10 January 2012

hello two thousand twelve. / am back in business.


custom portrait created by caitlin of hue & hum.


after two weeks (and a smashing new year rolling in, many thoughtful inspiring notes of encouragement and lots of productive housewifery tasks out of the way) i'm feeling new and shiny once again. i imagine this year is going to be like a buffed up penny found on a busy sidewalk and tucked into someone's loafer. literally off on an adventure. i feel like i should give you / the blog an apology for doubting it and its awesomeness. i've come to some serious realizations. because–there is no mistaking–i take blogging very seriously.

for those of you on pins and needles, i finally found some clarity and am hoping that means better blogging in the future. (i also came across a killer recipe for those of you still eating sweets in 2012 which i'll be posting soon.) and most importantly, i had a major light bulb moment and (happily) realized it isn't writing my blog that puts me in a slump, but something else altogether. i'll give you a hint. it starts with google and ends with reader. i'm a little bit more than obsessed with reading browsing (way too many) blogs and am going to have to put a halt to some of that obsessive behavior. i figure if i can cut out kardashians, i can cut out excessive blog reading browsing. suggestions welcome. no addict likes confessing or cutting off the supply.

+ thank you for your efforts; especially in telling me why you blog, why you like blogs and why my little blog matters to you. oh my gosh, it was all so nice. and it really helped me figure stuff out. your comments are a big reason why i decided not to shut down comments. i know many bloggers find disabling comments as a helpful way to get back to basics. and i can see why in many ways; but in other ways, the organic conversation that reveals itself in the comment box is part of why blogging is so worthwhile in my eyes. so i'll keep fighting the tendency to count-the-comments and judge my self worth accordingly. more passionate writing. less writing for the masses.

+ since pinterest is my other obsessive tendency, i'll be blogging less about stuff i like, stuff i want, stuff i want you to know about, stuff that is super cute and i can't afford, stuff that i dream about, stuff i want to make someday, stuff to remember, stuff that inspires me etc. because i've probably pinned it already. so now, it's officially an extension of my blog. follow my pins here.

+ i have a bunch of clients and projects waiting in the wings, so i won't be posting daily like i used to. but i promise i'm back and ready for inspiration to hit. and when it does, i'll be writing again. (i even packed some oldies but goodies back into the shop too, just in time for valentines.)

37 comments:

Erin {pughs' news} said...

Welcome back, Marta! So glad you're back in business!

Melissa said...

Yay! I was just thinking about you this morning and wondering which direction you were leaning. I'm so glad I didn't have to wait long for the answer. :) I didn't know about Google Reader and am probably glad I don't. Isn't it funny how good things can become bad with excess? I've heard all my life that moderation is the key, but I never really understood it like I do now. There is so much in the on-line world to feast on that we can become gluttonous in no time! Yikes! I need to examine my own time-stealers.

Travelin'Oma said...

I love the portrait! (The word portrait, too.)

Brittany said...

i think you've hit the nail on the head. i'm afraid to sit down and count how much time i spend glued to my google reader. it definitely makes it harder to write on my own blog and often leads to feelings of inadequacy. not good. let me/us know how the withdrawal goes! also, thanks for the great referral to shepaperie!

Amanda said...

So happy you're back!
I love the portrait; it's so fun!

Heather said...

v. happy to read this post :)

I felt similiarly to you last year, and decided [just in time for my 28th birthday] that I was only going to allow myself 28 blogs in my google reader for the year. I started by wittling down the subscriptions to those I really wanted to read, and those I felt like I should read for reason x, y, or z went out the window. Then, when I finally got the list down to under forty I really paid attention. I decided on my 28, and the remaining that were on the "i REALLY want to read this" list, but weren't blogs I felt I NEEDED to visit as often as possible, I made a "favorites folder" so that when I have some extra time or just feel like browsing, I can visit those blogs, read through archives I may have missed, or just simply catch up on the bloggers lives. I also don't hesitate to follow a link on twitter/pinterest/etc if it sounds appealing to me. I am trusting the people I am following to share with me the BEST that they come across.

The 28 blogs in my reader cover a variety of genres and styles. Some of those blogs post daily, others post a couple times a week, and a few post super sporaticly.

Cutting down the subscriptions has been SUPER helpful to me. I've been comparing myself less and less in the negative, and realized recently that the blogs I chose to keep following are blogs that I get something [inspiration, motivation, knowledge, entertainment and laughter, etc.] almost every single post.

