A new year is approaching. It’s time to talk about what’s going to change and what will be the same for Crochet Buddies. There are lots of opportunities to post. But the content and timing may be different. I’ll explain.
When this site began, I had huge plans for it. In July, there was a post a day. It was therapeutic and fun. After a couple of months, I saw that comments weren’t coming in with new posts. It started to get frustrating. Half a year later, and more waiting for someone to say, “Hey, this site is cool, can you write about this or design this pattern?” I began to wonder whether it even made a difference if I posted something new or not; whether anyone would notice. Crochet takes time. Designing a website takes time. I wanted to make sure someone out there appreciated the work put into Crochet Buddies. I could remove this from the internet and keep the craft knowledge to myself. But what’s the point of that? Crochet is meant to be shared. Getting to know other crafters is a huge opportunity. I just wanted recognition.
Now I’m doing my best to rethink that approach. It shouldn’t matter whether or not viewers comment. If they do, then great! If they don’t, perhaps I should consider how this could be written differently. It’s taken a while for me to realize this, and properly acknowledge it. Though now that it’s out there, I’m learning to think clearer and be more patient.
This year, what’s been restraining me in the, “Don’t put everything out there unless you see results” mentality, is my constantly wanting to justify choices that are uncertain, or seem uncertain at the time. For the vast majority of the year I’ve been holding back from doing new things, because for me it’s been “all in” or “not in at all.” I think that’s why I haven’t been motivated to work on new or current projects. Which shouldn’t be the case.
It’s similar to choosing a doll. Do you purchase a doll for purposes of making things to sell only? Usually not. You choose a doll because you are drawn to the characteristics, the numerous expressions and possibilities you want to create and recreate, whether it’s through the crafts you do, the photos you take, or the method in which you draw or sculpt. That’s the ratio decidendi, the main reason. Everything else is the obiter dicta that goes into place because of the ratio. If you do make back the amount you spent on the doll through selling your crafts, that’s fantastic. But do not be disheartened if you don’t. Think of it as being a lifelong creative investment.
The doll collecting is beginning to slow down, so this time I’ve put additional effort into finding the right doll as an almost-end to this chapter. And I’ve found one – which requires a lot of saving up for. In contrast to the last couple of times I’ve subconsciously approached this, I’m not going to order just to make outfits to sell; that would feel as though I’m making a profit from the dollmakers, which isn’t right. I’m not expecting to make back anything. This is my own choice: a reminder to have fun and not be stressed out all the time.
So, this is my main New Year’s Resolution. To stop trying to justify things I do that may not be considered “rational” or “practical.” If it’s fun, then do it! I’m not going to set myself up for “disappointment” because I don’t see results right away, whether it’s this blog or anything I set my mind to. I know my limits, but won’t restrain myself to logically negate all things creative. This applies to studying as well.
Now that that’s been said, I don’t want Crochet Buddies to be just a blog, or just a store. I’m going to put more effort into making new things, and sharing them. Olive and Yvonne are going to be posting more often (right, you two? 😉 ) with lots of new, insightful posts to share. Next Year Crochet Buddies will be expanding to social media. Lots of cool things are going to begin.
Which brings us to blog posting, patterns and updates.
If you blog or have a website (or know someone who does), you know that posting can sometimes get in the way of things. Life. School. Hanging out with friends. Once a site becomes more of an errand for you, it’s no longer fun. Writing gets a bit dry and redundant. The joy you had before in sharing your projects doesn’t create the same feeling. Readers can see it in your writing.
There were posts I had planned to write, new projects and photos I’d wanted to share, but didn’t have the time to. The holidays whooshed by. Things got busy. It’s not because I didn’t want to post, but because the substance was not, in my opinion, cool enough.
To keep Crochet Buddies running, I don’t want this to become a partial hobby that phased out. At the same time, I know that studies have to come first. Now I have to figure out a balance.
Posting will now be every 1-2 weeks. I think it’s better to write less frequently with more depth and substance than to post overly-similar content and bore readers out. I can’t say which days Olive, Yvonne and I will post specifically. There is a holiday series of posts almost ready to share – almost. I’ll write those in advance and post them throughout January (or later, if post ideas come up during that month). I also have a series of posts lined up for the summer: interviews, photo stories, and more. So things are going on. It might just be more spread out.
To those of you who are new here, and those of you who have been coming back and checking out Crochet Buddies, thank you for being here. It means a lot to us. If it’s not too much, please leave a comment or a question every so often. The support is what makes this worthwhile.
What’s your New Year’s Resolution? 🙂
Have a lovely 2018!
