Comments on: It’s all about ME!

By: Barney

Barney — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 08:01:30 +0000

Hi, Tess, I’m really late on this. I have to confess I haven’t been reading many blogs lately and I’ve been through a real blank patch with my own blog.

I’m one of those personal bloggers. I’ve nothing to sell, but I’ve feelings and experiences and ideas that need to be expressed in writing. I try not to preach – I don’t like being preached at, so why should I preach at others? But I want to share, to communicate, to interact – from the heart.

Is this valuable? Through writing and reading I reflect and learn. Self-absorbed? I hope not.

Thanks, Tess, for raising these important questions and writing your ever-stimulating blog.

By: Sunrise Sister

Sunrise Sister — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:34:05 +0000

Hear, hear – a terrific collaboration – thank you Tess AND Kigen!

By: Tess

Tess — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:50:12 +0000

kigen: thank you, I so enjoy your comments, and also our collaboration. Hope there will be more!

By: kigen

kigen — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:39:07 +0000

Tess, I think the previous “not needing to be so polite” post was intoxicating! At least for me. And then from there on the next post in the comments I went for gold, and @Crayons here also — not filtering. And you responded with not filtering maybe a little? But I learned so much Tess about my need for blogs, and finally got out my reservations about them, and found a way through that, so that I am just seeing all that “heart” out there now and really not the self-involvement I had seen before, Without you i would not have understood. So I thank you Tess. Also we collaborated! Hooray! and I really enjoyed that part of it.

By: Tess

Tess — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:15:16 +0000

@SS: Thank you for this thoughtful response – I think for me, too, there’s an element of getting the words out of my mind partly for my own understanding. And I think you’re right in emphasising the “how” of how we repond.
@Crayons: What an interesting comparison with stand-up etc – I hadn’t thought much about the lack of real-time interaction. Although sometimes that’s almost worse – waiting for a response rather than getting it immediately I mean. And perhaps we could take lessons from the honesty of your 6-year-old charge. I’m slightly alarmed by your final paragraph! I hope kigen didn’t think I was ‘pulling her comment apart’ (are you reading this, k?). I thought it was really interesting and worth exploring. Anyway, breathe again, your words will not appear on my next post!

By: Crayons

Crayons — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:01:26 +0000

I think blogging is one of the most egotistical performative acts — even beyond theater, dance, stand-up comics, TV talk show hosts. Bogging is a perfect set-up where we can express/perform without ever having to really interact with others in real time. But egotistical isn’t always bad.

I am a nanny to a 6-year-old girl. This is the refrain all day long: “Watch me! Watch this! Look at my painting! Listen to me sing this! Look how much water I drank.” Most humans, isolated as we are, want someone to listen and praise and take us seriously.

But I pick and choose carefully. I don’t like hum-drum “we-moved-the- piano-today” blogs. I like carefully written blogs. I like blogs that turn the personal spirit-filled lens toward nature or religion or music. I also like blogs like yours that pull voices together.

Finally, and gently: as a new reader, I’m afraid that you will put my comment at the top of the next post and pull it apart. Please don’t do that.

By: Sunrise Sister

Sunrise Sister — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 02:28:16 +0000

Well, I’m late to the reply party but I’m so glad to find it this evening and to find so many great comments. Egotistical – probably, but I find that when I’m writing – although I hope someone else will read my words – I really enjoy the act of taking words out of my mind and placing them on a page. Placing them carefully in case someone else does decide to read the words, but placing them carefully in order to understand myself. I often write posts that begin about 3 pages long and as I hack away to the essence of what’s really on my mind, I feel comforted that beneath all of those words, there is a point, and through my own personal editing, I’ve found it:)! Kigen’s words were, at first reading, harsh and made me think maybe I shouldn’t be blogging. And she would probably read this now and think I was correct. BUT her words were important to read and one of the issues that I find troubling about blogs is that we do not often speak in truth back to one another – we gloss over what we think or just don’t comment at all. WIth care and lack of sarcasm, a question opposing what I’ve written is important to receive. It makes me value the sense of sharing with others who have thoughts different than my own – it makes me feel we’re – more of us – all in this thing together……..too many words – thanks for the post and thanks for all of the wonderful comments that made me stop and think why it is I enjoy writing a blog and reading others’.

By: Tess

Tess — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:38:23 +0000

Thanks for these comments, and apologies for being a bit late to respond. I’ve been moving stuff around in my studio/office and have been ‘unplugged’ in the literal sense.

I’m really enjoying the way in which you guys are taking this discussion along. Thanks again to @kigen for the prompt.

I might just add that I’m beginning to regret my threat to reveal ‘the dark side’ of Tess – I’m going to have to come up with something really special!!

By: Rachel

Rachel — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:48:05 +0000

A much needed self check my friend. Ever so grateful for your words, and others, particularly @kigen. As ever, I find your voice so gentle, insightful, and almost always challenging in some way.

By: kigen

kigen — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:50:14 +0000

Why defend self-centeredness, when all these blogs that are so beloved and successful are about giving one’s heart away for free?

Let the content of the blogs evolve to include diverse media, subject matter, and background or related material! Encourage the bloggers to expand parameters of what a “personal blog” can be!