The blogs that are no longer in my reader I still check on from time to time, and that's good enough for me.

oh! one last thing - if i come across a blog that looks interesting, that i've never seen before, and that I consider adding to my reader, I add it. Then I add it to a subscription folder I've labeled "testing" and rename the blog, adding the date I subscribed after the blog title. After a week or two, I evaluate if I like the blog enough to add it to my reader permanently. Usually, by the time this happens, one of the blogs on the 28 list is in a season that no longer interests me and I unsubscribe from it.

Also - I've FINALLY given up the guilt of unsubscribing from blogs for ANY REASON, because I can ALWAYS resubscribe in the future.

Fer said...

i'M SO HAPPY YOU ARE BACK AGAIN!!! I REALLY MISS TO READ YOUR BLOG. I'VE READING IT SINCE 2007
XXX
FER FROM ARGENTINE

Anonymous said...

Glad you are back!
Sandy

Moments and Impressions said...

I look at my google reader more as google bookmarks. I hit the button "mark all as read" all the time. No guilt - no looking back.

There was a blog that I loved to read about clothes and nice things for your home... but it constantly had me feeling like I was deprived and needed a bunch of things. SO I don't need that - so I don't need to read that blog.

Glad you are supper excited for this fresh start.

Christine said...

Ouy, I fall prey to counting comments and judging my blog (& myself) based on the number. And then I realized... I read every post of yours and usually think of some sort of comment to leave, but then I rarely do! So, my resolution is to comment on other blogs when I feel so moved and not be so much of a silent reader. Keep up the great work :)

brnh said...

I put my google reader on "list view" (to the left of the up and down arrows). That way I only access titles that really interest me. And then I mark everything else "as read". After a while, I'll go through my trends and remove the subscriptions I don't read enough of. Even just having things in list view makes it a lot easier to skip the things that I really don't want to spend time reading/browsing.

mia said...

welcome back! can't speak for everyone, but i can say that i missed you! looking forward to more peeks inside your very sweet life. happy 2012!

Cecilia said...

I'm so happy you're back too. I love those illuminating, clarifying realizations that bring us back to who we are. Seems like you had a few weeks full of them :)

Karen said...

I saw your pin about Katrina's blogging advice, and it made me wonder if you were back - and YAY! you are! I have been reading you for a while, and rarely (if ever) comment, but I just thought I'd let you know that I do enjoy what you have to say and how you say it. And I'm glad you are back.

jessica said...

Amen, amen. It's google reader!! It puts me in a slump too because sometimes I find myself browsing google reader instead of doing more important things, like playing on the floor with my baby. And, at the end of that day, that makes me feel lame.

I also think a lot of the blogs we all read regularly can bring me down. It's too much perfection. Too much materialism. And it's unrealistic. It's not real life when they leave everything that's real out. So I'm vowing to stop reading those blogs. Even though they are wholesome and good and should be inspiring, some of them don't leave me feeling inspired. You know?

Good post. Blogging, for me, is last on my list of priorities. I love to do it, but I love to live my life more. Thanks!

dandee said...

The best news to wake up to this morning. SO happy you're back. On your terms.

I too, get caught up in that comparison trap when I spend too much time checking out what everyone else is doing. The best ideas, the best inspiration comes to me when I take a step back and remember to be me.

And that portrait by Mrs. Hue? Couldn't be more perfect. xo.

anya said...

yeah! so glad you are back! your blog is in my top 3 favs! also, love the custom print... so perfect! happy 2012!

Vanessa Rae said...

Marta, I'm so glad you're here to stay!!! I totally understand the ups and downs of blogging, especially as a SAHM and creative like yourself. Putting together a post takes a lot of time away from our first priorities and it should be done only if it still gives you goosebumps, only if putting yourself out there still makes your heart sing! Once I stopped comparing myself and putting pressure on myself to look/sound/be like the other blogs that i enjoy and pieced together the posts that made me happy to share, blogging became fun again and one of my favorite avenues of self-expression. You don't know how many days I would stare at the screen and say "boy, I wish I could express myself through words like Marta!". For reals. For me, some days it's words, some days it's mood boards and visual goodness, some days it's all the things I'm coveting because putting together a dream wardrobe on here is sometimes just as satisfying as going to the mall and trying on clothes just for fun (in my tweens that was all the rage!). I love hearing about what your excited about and I look forward to peeking in on your life for as long as you look forward to sharing it with us!

Vanessa xx

Lara said...

Yay!! I'm so glad you're back. I genuinely love your blog. Every few months when I have to pare down my google reader list, yours is always at the top of the keep pile. I appreciate your honest and positive tone. Your posts are always uplifting and you inspired me to start my own blog. Thanks for sticking with it!! Happy 2012!

