tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post5386988126299934644..comments2024-03-27T03:17:41.154-04:00Comments on Sew Can Do: Why I'm Quitting The Craft Blog Rat RaceSew Can Dohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411538881134901843noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-59716801952775120142020-01-27T12:40:46.974-05:002020-01-27T12:40:46.974-05:00I just found this post and I can totally relate. I...I just found this post and I can totally relate. I used to keep up with a blog that was mostly about paper crafting and it was at the point where I was literally just making something to have a blog post. It would always take FOREVER to stage the photo, take the photo, edit the photo, upload the photo and write a post with detailed measurements and product info that I had to take note of while making it. Not to mention tutorials with lost of photos and details. It was all too much. I work full time and was beginning to get burned out. When I go pregnant with my daughter I said enough is enough and simply quit posting to my blog. I now only post my crafty photos to Instagram more as a journal for me of the things I've made and worked on. I'm loving not having any deadlines or any specific project to work on. Now I have time to focus on the types of crafts I want and learn new things and create just for the sake of creating. I'm now following your blog via Bloglovin' and look forward to seeing what you have been creating! Thanks so much!Amanda Corbethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13296955851138142800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-47896223853488333712016-12-12T00:49:01.772-05:002016-12-12T00:49:01.772-05:00You bet! :)You bet! :)Jenettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11613772017465393882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-42642651170937084622016-12-11T18:10:51.286-05:002016-12-11T18:10:51.286-05:00It's been 2 years since I wrote this Jenette, ...It's been 2 years since I wrote this Jenette, but I hear you & still feel the same! I too have noticed how many blogs now require sifting through pop-ups and ads everywhere just to see a post or clicking on something that looks interesting only to find the project is a way to introduce an unrelated product the blogger was paid to show. Drives me crazy. I miss when blogging was more about doing and less about page views, ads & becoming "internet famous" and people seemed real, not glossy perfection. That's why I try to keep it real here even though it means keeping things small & more hobby-esque than maximum income generating most of the time. I'd love to have you take some time to check out more projects & am glad you found me. It's nice to know there's at least a few of us out there!Sew Can Dohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03411538881134901843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-87038206136530798862016-12-07T13:58:02.083-05:002016-12-07T13:58:02.083-05:00The first thing I noticed: No pop-ups or adwords c...The first thing I noticed: No pop-ups or adwords cluttering what I'm trying to see and read (I came by way of your indoor snowball fight kit). Then I saw the link to this post and I though, "Woohoo! That's for me!" Thanks for inspiring me. If I ever do an "old school" blog journal for fun, I'm going to keep your words in mind and keep it fun! That's not today.<br /><br />Yeah, I'm really late to the discussion, but since I entered the world of freelance writing and then a bit of social media marketing the wake-up call came with a vengeance! Yikes! What in the world. 6 months ago I had no idea... I really thought blogging was still like journaling and letting people look over your shoulder so to speak. <br /><br />I still appreciate what great SEO does because I've had the experience of looking for that one thing on the internet, and I love being able to find it. However, the truth is, at the heart of great SEO is an article or post that gives value to the reader. Your posts (and the other one I read) give value to me because it feels like coming home. Thank you!<br /><br />Now I'm going to look around and see what fun stuff I can do hear with my kids that you've cooked up in crafts. :)Jenette Clayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06956943578526470070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-46586780245131470312016-08-15T12:39:26.701-04:002016-08-15T12:39:26.701-04:00Oh my gosh!! I know this is an older post, but I ...Oh my gosh!! I know this is an older post, but I relate to it so much. I miss old school blogging and crafting. I just miss how blogging used to be. I am so happy to hear all of this written so beautifully. I "like!" Thanks for sharing this great post.Pamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06323040221071835269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-32800024698979757142015-02-22T14:06:01.268-05:002015-02-22T14:06:01.268-05:00I hear you Shelly. Not looking at what everyone e...I hear you Shelly. Not looking at what everyone else is doing has helped me too. I also scaled back with my Etsy shop a while back because it was exhausting and found I ended up pushing myself with the blog instead and feeling worse. I think the reason it is so hard to let go is because we see so many other people "having it all" and saying "You need to do X, Y and Z like I do if you want success like mine." and that peer pressure is hard to ignore. Truthfully, there's no magic formula and the people who obsess about it will never really be satisfied no matter how big they get or how much time they spend on it. I find it's better to truly enjoy being creative and share what I want, when I want and let other people run themselves ragged with a never ending finish line.Sew Can Dohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03411538881134901843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-13142048033909027642015-02-20T14:27:51.811-05:002015-02-20T14:27:51.811-05:00Wow. There is much to say in agreement to this. ...Wow. There is much to say in agreement to this. When the whole craft sewing blogger thing broke out I was selling on etsy. I was pretty successful and even started a small amount of blogging because that's what they told you to do. My tutorials looked homemade just like everyone else's. After awhile I decided that I just didn't want customers any more. It wasnt fun. So I decided to just blog. For fun. But somehow it sucked me in and became all consuming. I was ignoring my kids and missing out on life. And.I wasn't even making 1% of what I made on etsy. It became a just because rat race. One day I quit. I wrote a journal to myself and eventually posted it 6 months later with commentary on what I was feeling. My one question is why s it so hard for us to let go and not be perfect bloggers? I have found that by staying of social media and reducing the blogs I read helps a lot. Food for thought. Great post!Shelly @ Coral + Co.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14144688159241878310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-53556446261129624592015-02-12T08:54:58.424-05:002015-02-12T08:54:58.424-05:00Linda I think you've captured the mindset most...Linda I think you've captured the mindset most of us have fallen into - we crafts have become a task instead of being a sourced of enjoyment. And we feel we need to keep up in an imaginary race. It's giving me an idea for something to help keep the enjoyment in crafting and remind us what we really want to get out of blogging - an excitement to make things and community of doing crafts.Sew Can Dohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03411538881134901843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-120691853226253352015-02-12T08:36:22.643-05:002015-02-12T08:36:22.643-05:00I think because a lot of the incredibly driven pro...I think because a lot of the incredibly driven professional blogs out there started out as casual hobbies many of us compare ourselves and feel like we 're not doing enough. Most of the bigger blogs spend the bulk of their time being obsessed with their blog & staying on top and (whether they admit it or not) let a lot of real life pass them by. Maybe they don't care, but I don't want "Had most re-pins or highest page views" or "She was an incredible blogger" to be what my kids say about me when their grown.Sew Can Dohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03411538881134901843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-86457795566199483132015-02-12T01:52:20.751-05:002015-02-12T01:52:20.751-05:00Amen! I totally agree with this post. Blogging can...Amen! I totally agree with this post. Blogging can take over your life, and it shouldn't. While I should've been resting after having surgery to remove a bone tumor from my hip, I was still trying to keep up with the blog and crafting for the blog. And now I have a 3 month old and a 3 year old, but I'm still trying to keep up with this blog... To keep up with the bigger blogs, you need to constantly post, host amazing giveaways, post patterns, etc. It gets to be too much at times...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-90884052885504570692015-02-10T01:14:58.039-05:002015-02-10T01:14:58.039-05:00Cheryl, you have EXACTLY said what I have been thi...Cheryl, you have EXACTLY said what I have been thinking for the past 6 months. There is no way I can be as great or wonderful as some of the bloggers out there. I don't write the titles well enough, or take pictures well enough, or ANYTHING well enough anymore. It's almost like "what's the use?" I used to do crafts to enjoy all the time. Now I HAVE to do crafts (being Crafts a la Mode) and they have to be great and like you said, the pictures have to be perfect, magazine perfect. How can any one person keep up that pace without getting burned out? I love your post and I'm right there with you. I still want to do crafts but I don't want the pressure to come up with the most viral craft. I just want to have fun again. Crafts a la Modehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01199579251118328688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-76582973893523371972014-11-14T08:22:37.353-05:002014-11-14T08:22:37.353-05:00Jenny, I've done the same thing with avoiding ...Jenny, I've done the same thing with avoiding blogs that just feed the self-doubt or peer pressure to be more. Since I've starting ignoring the buzz and focusing more on what makes me happy & finding others who feel the same way it's been a much nicer experience. I think your self-reminder of "that's not who I am" is fantastic - who wants to be one of those people so obsessed with their blog that it takes over everything else in life?!?Sew Can Dohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03411538881134901843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-54677016489316496542014-11-12T17:00:00.972-05:002014-11-12T17:00:00.972-05:00Cheryl I completely understand! I have had moment...Cheryl I completely understand! I have had moments when I looked around at other blogs and thought I could never keep up with that! At first it discouraged me and I didn't want to share my simple sewing projects that I was making for my kids because I wondered if they were "good enough" to share. But I've learned to be selective in what blogs I read and try to follow people that craft just for the love of it. I also tell myself "that's not who I am" when I come across an amazing blog that posts a few times a day because I just cannot keep up with that kind of pressure. Crafting and sewing should be fun and it should not be something anyone dreads just because they worry their