For any of you who suffer from pangs of inadequacy, who survey the lot that is their life with occasional bouts of doubt (no matter how much or how little fate has given you- and maybe you don't even believe in any of that stuff, including free will....) then my temporary wallow in the pursuit of why bother is easily enhanced when I read a few choice blogs- like Dinner:A Love Story (where I noticed a post that had 168 comments) and Lame Adventures (who also has a devoted following)...
You want to believe that it's all worth doing if only one person notices. Scratch that- it's worth doing because it's what you did- even if nobody notices. (please note that, to the best of my knowledge, no one i.e. in my family was harmed irreversibly by one of my offerings.) But sometimes the desire for more floods me in the most complicated of ways and then it's off to the races with pockets weighed down by ambivalence and agita. (never a good combination!)
Thank you for the shout out. You're right, I do have a devoted following, which I appreciate very much. One way to expand your following is to interact with more bloggers by commenting thoughtfully on their sites as you've done on mine. At least, that's what WordPress recommends. I also only post at most once a week. In my earlier days of blogging, I posted at an insane pace of three times a week. As a working stiff who works full time, that was simply too much. I now think that blogging less has actually increased my following. I at least write better posts at this slower pace. Or so I like to think.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughtful reply- I really appreciate it. I have been an admirer of your writing since I discovered you courtesy of the NYTimes. As an artist I have observed the vagaries of the marketplace since I first dipped my toe in to the world of art and mass communications. Some talents find a niche and soar, and some talents work in obscurity only to find greater success after they have departed this world for the great beyond. So, I am mostly grateful that I have the faculties and will to perservere and on a good day- when I feel someone (or many someones) enjoy what I'm doing- all the better. Anyways- I'm one of your fans... and if you ever had the interest to go to a cultural event with me, or walk down Broadway and take in the neighborhood- I'd be thrilled!!!
DeleteYour posts about mothering teenagers/young adults resonate the most with me at this time in my own life. On the other hand your flea market posts fill me with envy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to write and for your kind words. Parenting our young children presented so many tender moments- but our young adults have required many tough calls along the way. Thank goodness for thrifting and the pleasant distraction it provides from the nuttiness of it all!!!!!
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