"Okay, I need just another moment of your time, then you can go back to being crazy."
I am a food blogger.
It feels so funny to make a statement like that, especially since I tend to think that doing anything for two weeks isn't enough time to say you really *do* it, but that's just me being persnickety. I really am a food blogger. Since I don't want to have keywords tie this journal to that project, I won't say the name of it here ever, but its focus is on solo dining and food/food culture in West Michigan, along with a smattering of event write-ups and articles about the issues surrounding doing things by yourself. It has the potential to turn into something really cool, though I don't fully understand how to make that happen yet. But again, it's only been two weeks.
One of the biggest changes in me from this has been that I have something that I've produced on my own that I'm genuinely proud of. Yes, I still have a tremendous amount to learn and I'll likely look back on these times in a year and be embarrassed at how raw and amateurish everything seems, but given that I haven't done any appreciable writing in almost two years and zero photography in over ten, the fact that I can produced the caliber of work I have so far is both mind blowing and humbling. Having people who's opinions I respect greatly respond positively is like a drug. There have also been important moments of growth when it comes to how I perceive myself and what I produce; I have to remember that I'm a thirtysomething in Kalamazoo with very little experience or knowledge about a very large segment of the world, and even though I admire them greatly, I can't get down on myself because I'm not producing on the level of David Lebowitz or Ruth Reichl, because they have been doing this professionally for decades. So yeah. Learning perspective about myself like that is a good thing of a plethora of reasons.
The photo stuff is the most exciting for me, because that's an instant validation I do something right. I can look at the picture and say, "Wow, that could be in a press release or a magazine." It's also easier to make a lot of mistakes and learn from them on the fly, which it bitchin'. Plus I get to eat the food, which is a whole different level of bonus goodness.
I was on a bit of a tear with this, but work things came up and it's been an hour since the last paragraph, so the steam she is gone. But hey, I'm at a point where knocking out 1200 words isn't at all a big deal. Don't know if I can put into words how amazing that feels.
It feels so funny to make a statement like that, especially since I tend to think that doing anything for two weeks isn't enough time to say you really *do* it, but that's just me being persnickety. I really am a food blogger. Since I don't want to have keywords tie this journal to that project, I won't say the name of it here ever, but its focus is on solo dining and food/food culture in West Michigan, along with a smattering of event write-ups and articles about the issues surrounding doing things by yourself. It has the potential to turn into something really cool, though I don't fully understand how to make that happen yet. But again, it's only been two weeks.
One of the biggest changes in me from this has been that I have something that I've produced on my own that I'm genuinely proud of. Yes, I still have a tremendous amount to learn and I'll likely look back on these times in a year and be embarrassed at how raw and amateurish everything seems, but given that I haven't done any appreciable writing in almost two years and zero photography in over ten, the fact that I can produced the caliber of work I have so far is both mind blowing and humbling. Having people who's opinions I respect greatly respond positively is like a drug. There have also been important moments of growth when it comes to how I perceive myself and what I produce; I have to remember that I'm a thirtysomething in Kalamazoo with very little experience or knowledge about a very large segment of the world, and even though I admire them greatly, I can't get down on myself because I'm not producing on the level of David Lebowitz or Ruth Reichl, because they have been doing this professionally for decades. So yeah. Learning perspective about myself like that is a good thing of a plethora of reasons.
The photo stuff is the most exciting for me, because that's an instant validation I do something right. I can look at the picture and say, "Wow, that could be in a press release or a magazine." It's also easier to make a lot of mistakes and learn from them on the fly, which it bitchin'. Plus I get to eat the food, which is a whole different level of bonus goodness.
I was on a bit of a tear with this, but work things came up and it's been an hour since the last paragraph, so the steam she is gone. But hey, I'm at a point where knocking out 1200 words isn't at all a big deal. Don't know if I can put into words how amazing that feels.