EliseBlaha said...

hooray! happy to see you!

The Schoonmakers said...

Soooo glad you're back! You were missed.

Anne said...

Marta! I have missed your posts. Glad you're back. I will admit, I read you more than I comment... but, I always appreciate what you have to say. I hope when you are considering what to keep and delete in regards to your blog, you keep your wall quotations. I have more than one hanging in my cube at work, and on the fridge at home. Happy New Year from Mpls! I look forward to keeping 'in touch' with you this year.

Claire said...

Dear me, I am glad you're back. And loving your (dare I call them...) resolutions. I'm especially pleased that you'll be focusing more on writing, which is the reason I keep coming back anyway. Pinterest is the perfect venue for all that stuff we'd like to remember; a blog is the perfect venue for all the stuff we'd like to say.

We readers love you and your life and what you have to say (and the things that inspire you, too). It's why we missed you so much when you were gone for a spell; it's why we're so thrilled that you're back.

Can't wait to hear more from you, Marta! You always give me the lift I need.

Hannah said...

Just to echo everyone else who has already commented, another hip hip hooray from me that you are back : )

I'm already looking forward to your next post & am pleased that you feel your break has given you fresh clarity.

Enjoy your projects to the full, and we look forward to hearing your blogging voice again.

Anonymous said...

happy to see you back, marta! i would have hated if we didn't see you at all.

glad to hear that you are trimming the fat when it comes to pinterest/googlereader/etc. it's easy to wrapped up in the warped virtual world. realizing that it's time to pull away is an important step.

cheers to your new, lean internet! :)

Christina said...

So happy you're back. Remember- to the beat of your own drum. :) No expectations from anyone reading, just happiness that you're still around to read. You're wonderful, Marta!

Jessica Smith said...

Marta, thank you for articulating your blogging realisations. I think for me too, a few changes are in order.

No more reading blogs on my iPhone. Instead I'll sit down with a cup of tea a couple of times a week at my computer and really read the words / see the pictures in front of me. Time also to delete blogs that post multiple times per day. I just cannot keep up.

Too many blogs on my reader are just not relevant to me right now. And I want to include some local (Australian) content. So, a total blog clean-up is called for. I must remember that true inspiration is outside my front door, not on a computer screen.

About the comments... While I do not blog, I have just begun to pin. Followers, repins and likes of my pins is becoming a dangerous obsession. Time to turn notifications off and use pinterest as a place for my favourites, not for crowd-pleasers.

Thank you for the blog that you write. Thank you for keeping it real.

{natalie} said...

oh, i'm so happy to see your blog pop up today. yours is definitely one of my favorites. i'm glad you are sticking around.

Amy said...

I decided last summer to trim down my list of blogs to read. One of the best decisions I've made recently for myself and my family. I just wanted to let you know, Marta, that you made the cut. You are genuine and kind and someone I could see myself being friends with if we lived nearby, so I would be a little sad if you had stopped blogging...but I would understand.

Amy said...

Postscript to my comment above:

[and I only follow 3 blogs where I have never met the author...I'm just saying when you made the cut...you and two others made it. I think it's kind of a big deal...you beat out blogs like designmom and stephmodo and nienie. So please take this as a huge compliment]

Lovely Lindsay said...

i always love what happens when i dig deep and find some clarity. so happen you've found yours. happy blogging! love, lindsay

Ashley said...

Woohoo! I'm so glad you're back! I had a similar experience a couple of years ago when I realized I was also reading too many blogs. So I cut back. There are only three I read everyday: Oh So Beautiful Paper, CJane and YOU! Even though you won't be posting everyday it's sooooo much better than you not posting at all.

talesofahummingbird said...

i missed you, but have secretly been "keeping in touch" with you by watching your pins. :) happy 2012, friend!

JJB said...

can't wait to see what 2012 holds.

edgar said...

I'm glad you are back.

Shannon @ A Mom's Year said...

I'm so happy you've decided to keep blogging, too, Marta. These blogs are a wonderful new type of "well" where we can gather and learn from each other.

I think there is a place for Showcase Blogs--I get lots of great ideas for DIY gifts and decorating and those kinds of things. But what my heart craves are the ones like yours that aren't afraid to be real.

If I ever doubted how important and meaningful blogging could be, those fears were laid to rest this week. Our beautiful golden retriever died, but to be able to share his story and to hear other people's stories of their beloved dogs and cats was so healing. I feel blessed to have a tool like this.

So welcome back and happy writing!

Anonymous said...

So glad you're back! Missed you & have had my fingers crossed...
Shar

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