful of how I consume social media and spend my time in the online world. I’ve especially found myself exhausted by the digital as I now spend 90% of my time in my actual job logged tuned into the Internet. The last thing I’ve wanted to do lately has been to sit down and actually write a blog post and the pressure I was mounting onto myself to do so was draining me of creativity. So I took a step back. I’ve tried considering what I use each of my social media platforms for and want to try and re-focus on quality (not quantity) again.
Writing, writing, and more writing
I have been writing though, off screen and out of way. Part invigorated by my trip to GrrrlCon back in June and being surrounded by wonderfully talented, inspiring and inclusive female writers, I have spent the past few months burrowing away delving back into creative writing. The result? I’ve a folder of poems on my computer ripe for submissions, I’m back on track with two novel projects which I thought were long abandoned, and I’m working on short stories for potential submissions to literary magazines. I’m also more comfortable talking more openly about what I’m writing to people in real life. More importantly my curiosity for the creative is back. I’ve not felt this great about my writing in years.
Activist self-care
2017 is relentless isn’t it? If it’s not Tr*mp literally running riot in the White House, it’s the absolute sh* t show of the UK Tory Government, or ignorant Nazi meatheads plowing down innocent protesters. I was fired up at the beginning of the year to fight, but the activist burnout has been so very real. I’ve learnt the hard way that shouting constantly on my own is not sustainable. So again, like my little blogging detox, I’ve been stepping away from the 24/7 news cycle and trying to not to get too sucked into the negative.
I realise I preach the ‘activism must be persistent and consistent’ line all the time but a balance is needed and it is hard to admit that stepping back, taking breaks, and looking after myself is so very important for me right now. Activism requires shift work and the silver lining to all the terrible in the World is realising that there are entire networks of incredible people willing to make change happen. None of us have to do this alone.
Show not tell
Not sure if you’ve noticed but I have a problem with making plans and not following through. I tell you I’m travelling to India and I don’t share pics. I start new blogging series and let them fall to the wayside. I promise big things on this blog but they often don’t come to fruition. I’m very good at shooting the sh*t when it comes to ideas, but when it comes to execution I often fall short of time and effort. I want to stop promising so much and just let blog posts fall more spontaneously across my little corner of the Internet. I would encourage you to follow me on Twitter and Instagram if you miss me that much.
(Re)Balance
And here’s a nice 180 back to my original New Year’s Resolution. I was seeking balance this year. I needed it after my accidental ‘year of saying yes’ and I do believe I have time to claw this back. Everything I’ve talked about here ties into this singular resolution.
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Before I have you all worry this isn’t a ‘the old Ria can’t come to the phone right now cause she’s dead’ type of situation with the blog. As I acknowledged in my last post the ‘blogging’ landscape has changed, I’ve changed, my priorities have changed. Which means I needed time away to re-envision, recharge and rework what I actually wanted this little corner of my Internet to be like. And this post is just the start.
Ria Xx