Blogging Is Still a Journey

I find it hard to believe that I’ve been doing this whole blogging thing for over eleven years now. I’ve gone through so many huge life changes since then, and through it all, my blog has been right there with me like a faithful companion.

The blog’s been through a lot of different phases in that time, too. I recapped the first few legs of its journey when I relaunched on Squarespace; unbelievably, it’s been almost eight years since then. And the journey continues.

I’ve used this site as a promotional tool for my filmmaking ambitions, a travel journal, a platform for TV and movie reviews, a summary of my college studies, a place to muse about theology and life’s big questions, a tech outlet, and a way to record and share moments from my life both big and small. Often, it’s been several of those things at once.

There have been times when I posted here multiple times a week. Then there were gaps of weeks or even months when I wouldn’t post at all. Periods of consistency and frantic creative expression interspersed with seasons of neglect and silence. This site has seen it all.

I’ve probably spent more time than necessary over the years thinking about what this blog should be. What topics should I focus on? How often should I post? What types of content do people want to see from me?

But over time, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are no “shoulds” when it comes to this space. This is my little corner of the internet that I can make into whatever I want it to be.

And so that’s what I’m doing now. I post about what I want to when I want to, and I don’t worry much about the rest. It doesn’t matter if I’m not building up a huge audience or making a bunch of money off of the blog. That’s not what it’s for.

It’s a place for me to express myself, and if others want to join in on that, even better. If not, that’s fine, too.

When I started this site, I was just a 19-year-old looking to have fun on the internet. After all the twists and turns, I’ve come back around to a very similar place. Now, I’m a 31-year-old who’s still looking to have fun on the internet, share my thoughts and experiences, and make friends. That’s what this blog is for, and I’m really happy with where it’s landed.

Thank you as always for reading, whether you’ve been here from the start or this is your first time. Having this space means a lot to me, and it means even more getting to share it with you.

Blogging is a journey, and I’m so happy to still be on it. Here’s to a long road ahead. Onward!

You Can Support the Blog

Today, I'm launching my Patreon campaign, an opportunity for you to support my writing financially through a small monthly pledge. I've been writing on this website for six years, and I've never tried to make money off of it through ads, sponsorships, or any other means. But the reality is that this sort of work isn’t free. I put a great deal of time, energy, and money into this website, and I think it’s gotten to a point where it can become self-sustaining.

This decision was brought about my a couple of major factors. First of all, I feel like the blog is in a really good place in terms of content and following. I think that it provides enough value to enough people for it it pay for itself. I could be wrong, but I have a lot of confidence in what I’ve created and in the people who support it. Also, I’m getting married soon, which has caused me to rethink my personal finances. While it’s not a big deal for me as a single person to pour lots of money into my writing hobby, it’ll be a different story once I have a family. I’d like to set the blog up for future success by getting it to a self-sustaining point now rather than having to worry about how I’m going to keep it going later.

Which is where you come in. If you enjoy reading my articles each week and feel like they enrich your life, I’d like to ask that you consider supporting my writing financially. I understand that that’s a lot to ask, and I don’t expect that everyone who reads on a regular basis will have the means to give. But it doesn't cost much to take part, and every bit counts. If you’re able and would like to help make this blog all that it can be so that it can be enjoyed by as many people as possible, I’d really appreciate your support.

I’ve created a couple of reward tiers to make it worth your while, and if you have other ideas for ways I can make being a patron the best experience possible, I’d love to hear them. I really want this to be a way for me to connect on an even deeper level with those of you who choose to lend their support.

So thank you for reading, thank you for your support thus far, and thank you for your consideration of this new way of getting involved. And to those who decide to give, I’d like to offer an extra-special thanks. It means the world to me that so many people have chosen to take part in this little project I started so long ago, and I am so excited to see where it goes! That’s all for now. I’ll see you Tuesday for our regularly-scheduled program.

Blogging Is a Journey

From the time this blog was created until now, it has been a lot of different things. It started off as an accidental side-effect of my desire to have my own website. I bought a WordPress site when I was 19 in order to tell the world who I was, and I attached a blog to the end of the navigation bar just in case I ever decided to write anything meaningful. I wrote a few short updates when I felt particularly inspired by something I experienced or saw, but the blog wasn't really a priority to me.

