Blogging - creative or just sad?

Whilst I was casting around trying to think about what to write today, and researching a couple of topics it soon became clear to me (it was already anyway), that I truly cannot think of anything that hasn't been thought of before, and acted upon before. And most of the websites I looked at were much more thoroughly researched than I was planning. So I abandoned my vague ideas of writing about the origins of cooking, for example. Indeed I abandoned all ideas of doing anything for a while, because I got so depressed about it, and went and shopped instead.

But it did get me to thinking a little bit more about why I am doing this. The main purpose is to give me something mildly creative to do. Because I cannot paint or draw, and really could not write fiction, which I love to read, and cannot do any of those other crafty things. I'm certainly not in the blogging thing to make money - as many do, or even to invite comment and start a conversation - Wix doesn't really allow this to happen easily at the moment, or spread the word (what word?) So why am I doing it?

The two quotes/adapted sayings above sum it up I think. Well partly.

"I blog therefore I am." We all want to be noticed, loved, recognised in some way don't we? When we die we don't want to be as if we had never been. And we all attempt to overcome our potential disappearance in various ways - we all take lots of photographs, we write our names in books, graffiti is nothing other than making a statement that "I was here", we make things, we have children, plant a tree. Although some do it more creatively than others we all try to mark our presence on this earth, and the modern world has given us so many more ways to do it. In the past the poor could only produce a child to ensure continuity and perhaps a temporary memory. So a blog is just one way of proving that we exist and leaving something that will show that we did - though how long it will last is another question. Digital blogs will not last as long as print is my guess. Anyway I guess if I am honest and even though I say that I don't necessarily want anyone to read it, and I certainly know that it is unlikely that anyone will, which is OK, nevertheless I probably secretly hope that somebody does. (Thank you loyal sister.) For to say "I blog, therefore I am" is really saying that one is important to oneself - and one should be. Or maybe it's not even saying one is important - just that blogging shows we exist. Or put another way:

“Writing is the only way I have to explain my own life to myself.” Pat Conroy

Making the focus of the blog food, means that generally it's less soul searching and narcissistic and hopefully marginally more interesting. It also gives it focus and perhaps makes it easier to find something to write about.

"I think therefore, I blog." Well we all think - at least I assume we do - but we don't all blog, So this one is not quite as true as the previous version of the same original saying. But that's because the blogging comes first in the previous statement. In this one the blogging is just a physical representation of the thinking we do. Well some of our thinking. Certainly this blog is really only about food related things and even if that includes a bit of personal memory and reflection it certainly does not contain my deepest thoughts about life, the universe and everything.

Whilst searching for quotes about blogs I found some pretty sad quotes about lonely people typing away in closed rooms - sort of Eleanor Rigby people and I certainly don't think of myself like that. Still it's a thought - probably best not to be pursued.

“My blog is a collection of answers people don’t want to hear to questions they didn’t ask.” Sebastyne Young

Yes indeed.

Where did blogging come from? Well it arose with the world-wide web of course, but the word itself was coined as recently as 1999 as an abbreviation of 'web log'. Prior to this date it was a bit hard for ordinary people to 'blog' as they would have had to know HTML or other technical languages. It was for the nerds and the geeks. Today anyone can do it. I found a quote from the Wordpress people that said there are 100 million blogs in the world today. Sort of puts you in your place doesn't it? And I'm guessing there are millions of food related blogs out there as well. So why should I bother? Well like I said originally - merely to amuse myself really. And I do learn things along the way about a subject that interests me. The lucky dip thing has been most interesting. And there is a little bit of communication with friends and family. So I'll end with one of the many mind maps there are out there about blogging. Have a go yourself. It gives a focus to your day, makes you think and it's creative (though not original).