09 August 2009

u be u. day one.

i am sitting in my family room. at my computer. with a water bottle and my camera which is uploading pics at the moment. (what can i say, i am a multi-tasker.)

am trying to bring my blog back to life.

for a few months now this blog has been scattered with giveaways and fun roadtrips and random darling things from other people's brains. i told myself that i would try to come up with truly original posts for awhile rather than blogging about other people's geniusnesses. not that there is anything wrong with that. (though, this is harder than i thought.) i find myself so absorbed in what other people are creating, cooking, sewing, designing, inventing, writing, etc. that i completely drown in my sorrows of woe is me. i waste all my time in their imaginations that i forget what i was going to blog about in the first place. everyone else has already dreamed up a good post, so why should i even try to say anything witty?

to be honest, i find surfing blogs genuinely inspiring. really i do. most of the time. though sometimes i get carried away and do nothing else for the hour. still, i find it dreamy to waste my time searching through my favorites. although it's a fine line between Inspiration and complete and utter Drabnessness. it's a feeling of comparisons and jealousy and i wishes. of course, if you look just below this tight rope we walk there is a deep dark pool that is called Insecurity. i'm no good, why don't i just quit while i'm ahead. because after catching up on my google reader, i find that everyone has already come up with all the best ideas; they're all taken. there is nothing more to create. plus, even if there was, there is no way i could do it as fantastic as they have, so i shouldn't even attempt. am off to sulk in my circus tent of sadness. does anyone else feel like this? it is the nature of the blogging beast. to every good there is a bad. and i think everyone, yes even the best of bloggers get feeling like this. i bet even that creative girl that comes up with all the amazing parties and has all the cutest favors and has a house full of fancy artwork with a week of suppers all planned out and not a clutter in a corner.. yep, i bet even she gets down once in a blue moon. everyone gets the i'm not good enough bug.

therefore i mark this week as the official u be u, i'll be me week. i am promising to post only pictures and ideas and dreams and words and quotes that i, myself, originally came up with.

you can play along too.
maybe you, just being you, will inspire someone new.

42 comments:

Natasha said...

This is good for me to read because I would never in a million think YOU would have a hard time coming up with something. YOURS is the blog I read for inspiration and creativity. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Anonymous said...

Goodness, Marta, I felt like I was the only one who thought that way. But YOU are so cute, sweet, original and fun---I've never, ever thought of you as dull or drab or un-original. You are darling. I'm looking forward to a week of just YOU.

Zom G. said...

What a lovely post. Influence can be such a paralyzing thing. The internet with its endless opinions and ideas amplifies the effect. I too am struggling with originality, relevance, and honesty. I guess that is the up side of instant access to so many people...knowing that you aren't alone in anything. Comforting that. Looking forward to your you week!

Callie Canlas said...

best thought i've seen on a blog in long time...your honesty alone is inspiring :)

Johanna said...

To read that you have insecurities and questions is reassuring and comforting. I look forward to your week of originality and YOU!

jessica said...

First let me say that you are a great blogger. One of my favorites for sure. I always look forward to your posts. And second, I totally understand where you are coming from. I feel this way ALL THE TIME! So you go girl! I love this idea and it's motivated me to post more original ideas. Thank you!

Misti said...

I've been following you for a long time now and I have always found inspiration with you. I am glad you've posted your own feelings about this; you aren't alone!

Leah said...

love this. it is so easy to have your own creativity drowned out by envy of others' ideas. i think i'll join you this week!

Rose said...

'creating is like breathing life into an idea'
-marta
one of my most favourite quotes ;) look forward to seeing your ideas come to life this week! have you started your workshop yet?

carly k said...

I agree...surfing blogs is super inspiring! I see things I love and recreate them for my own taste...nothing wrong with that:)

Sarah said...

Well, if it makes you feel any better, I have never met you and I love to read your blog. Just for the way you write - its captivating.
I will try to do "just me" recipes on my blog too!

Ann said...

great post + inspiration, marta! thanks for helping my week start off on a good foot :)

Travelin'Oma said...