project won't be pinterest worthy. I love sewing and always will and I want to sew for my kids as long as they will let me. I hope you craft whenever you feel the urge and share whatever you are proud of! You have always inspired me! Good luck scaling back and getting back to crafting for pleasure. Life is too short to do otherwise. Jenny Hall / Seamingly Smittenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04593102621295441748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-829093219722906282014-09-20T21:10:37.801-04:002014-09-20T21:10:37.801-04:00Having someone to co-write with you probably does ...Having someone to co-write with you probably does make it a lot more fun. I think that's why it's been hard seeing the personal connection dwindle - when you're a one-woman band it can be lonely when you work on something, or start a dialogue, and it's just crickets. I really love that I see a lot of familiar faces linking and commenting at my Craftastic Monday parties - some I've known for years and that feels like a little community. And I really appreciate parties like yours that I'VE been linking to for years as well:)Sew Can Dohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03411538881134901843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-27864204764541334222014-09-19T21:53:58.205-04:002014-09-19T21:53:58.205-04:00Good for you. I'm lucky that I co-write the b...Good for you. I'm lucky that I co-write the blog with one of my best friends so that automatically makes it fun. I really get what you mean about the loss of personal connection. I've noticed it in the last two years on our blog as well. That's one of the biggest reasons I suggested to Kelly that we start writing cuz we both like to share and make new friends. We host a weekly link party and I'm super glad we have some faithful weekly link partiers but it seems like getting comments, messages or feedback on any of our other posts is rare. It's usually only when I spend hours a week going to over a hundred other link parties, posting our goods. I also host a craft club at my house that has seen some changes over the years and we are making a big push to get back to the craft aspect rather than getting distracted by a TV program or just sitting around. We can do that any old time. Wow this is a super long comment.... anyway, just know you are not alone in your feelings and we at Rhinestone Beagle are all about keeping the fun in crafting. Rhinestone Beaglehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17390197326701401547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-2563776203102818272014-09-17T10:43:24.187-04:002014-09-17T10:43:24.187-04:00I think you put it perfectly Mary - pleasing the c...I think you put it perfectly Mary - pleasing the clock and worrying about strangers opinions more than your sanity is not the way to live. So glad to hear your success story on slowing down and just enjoying yourself.Sew Can Dohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03411538881134901843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-2017058287482601752014-09-14T08:04:07.432-04:002014-09-14T08:04:07.432-04:00Good for you! I felt the same way after blogging f...Good for you! I felt the same way after blogging for three years - it lost all its joy. I quit my blog. After four months away from it, I decided to start completely over - doing it simply. Posting once a week *if I felt like it*. Quilting on my time plan, not to please the blog clock. Stating up front that I'm a simple girl, because I really am. I may enjoy occasionally looking at someone's amazing home pics, but honestly that's not the way I want to live. Now, all the blog stress is gone, and I feel free and happy with blogging. Thanks for sharing what many of us feel.<br />Mary Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00062785186374200980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-32813172887159093362014-09-12T11:34:50.637-04:002014-09-12T11:34:50.637-04:00It's amazing how quickly we all got sucked int...It's amazing how quickly we all got sucked into the machine of it - it's really hard to ignore the pressure to do more. And for a while there was even a trend with a lot of perfection bloggers saying to scale back, let things go, enjoy your family, etc. Then they'd come right back and announce loads of new things, posting daily and be back to pitching even more stuff.<br /><br />The internet doesn't ever sleep or take a break, but real people need to! Keep on with doing want YOU want and forget the rest. The more we all do it, the more that pressure will die down. Sew Can Dohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03411538881134901843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-15089287292250555542014-09-12T11:28:00.103-04:002014-09-12T11:28:00.103-04:00Thanks Amy and seeing so many comments on it and p...Thanks Amy and seeing so many comments on it and people sharing the same feelings really does help. I'm feeling enthusiastic that it's possible to make things fun again:)Sew Can Dohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03411538881134901843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-77550385313950982012014-09-12T11:26:12.956-04:002014-09-12T11:26:12.956-04:00I feel that way too Heather and remember when we b...I feel that way too Heather and remember when we both were starting out & how different it felt! I agree that Pinterest really amped that up more than anything else. It is a bit crazy how crafting wasn't really a big deal a few years ago and being truly creative isn't all that common or easy, yet there's a never ending stream of crafty projects being pumped through Pinterest. Things have "slicked up" so much since then and it does feel impersonal. <br /><br />I don't want my blog to feel like a magazine - I want it to feel like a place to get together with crafty friends and sharing ups & downs of trying things were interested in. I really miss getting comments and then clicking over to their blogs and discovering that person and what we have in common. Pinning a project or liking a page completely takes that personal element away.