I am not great with math, but I think the 24th of April this little blog ‘o mine turned fifteen years! Yes, 15 YEARS. If nothing else, you must admit I am tenacious and persistent. I just won’t be easily dispelled.
Some years I have done blogged and done bigger celebrations about the “blog’s birthday” (#blogoversary), other years I forgot all about it. And even though the real date for the Blogoversary has passed with a few days, I feel I just can’t let the moment totally pass without acknowledge the importance of it in some way.
So here we are…
Happy Blogoversary to me
Firstly let me quote myself, from blogoversary 10, on why I love blogging:
Because I love writing, photography, photo editing, documenting and exploring creativity, blogging has proven to be the perfect thing for me and my personality.
I was born a blogger, even before blogging existed!
You can start a good blog just by sharing one picture each day, or by writing long articles even without sharing any images (yes you can because I have seen it happen), there are many ways of blogging. The ones that succeed finds out what makes them happy, and keep doing it. The combination of all of these things is what I love most. So, day after day, I find new ways to do it.
I haven’t been around a lot on my blog (or anywhere online) these past months, but I’m still alive here. And I still think that blogs are the best thing on the internet…
Blogging has been very important in my life, although I have been thinking a lot about quitting blogging over the past years. It’s not as hip and cool any more. In fact, it’s been declining for many years. As is the blog reading frequency, commenting, linking to other bloggers, sharing content by people and not just memes, and getting to know someone through anything longer than a tweet or a FB update. And FB updates are often not even written by the person posting them, but “shared” from unknown sources. Ugh!
A lot of experts say that blogging in fact, is already dead.
Maybe the darling peeps (you guys) still reading blogs are as stubborn and crazy as I am writing this? Continuing editing photos, uploading, tweeting, sharing, and writing content even when I know non of my real life friends read it, when nobody in my family cares to continue to check in and when it sometimes pressing “POST” ends up being answered only by the empty, hollow echo of nothing. Sorry to be a downer, but thinking about the past 15 years reminds me that it has not just been easy-breezy and sunshine days.
Most of my blogging colleagues has since long stopped writing on their blogs, and I miss them all still. I sometimes feel very foolish for continuing. I wanted this to become a job, to monetize a few things and make it my job. But I couldn’t make it happen for me, and it costs more than it ever made in income.
But weren’t we going to celebrate around here? Hmmm…
At least, let them eat cake!
April is also my own birthday month, and the cake above as well as the beautiful tulips, are from my birthday. Lately I’ve been in a creative rut or maybe it’s a life rut, I don’t know. so I am not feeling like I can write a lot about how wonderful blogging is today. Hence the quote from how I felt five years ago, and the retrospective of things lost and gone.
But I do remember that blogging has meant a lot to me through the years, and I just can’t give it up yet. It’s been an integral part of my creative life, a catalysis and a place for memory keeping. It’s given me room to ask questions, to share photos, to be me seen (or read) among people who gets me. I think that is a rare thing in life.
About blogging
I’ll just finish up this blog post with another iHanna quote, from the 2009 blog post Creativity is a Habit that needs your YES:
[Blogging] helps keep up the creative habit for me. I blog about what I create, so that writing and sharing keeps me accountable for continuing to be creative. What once started as an experiment has become the thing that keeps me true to the creative habit.
The blog wants posts and therefor I need to think about the projects I start – and finish them so that I have something to share.
I still believe everyone is creative, and that creativity in what ever form it comes, will benefit you greatly. Because creating has been and is my life-line many times, and I wish for everyone struggling with living on this earth to find that for themselves.
Keep reading iHanna
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Happy spring dear ones!
Dear ihanna,
I have a confession to make. I am guilty of being part of this silent mass of readers who never reflect back the warmth, time, effort, care and creativity that you very visibly put into your articles and art. I have never before today left a message on any of the many blogs I read. Today your post moved me to write down a few words of support and encouragement to – very selfishly – ask you to not stop your blog. I really enjoy your colorful posts, they very often cheer me up and always encourage me to be more creative in my life. Thank you for taking the time to create content and to share it. If you find the strength time courage and willingness I hope you will be blogging for a very long time.