I had decided to take a blog-cation because I feel so insecure and uncreative, and my writing seems uninspired lately.

But writing is what makes me feel secure and creative. It's a conundrum.

Thanks for telling it like it is. Even your insecurity is inspiring!

Dawn said...

marta, don't tell the other bloggers but yours is my favorite! :) really, i love your voice, the things you share, your design.
am looking forward to this week of u being u! i know it will be wonderful.

Anonymous said...

These are words you began your blog with some time ago: u be u, i'll be me. I loved those words! Because it reminded me what was important.

And now I read that also you forgot about these so important words. You also went down in the world of other bloggers and maybe what other people may expect from you.

That's why I stopped blogging for a while. To figure that out for myself. What do I want? What do I want to blog about? Do my photographs always have to be so brilliant now that I have gone for college to it? Or can I post also the not so good ones. But what would people say about that? Crazy he! Also my camera hasn't been out of the closet too much. The feeling of how people judge my pictures... So I totally agree with your words. Get back to who you are. Just do your thing. A lot of people will love it. A lot maybe not but that is not important. If you like it: that is the goal.

Have a nice day! Greetings from the Netherlands!

joy said...

I have recently become hooked on your blog--and am looking forward to this week! By the way, your son is truly one of the most adorable little guys. ever. There's an original to be proud of :)

Tiffany said...

Wait a minute--Marta feels this way too?

Thanks for bringing us all out from the shadows of blogging insecurity.

You can do no wrong in my book. I love your original thoughts and your shared inspirations.

Anonymous said...

brilliant. I can't wait. I think there's some Oscar Wilde quote about most people's dreams & passions being other people's dreams & passions... (but, come on, there ARE so many great ideas & passions out there!)

Daisy said...

I can't believe you feel like that Marta. You are the one so many look to for the darling, cute, SO YOU ideas. My mom even loves reading you. :) But yes, I think I know what you're talking about in blogland. If we're not careful, it can turn to comparisons. Instead of listing to that voice, listen to this one. Whenever I get feeling like you do, this video lifts me up and inspires me to keep creating. http://marcelacamille.blogspot.com/2009/07/create.html

Jennifer said...

Marta, this is perfect and amazing and exactly how I feel after an hour of blog-reading myself. Its tough being a creative in a world full of creativity at our fingertips and at the same time so inspiring. It is a thin line between the two. I am glad to hear that I am not the only one. Keep writing, if you are anything like me, that is the one true way to feel really fulfilled AND creative. Keep sharing.

Jennifer.

Jordan and Jandee said...

Amen! Reminds me of that Judy Garland quote, "Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." A bit hard for me to remember that one sometimes....maybe because other people's dreams/projects/ideas are so darn compelling to read about!

Vanessa Rae said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I absolutely agree with you Marta, I can get lost in blog land for hours at a time and then feel so drained that I forego my blog altogether. Three cheers to "u being u" and you can find "me being me" in grand solute!

Anonymous said...

I absolutely agree with you Marta, I can get lost in blog land for hours at a time and then feel so drained that I forego my blog altogether. Three cheers to "u being u" and you can find "me being me" in grand solute!

ellen said...

no matter what you post, your blog will always be a favorite.

Karen said...

What a great idea! I've had some similar thoughts lately and definitely succumb to blogger envy. Your blog is often one that has me saying "if only" and "I wish." You have a great thing going here (this idea and your blog) No matter how you feel, you are always an inspiration to me.

Unknown said...

I used to just come here for the writing prompts but I have been reading along now for a couple of months. This is my favorite post.

Melissa A said...

Out of all the blogs I read, Marta, I have always liked yours because it seems most original than others. I understand that feeling of mine is not good enough, why even bother, everyone else has taken what I was thinking of. A couple days ago, because of inspiration from your blog, I finally wrote a few words about how I feel and asked for others to join in. It felt good to finally have the courage to do so.

Lauryl Lane said...