When I switched the site from WordPress to Tumblr the next year, my enthusiasm for blogging was revitalized, and the blog became something completely new. Instead of consisting only of random text posts and a few videos, my blog became the hub that all of my social media accounts pointed to. It was also promoted to the main page of my website instead of a side one. I wanted to create a one-stop shop where people could check out everything I was doing at any given time. So I blew up my Tumblr with photos, Vines, YouTube videos, tweets, quotes, and short-form text updates. It was cool, but it was kind of a jumbled mess.

Fun fact: At one point, my blog became exclusively dedicated to counting down to the release of a feature-length film my friends and I made. Let's just say the movie took up most of my creative energy at that time.

But a couple of years ago, in the midst of a difficult time, I wrote an article called Feel Something, and it set the stage for the next phase of my blog. I found that I actually enjoyed writing long-form content, taking a theme or idea and expounding upon it over 600 to 1,000 words combined with a high-quality image. I started writing these types of posts every week, and it was really good for me. I took whatever I was thinking about that week and hashed it out on a keyboard. It was therapeutic, and people really seemed to enjoy reading what I had to say. This blogging routine became a central part of my identity and my online presence.

I even expanded into multiple posts per week. I started posting Stuff Devon Likes reviews on Saturdays to complement my deeper, more thought-provoking posts on Tuesdays. Things were going well. But over time, constantly having a writing deadline began to weigh me down. I went back to one post a week, but I struggled even to keep up with that. I would find myself scrambling on Monday nights to come up with something meaningful to say. I was rarely satisfied with the content I put out. And the technical limitations of the platform I was using were frustrating me and holding me back creatively. I got to the point where I wasn't even sure why I was doing this whole blogging thing anymore.

So I decided to take a break. Just for the summer. I thought it would be good for me to rest, recuperate, and spend some time re-thinking what I wanted my blog to be. I spent the first two months of my break ignoring my blog completely. I didn't even want to think about it. I dreaded going back to a regular writing schedule and kicked myself for ever promising to return to that commitment in the first place. It was starting to look like I might be done with blogging forever.

But then I started traveling for the month of July, and I suddenly had a strong urge to share my experiences with my online community. I started posting photos and tweets marked #WhereIsDevon as a fun way to keep people posted. And as I was taking pictures of the places I visited, I thought to myself, "This is going to look great on my website." By the time I got back from my first trip, I couldn't wait to start blogging again. So I sat down and wrote a blog post about my experience, and I had a ton of fun doing it. I did the same thing when I got back from my next two trips and found that I had eased my way back into my love of blogging.

As a result of my blogging hiatus, I learned a few things about myself, my blog, and what I want this site to be going forward. First of all, I learned that I can't come up with creative, interesting, sharable ideas every week. My blog can't just be about the things going through my head. Secondly, I learned that what I'm really looking for in my blog is a way of sharing life with people. Yes, I want to share my thoughts, but I also want to share my experiences, my preferences, my inspirations, and more. And I want to hear about these things from other people as well. Finally, I learned that I couldn't deal with the technical limitations of the platform I was on any longer. I want to spend my time thinking creatively about my writing rather than trying to work around the limitations of Tumblr and writing new code for every post I write.

All of that to say that the blog is back, but it's going to look a little different from here on out, both aesthetically and content-wise. Here's what you can expect:

1. I moved my website from Tumblr to SquareSpace. It looks a lot better, and it's way more flexible. This switch will allow me to share more types of content in ways that are more enjoyable to read. For an example, check out the way I was able to integrate photos into my travel posts this summer and include a full gallery of other pictures from my trips below each post. SquareSpace will also allow me to use my Tumblr as what it was meant to be: a social network.

2. Even though I changed hosts, everything is still intact. All the old links still work, and every article I ever posted on my old site is still available. SquareSpace made the transition easy and compromise-free. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

3. My blog posts are going to be a little more varied. I'm creating different categories for different types of posts. Some of them will basically be tags from my old blog carried over with new names, but I think this new system will give me opportunities to share with you in new ways. This blog post is categorized under What I'm Making since it's in reference to content I create. I'm hoping to add some video content and some creative writing to this category in the future. The types of posts you're used to reading on my blog where I reflect on what's been going through my head will fall under What I'm Thinking. Stuff Devon Likes will now be split into What I'm Watching, What I'm Using (software/hardware), What I'm Reading, and the all-new What I'm Listening To. That's right. I listen to music now. There will be categories for What I'm Doing (life updates), What I'm Learning (mostly theology and biblical studies), and more as we go along. I'm really excited about this new category system because I think it will allow me to share my life with you in really meaningful ways that I've been missing out on in the past.