Jag gillar fortfarande bloggar…. det knns som om folk lagt lite mer sjl i en bloggpost n i mycket annat.
Och jag finns fortfarande hr och lser i alla fall d och d, ven om jag r superdlig p att kommentera.
Hi Hanna, happy blog anniversary! And congratulations for both getting in to blogging so early and keeping for an impressively long time! Its a great achievement!
I hope you keep blogging too. As a reader my time online had become filled with reading and responding on social media in the last couple of years. But it feels like the worst kind of snacking and often left a nasty taste in my mouth. I have met some wonderful people and connected with inspiring creative practices via social media but recently Ive decided to drop it as much as possible and return to reading longer form, truly individual content (no algorithms!) by focusing on blogs again. And started up my ancient blog too. Id love to keep seeing your blog pop up in my Feedly.
Happy birthday, happy creativity and happy writing!
Grattis! D har jag nog snart knt dig lika lnge.
Happy 15th blogversary iHanna! Your blog is one of the best! * pops champagne cork*
Hi Hanna. I have been blogging for 11 years. Like you said, it has changed a lot. Though I may not have as many readers as I use to. I still enjoy it. It is part of my creative life. For now, I will continue . I am wishing you a happy blogoversary. 15 years is a great accomplishment.
Wow, 15 years! I celebrated my 100th blog last month after just over two years of blogging. It is certainly more work than people realize. Thanks for consistently putting out positive and creative blog posts.
Happy Anniversary, Hanna and may you have at least another 15 years of blogging (if not more!) xoxoxo
I love reading your blog, and following your posts on FB, and participating in the postcard swap. You help make my world a brighter and more creative place. Congratulations on 15 years!
Hi iHanna. Happy Birthday and congratulations on your 15th Blogoversary!
I am not a blogger myself and do not keep an internet presence (no instagram, twitter or facebook) but I do like to make art. I found your blog quite some time ago and have enjoyed your postings ever since. I imagine keeping a blog must sometimes be like sending radio signals into space – “is anybody out there listening?”. Well, there are probably more like me who check in to see what you have posted without giving you the courtesy of saying hello. Kind of like coming and peeking in your window without ringing the doorbell. I hope you will continue to post and inspire with your art and creative opportunities like your postcard swap. I hope there will still be a future one I can participate in. I especially love your December dailies. Moving forward, I will return some of those radio signals from space (aka Vancouver, BC Canada). Cheers!
Hi Hanna. Happy 15th anniversary. 15 years is a long time to have been blogging and I hope you continue with your blog and the lovely photos. In the rushed life that most of us live today, more visual platforms like Instagram have become popular, but I still enjoy reading a thoughtful blog post with the interesting photos that accompany it. I have been a blogger since 2011 and I do run out of inspiration from time to time. Also as another blogger once said, a blog is like a hungry beast that needs constant feeding to keep it alive. I hope you find much to inspire your creativity and plenty of material to continue feeding your blog. Thanks for all the posts you have shared.
Happy Anniversary Hanna, your is one of the first blogs I started to follow. You have shared so many wonderful tips over the years. Thank you.
I loved joining in with the Post Card Swaps – everything ebbs and flows doesn’t it.
You got me thinking about why I love writing my blog so much:
I keep it as a record of what I make
I keep it so that I can remember how I made what I made.
I get to communicate with like-minds, something that does not happen much outside Blogland.
I have formed many friendships across the globe and it is such a joy to meet fellow bloggers.
My favourite thing is creative collaboration and that has happened through my blog, but would love it to happen more.
I like that it links to my Etsy pages, but that is a tiny part of it’s function as I am lucky enough to be retired and don’t NEED to make money from creativity but it is wonderful when it provides the means to buy more supplies!
I write my blog for my own enjoyment, am thrilled when others enjoy what I have written and absolutely love sharing this creative life in this global way – it really does enhance my creative life and provides me with a way to share what I enjoy.