Oh absolutely, I think we all have moments of feeling that way... especially those of us who are creators and designers for a living. At times I am fully confident in my work and KNOW that what I design is beautiful, other times I really struggle with wondering if I should even attempt to do what I do, because, after all, so many other people are doing it just as well or better!

Lise said...

Wow Marta. What a great post. So honest, and true. Like everyone else, I’m amazed that these feelings happen to you. What an inspiration for us all to get back to being us. And for the record your post today is probably my favourite ever. It was funny, and interesting and real. And that is exactly what blogland needs, not more ‘perfect’ posts.

Rachel Ball said...

I completely understand this, and I'm sure everyone feels that way at one time or another. I like the 'u be u, i'll be me' idea, and it looks like it's going well so far!

thekreativelife said...

Great post! I'm with ya! So this week, I'll just be me. If I can't be me, who else can do it for me?

Karen said...

I appreciate this post. It seems to be a thought I've been seeing a lot out there. So many people feeling the need to redefine, recapture, and remember what it was they set out to accomplish with their blogs/lives. I know I have as well. I look forward to reading as u rediscover u.

Anonymous said...

i know you posted this several days ago, but i'm just now getting around to reading my daily blogs. i can honestly say that your blog is one of my favorites. i love your creativity and your love for your family. you being you inspires me. keep it up marta!

whitneyingram said...

You have said all the things that I came to understand a few weeks ago. My solution is to rid my Google Reader of blogs that I don't genuinely love and want to read more of. And I killed my Twitter account. I had to rid myself of things that hampered with my blogging style and content.

I think the best way to get back to basics is to do just that. Get back to being the blogger I was when I first started this whole thing.

Rachael Schirano \\ Rachael Schirano Photography said...

i skimmed through this post of yours the other day, but have to admit i was in reader + distracted so it didn't resound with me quite the way it did today when it found me again. i wrote a similar post about this a few months back + i have to say that i find myself in the same spot over + over again. overwhelmed by the beauty that already exists + thus, fearful that my work will never be good enough. thank you for reminding me that even though i am feeling blue in this moment that i do have something to offer. and you should know, so do you...

jess said...

This sort of makes me laugh. not that I don't totally empathize with your thoughts (have you seen my blog lately? yeah... EMPTY!) but just that if there is anyone that I can think of that is totally unique and original in a gloriously fabulous way, it is you, my dear. Don't get down on yourself... you have so much to offer!!

Miranda said...

Okay. While reading my way through some of your "favorite posts" I begin to think 'woe is me, marta is so adorable and creative and why can't I write like her and basically just be her woe woe woe'... I read this. Brilliant! I love it. I'll get back to being ME.

Unknown said...

what a great post.. I often find myself overwhelmed with the greatness of all the great blogs I read. We really have to get back to why we started our blog in the first place. I think we all have something to great to share..so thank you for reminding us to be us. xo

Kate Gallagher said...

Thanks for this, Marta. (& good to "meet" you). Well said. I've been playing with this idea myself, so it's refreshing to hear those same same feelings from someone else. Blogging feels a bit narcissistic at times...and the insecurities come up... yet I also like to create and be of service... So I'm trying to stay positive with the whole thing. Isn't it funny how we're ALL in our own heads? Everyone's in his/her own head... and that's that. Unless we can pull ourselves out. I like what you said about just accepting ourselves for who we are and what we create and be ok with that.

Meeks said...

I really like this post. I think because I know exactly where you're coming from. My friend forwarded me the link to this post...I think because you think a lot like me.
My friend seems to be totally hooked on your blog, since I introduced it to her the other day. She is a creative soul just like you!

Anonymous said...

I just wanted to say I came across your blog and this post really spoke to me. We are pretty similar, I'm also a graphic designer, mother and fellow blogger - although I just started during my recent maternity leave and am no where close to being as creative as you! I just want you to know YOU are an inspiration to others. I wish I had the time to devote to a blog. I have been having so much fun and am afraid I won't have anytime to work on it once I'm back to work. I love your writing, and your design work - cudos to you, and I'll be following along!

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