4. I will start with one blog post a week at first and see how things go. If I really get into it, I may try to do more than that, but I don't want to burn myself out from the start. As usual, these new posts will go up on Tuesdays.

5. From now on, every post on this site will include a comments section! This is something I've wanted for a long time, and I'm really excited about it. I hope you guys will share your thoughts on my posts either in the comments, through the Contact page, or on social media. I really want this site to be about engaging and sharing our lives with one another. I think that's what this whole social media thing is all about, and I hope you'll try it out with me.

I know that's a lot of information, and I apologize for overwhelming you, but I've put a lot of thought, time, and energy into this, and I want to do it right. I think I really am a writer at heart, and I want to put myself in a context where I can explore and share this passion in a meaningful way. To all of you who have been reading my blog for a while, thank you for sticking with me through my hiatus and giving this new incarnation of my blog a chance. To any new readers out there, welcome! I look forward to sharing my life with you and hopefully being able to share in your life in a meaningful way as well.

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That's all I have to say this week. I'll be back next Tuesday with a post entitled, "Where I'm At." It's my way of catching you guys up on what's been going on in my life lately and letting you know where I am on a lot of levels. Until then, I'd love to know: How do you feel about fostering true, meaningful online community? Are there certain things about an online community that make you feel more connected to it? Are you interested in sharing the deepest parts of your life with others online, or are you skeptical? Let me know in the comments!

Relaunch Video

Today, I officially announced the relaunch of my blog on September 1st! I made a little video to go along with the announcement, and I'm pretty proud of it, so I thought I'd share it on here. I've never really made a video like this before, and I was a little nervous about it (especially the narration), but I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I'm excited about the relaunch next Tuesday, and I can't wait to see what's in store for this new phase of the site!

Taking a Break

I’ve been blogging on a weekly basis for well over a year now, and it has been a wonderful experience. I’ve had the opportunity to express myself creatively and to write about all kinds of subjects, from spiritual matters to my favorite TV shows. This blog has allowed me to connect with others and to work through all of the jumbled thoughts that are constantly swirling around in my mind. Blogging has been extremely helpful to me in my journey thus far, and I am so thankful for it.

But lately, the blog has deviated from what I intended it to be. It was supposed to be an outlet, a catalyst for my creative writing. I imagined that I would be overflowing with things to say and that getting them out on (figurative) paper would not only be theraputic to me, but would also hopefully be meaningful to you. And the blog has been that for a long time. But lately—and I mean very recently, not for a long time—I’ve started to feel like the blog is less of an outlet and more of a responsibility.

Instead of writing blog posts throughout the week for enjoyment, I find myself scrambling on Mondays and Tuesdays to put something together that is worth posting online and attaching my name to. And that’s not fair to anyone involved. It’s not fair to me when I’m stressing about what I’m going to put on the blog on top of everything else I’ve got going on. It’s not fair to you, my faithful friends who choose to read my posts every week expecting something insightful and meaningful. It’s just not what this blog should be. And so I’m not going to let it be that anymore.

After much ruminating and consideration, I’ve decided to put my weekly blog posts on hiatus for the summer.

I love my blog, and I’m not giving up on it. I’m just giving myself some time away from it to focus on other things and hopefully recapture my passion for blogging. For the months of June, July, and August, I’m going to focus my writing on other mediums. I’m not sure what that will look like yet. Maybe I’ll write a screenply or a short story or a sermon or two. Who knows? I’m just excited to try something new and see where it takes me. I’m also going to use this time to re-think this blog and what I want it to look like when I come back at the end of summer. I’m sure it’ll look mostly the same, but a little bit of change could be what this site needs.

In short, the weekly blog posts are going away for a bit. Not forever, but for the summer. There will probably be some sporadic posts from time to time. (I am a blogger, after all.) I’ve got some exciting stuff going on this summer that I’m going to want to share with you, and I’m trying out a new app on my computer that I’m itching to review. So I’ll still be around. And the plan is to bring back the weekly blog posts at the end of summer. I’m not leaving for good, just for a bit, and I think you’ll all see that this move was beneficial for the site when I come back in the fall.

Thank you all so much for reading these little blog posts. You have no idea how much it means to me that you would take time out of your busy schedules to listen to what I have to say. You guys are the best, and I’ll miss writing to you this summer. But I’ll see you again in the fall. Have a great summer, friends! I’ll talk to you soon.