Blogpostathoning is hard
Posting new content 40 days in a row is not for the faint of heart, and I should know...because I'm not posting every day.
In fact, I am a couple of weeks behind. Sure, when you go up and read the date it'll say that it was published on March 22, but I've simply jumped into my DeLorean and went back in time.
I'm writing this on April 3.
Go ahead and clutch your pearls.
I'll wait.
I'm an ugly liar. I'm back posting.
I'm not up to date at all.
But at least I'm posting.
This is my third attempt at the Blogpostathon. It all started a few years ago because I wasn't updating my website near enough, so I decided that I would write by the seat of my pants. I would post, for better or worse, and it would make me sit down and update my website on a continual basis. It was my answer to Lent. Instead of giving something up, I decided that I would make myself write.
And for any creative out there that gets it...sometimes it's not fun. Sometimes its extra work. On a day when I just got home from work, sometimes the last thing I want to do is more work.
Like, can't my brain just coast for a while?
The first year, I posted 40 different times, but if you go back and look -- there are a lot of videos and random quotes all made pretty by an app called Notegraphy.
Really, I cheated. I didn't challenge myself near enough.
Then, last year I got so overwhelmed with track and posts and falling behind and I couldn't. I just couldn't. I was out of breath, and I couldn't keep up with my bad self. So, I waved my white flag and called it quits. It was a shameful moment in my creative journey.
This year, with the help of no coaching in my life, I figured it would be the most successful Blogpostathon to date because I was going to have all the extra time!
Except, well, life.
It gets in the way sometimes.
It hasn't stopped me from posting, but it has tripped me up a bit, putting me a little behind.
Eleven days to be exact.
It's almost enough for me to call it quits again, but I have no desire in doing that. My logic is that I have stated that I will create 40 posts in 40 days. I never said I would post every day. I never said one post a day for 40 days. I just said 40 post in 40 days. I may be a tad bit overwhelmed right now, knowing I need to come up with 11 more ideas, but it'll get done.
My philosophy behind the Blogpostathon is similar to the, now, famous National Novel Writing Month that takes place in November. In November, writers are challenged to bust out 50,000 words, which is technically the length of a novel. A novel in one month?
I've attempted it three times, but I've only succeeded twice.
I find NaNoWriMo (which is what it's called) a little easier because when I sit down to write a novel, it's always a continuation. It's also unedited and messy and there is no design and I'm not posting it online for readers.
This Blogpostathon, on the other hand, needs to be fairly polished. It's presented to potential readers, and because I realize that visual content helps grab the reader's attention, I always spend some time designing a little something that goes along with the post.
I design pieces for the post on the website, and then I design an image I can use on Instagram. You see, I made my Instagram account public recently, and to help gather likes and followers and interest, well, I need to have something visual to stun my audience with.
That, and it allows for me to work on my design chops.
Then, I have to go and post on Facebook, as well as my newly created Facebook page that's dedicated to all things My Bucket of Parts (www.facebook.com/mybucketofparts).
This year, the Blogpostathon isn't just about writing. It's about promoting and designing.
It's turned into a public relations gig, too.
I may take up just a tiny chunk of cyberspace with My Bucket of Parts, but I'm getting the most likes I've ever gotten on Instagram by going public.
This alone has fueled my fire to post and design. Not all of it is good, and I know this, but I treat this website like a digital notebook -- it's a place to experiment.
It just so happens that, within this little website, I accidentally created a brand, too. So now I want to do something with this brand. Do I tie it into my photography/design business I run on the side? Is it it's own separate entity? Do I need to start selling things? Who am I? Are you my father?
I feel like I need to start selling t-shirts.
Maybe I will.
Just you wait.
