Why Do I Blog?

In what is my first TRUE Motherhood post, I had something I wanted to share. I read this article today and man, did it speak to me. Why do I blog? Why do I generally share (maybe too much) on Instagram? The short answer? It provides me with personal growth. Reading through this article, it put to words what I’ve been feeling for ages:

For me, putting myself ‘out there’ has created both a channel of connection and a means of self-reflection, a time for self that has helped me grow and accept myself more, as a mother and as a woman, in ways I am still surprised by. 

“I’ve connected with women and mothers in person and online, both of which have brought me support and helped me feel less isolated, and surprisingly, much more confident in my own skin. I think isolation in various forms is one of the things that women struggle with regardless of how they navigate the lifestyle and work shifts in their life in the earlier years of motherhood. Certainly so for me; isolation from others, isolation from community and in some ways, isolation from parts of self that you aren’t sure how or where they fit.”

When I owned my business, blogging was a necessity, a way to share my work which ran through word-of-mouth. But even prior to that, I ran a Tumblr. I’ve truly been blogging in one form or another since just after college graduation. I received my MBA in digital marketing and this is not only a way to market me, my brand, but it provides me a way to feel a little more confident in my own skin. I feel really great when I put together a sales collage, or share my favorite athleisure looks, recommend a few treadmill intervals that a follower or two tags me in after they’ve completed it, asking for more. There’s a reason some people are more popular than other people on the Internet, just like some people are better at working the room during a cocktail party – and while I’ll likely never be a super popular blogger, it’s something I really do for me – and I’m grateful for the friendships I’ve made through Instagram or blogging. I feel a little silly mentioning my blog or frankly, my Instagram to people I know, but what’s wrong with putting yourself out there a little?

It’s really easy to feel isolated when you have young kids, and by no means is the Internet a replacement for in-person conversation (and that’s actually why I found Pure Barre, I really needed to talk to an adult or two after I had Georgia), but used as a tool of connection and inspiration, it is a big plus.

“For all the negatives that social media can get, and I agree with a lot of them, but I have found the experiences and connection I have been able to foster to be overwhelmingly positive as long as I focus on balancing my time and energy, and ‘unplugging’ when I find myself treating online networks less as a tool of connection and inspiration and too much as one of a measuring stick. The worst is falling into the impossible always to outrun, fomo but I would like to point out to that point, that feeling like you are missing out or aren’t as great as someone else, that isn’t because of the internet, it just surfaces it faster and more furiously, because I have felt the exact same thing when I go to a meetup or meeting of minds and meet impossibly chic mothers with gorgeous children or killer businesses. Which is all to say, the internet isn’t the enemy, but it is a tool, and it is how we choose to use it and don’t use it.”

I enjoy sharing my life, style, food, interior recommendations, and everything else with you, whether 3 people are reading it or many more, I’m taking the pictures, I’m thinking of the content, I should share it. Blogging encourages me to make a recipe I’ve wanted to write down for friends, it encourages me to finish decorating a room and share the links, and it gives me a medium to share articles like this that might improve someone’s day. It’s not always the most timely and I do a better job of updating my personal Instagram, I’m still super uncomfortable with sharing photos of myself, and I’m not making a killing from affiliate links, but I genuinely LOVE to share the things I enjoy in the easiest way possible (if only Instagram would get rid of that lousy 10k follower rule for swipe-ups).

All this to say, I’m looking forward to growing a bit more and continuing my dive into blogging over the next decade. Thanks for sticking with me! Check out the article and let me know what you think.

Molly Knorr