<br />Sew Can Dohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03411538881134901843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-26316146490336838212014-09-12T11:13:45.171-04:002014-09-12T11:13:45.171-04:00I hear you about the kids - I've found bloggin...I hear you about the kids - I've found blogging harder the past year or two than it seemed when they were a newborn, toddler and little kid and I couldn't figure out what I was "doing wrong". They need you to really listen and interact more as they get older rather than just take care of basic needs & that's the difference. Craft blogging has turned into "what can I do to go viral and make $$" rather than a real enjoyment of making things & sharing experiences, so I'm going to try to turn that around in my own little corner here and hope others give that a try too.<br /><br />I suspect most bloggers making $1000+ a month spend an insane amount of time on it and everything else in life is put second. I've never made even close to that and it was still running me ragged. It's also funny since there's so much time to put in to make that money - when worked out it's way less than minimum wage!Sew Can Dohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03411538881134901843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-38874842713099493632014-09-11T21:45:46.538-04:002014-09-11T21:45:46.538-04:00I agree 100%. I started blogging knowing nothing a...I agree 100%. I started blogging knowing nothing about it about a year ago. I quickly got sucked into the rat race aspect, trying to keep up with everyone chasing numbers...then one day I stopped. I even wrote posts about saying no to social media and the realities of my messy house. Right now I just want to write, craft and take pretty pictures! Refreshing read, thanks and enjoy your free time! :)Kim https://www.blogger.com/profile/15445291034631735026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-21499309632020826852014-09-09T21:39:02.681-04:002014-09-09T21:39:02.681-04:00Your post was so refreshing to read. It's nic...Your post was so refreshing to read. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who feels this way.Amy@ServingPinkLemonadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11952698040806578425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-71739165797126454112014-09-09T03:02:57.888-04:002014-09-09T03:02:57.888-04:00Amen sister! Totally feeling this way lately. I ...Amen sister! Totally feeling this way lately. I feel like I have lost track of the blogs that I loved when we began as they grow bigger and become shinier LOL I miss the community feel. Pinterest was the game-changer in my mind. I coordinate local blogging courses and many students say that they began/want to start blogging because everything beautiful pinned on Pinterest came from a blog. There is a distinct difference between the before pinterest and after pinterest blogs. New blogs are so much more polished and seem to build a following quickly and effortlessly. But is the relationship still there? I have even emailed bloggers that I "used to know" with no reply as I am sure that they are swamped with contacts, schedules and projects. I am genuinely thrilled for their success but I just don't have it in me to be creative on a schedule. Also feeling like every craft in the history of the world has already been done! ha ha Take care Cheryl ~ sharing this! xoHomemade Heatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01125949842990744124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578269999856867237.post-78432369421494246792014-09-08T20:34:21.315-04:002014-09-08T20:34:21.315-04:00Cheryl - thank you for being so honest in this pos...Cheryl - thank you for being so honest in this post. I have often wondered how people that have these successful blogs who make $1000. a month or more do it and keep it all together. It sounds like any other business to me that you have to sacrifice a lot and work late hours to make it all happen. I started my blog a little over a year ago and have learned so much and still need to learn a lot. I have realized though that I want my blog to be about me and the things I like to do and enjoy so I have not ever signed up to write any paid posts. I think that would take the fun out of things for me. No - I am not making hardly any money doing this but it is fun to me and I have made some good internet friendships. For a while I was trying to do link ups every day but now if I miss a day or two because I am enjoying my kids or spending time sewing or baking I don't stress about it. The link ups will still be there next week and the week after. Our sermon yesterday at church was about pseudo connections and how if you are doing something just because you need it to make you feel better but it is actually causing stress and havoc in other areas of your life then you need to re-examine your motives and change some things. As you mentioned in your reply above what is really important is a loving family and having time to enjoy them. My boys are getting older and one will graduate in a couple of yrs. I want to make sure I teach him how to be a good person and give him the guidance he needs to be successful in life. My sister-in-law told me once that your kids still need you just as much when they are older as when they are toddlers - I thought she was odd for saying this but now I understand. Take care - glad you will still be doing the link up. -Kimberlee Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12059115437534501286noreply@blogger.com