The buzz I get if something I share inspires others is immense.
Creativity promotes peace and will save the world!!! We are all part of a the solution to so many of humanities problems.
Keep going if it serves you – I hope you do.
Much love.
Sandra. http://daffodilwild.wordpress.com
Congratulations on 15 years, Hanna!! What a truly impressive accomplishment! Thank you for continuing to create such a wonderful, colorful, creative corner of the internet where we can come connect, recharge, and be inspired. Looking forward to cheering you on with whatever projects you do next! We truly appreciate all the time and effort that you put into your blog – that care and energy can be felt all the way across the globe! Thank you, Hanna!
Hej Hanna!
Jag r jtteglad att du envisas och att din blogg finns kvar. Sjlv har jag ju inte lyckats ta mig ut p internet trots mnga kreativa intressen och trots att jag jobbar med it. Med ta mig ut menar jag visa upp mig. Jag tittar p bilder och lser dagligen men bidrar jag. Nej.
Tack fr att du delar med dig av bde tankar och knslor och vackra bilder. Du gr livet s mycket bttre.
For English speaking friends out there:
I’m very happy that you are hanging in there. I, myself, haven’t gotten around to sharing despite a lot of creative interests and it knowledge. Not good.
Thank you for sharing thouhts, feeling and beautiful pictures. You make life so much better.
I adore your blog. Reading blog posts from artists I admire is one of my favorite pastimes. Sadly, as you mentioned, so many have abandoned their blogs. Please don’t give it up. There are many who are inspired by your passion and creativity.
Happy blogaversary! and happy birthday as well!
Congratulations Hanna!!!! your blog is one of the very first ones i subscribed to many years ago. 15 years! WOW!! that is amazing, i appreciate you sticking with it, i love your passion, your creativity and ideas and i am always inspired and excited to see a new post (it’s also fun to go back and read older posts-sometimes i type a specific word in the search box to find blogs that pertain to whatever i am interested in at the moment.
and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! that cake looks delicious-AND you shared the recipe!! thanks. i hope you know your blog, youtube channel, your presence in the cyber community is a gift, and i just want to say thank you!!! 💖
Happy anniversary and THANK YOU!
Happy Bloggiversary! I’m so happy you continue to blog. I always enjoy reading it on my Feedly Reader. I’m sorry I don’t leave comments too often..I’ll try to do better!
A bit late(r) than you posted this post but YES, I still am reading your blog… and I also try to read the ones that are still there ’cause yes, there’s not many people/artists/crafters that I knew ‘in the old days’ that still have a blog (or, when the blog is there, they don’t post anymore…) Me? I am as stubborn and crazy as you are for posting every week still… for over 10 years now! I can relate to everything you say about keeping a blog: we are ‘born bloggers’ I guess. Happy blogoversary dear Hanna… keep on going so I won’t feel so alone in blogland ;) Big hug from Holland!
Happy belated Birthday and Bloggerversary, Hanna!
Happy blogoversary Hanna!
I too miss the good old days of blogging. Once in a while, I post something on my own blog but as you said, the lack of response is a bit depressing.
I hope you get out of your art slump soon, dear friend. I miss your colourful creations!
Love,
Sophie
Hello…I am one of those that read but not comment! And since I have my own blog, I do know how it feels when there are no comments! I spend less time reading lots of blogs compared to 5 years ago, when I really needed the input – even my own hasn’t been touched for a few years!
Congrats on keeping yours current and exciting – I pop in sporadically for inspiration and to see what you have created! Thanks for continuing xx
I love blogs. I don’t do Twitter and barely do Instagram. I often feel scattered and stressed and blogs are longer, moreS interesting and I enjoy the writer’s authentic voice coming through more.
Just came across your blog today through Pinterest’s pic of ‘ Strip Ease” and love your blog so am now following.
Wow, how wonderful that you found my old blog post on Strip Ease and came to visit, that is just lovely. Thanks and hope you find my blog interesting!