These thoughts have been swimming around in my head for a while, now, but given that I've been spending time on other things, and am now considering how much time I want to continue to spend on the blog, it seemed high time for some soul-searching.
On the one hand, I really enjoy it. Writing a blog gives me a chance to reflect on things I've shot and on moments I've captured. I've realized a number of things about the world by virtue of those reflections that I might have missed otherwise, and that's something I value.
On the other hand, it takes a ton of time. Hours to go through the photos just to see what I shot, more hours to pick out a couple photos to hopefully serve as milestones for a coherent story, and then hours beyond that to weave the photos together with words. And much like any other storyteller, I like it when people listen. I like it when people appreciate the time and effort I put in.
Over the past couple months, the extent of that appreciation has been called into question. When I asked people for their favorites a year ago, for It's Wet Outside, people seemed to have no problem voicing their opinions. Yet when I specifically and directly asked for feedback about the blog, the response was paltry in comparison. Most recently, when I suggested that I might enjoy a pat on the back after spending a full three days making A Christmas Poem, the only response was from my close friends.
This isn't to say that I don't appreciate those responses; I most certainly do. But if my goal were simply to connect with a small group of my close friends, I wouldn't be writing a blog.
So the point is this: I have more things that I'd love to work on than I have actual time to spend. I'm currently trying to figure out where this blog fits into that picture, and how much of that time I should devote to it. The response to this post will directly affect how much effort I put into the blog in the future. Feel free to leave comments, send email (feedback10@doppler-effect.net), or get in touch with me any other way you feel like.
And just to set expectations, I shoot enough where I could probably do a post every week or two. On the other end of things, I have no problem doing four posts a year and focusing on other things I've been neglecting.
To borrow a bizarrely appropriate and somewhat ironic line from Sherlock Holmes, "I have trained myself to notice what I see."
