Jennifer Howard's Blog - Posts Tagged "balance"
Notes from a "Newbie"--It's All About Balance...(she says, as she trips...)
"At times I experience hardship in trying to find the proper point of balance between traditional things and my own personality."
Princess Masako
Amen, Princess Masako! Truer words have never been spoken--especially when it comes to someone like me! If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm a wee tad bit social, ya'll. "Who ME??? I don't know what you're talking about!" is what I would like to be able to say. However, (sometimes unfortunately) it's all too true.
As a newbie author, the pitfall of being too social can certainly hinder you. When you're geared toward loving people, as I am, it's very easy to get swept up in the joy of social media. You make contacts, follow and gain followers, and pin like a voodoo priestess! You justify all of this as playing the "social media game"; after all, you're only doing any of it to get yourself noticed and your work out there to the public, right?? If so, then bravo and good on ya! With me, yeah...not so much.
I severely had myself fooled, until a chance problem with my Twitter account taught me otherwise. Remembering back to the first day of my recent "Tw-uspension", I could certainly liken my then-reaction to someone coming down from a drug addiction. I felt panic; I kept checking and re-checking my Tweetdeck, wondering how could this be?? I shouted at my computer, "I don't need you!!" It was a long, sweaty, awkward time in my life, indeed.
Misery soon turned to a Zen-like state, however. Having truly nothing better to do, I picked up my pen. Distractions aside, I wrote like a madwoman! Blessedly, I'm still writing. Being in "Tw-ouble" was the best thing that could've ever happened to me; it recharged and refocused me as a writer. And that's kinda the whole point, people--writing.
Am I bashing social media? Absolutely not. Social media can be amazing for indie authors! You become introduced to a vast, yet tightly-knit, support system by connecting with other indie authors. You make lucrative connections all across the board. You make dear friends, whom you can laugh with, call upon, and vent to. These people understand what you're going through better than anyone else ever could; they are dealing with many of the very same issues themselves! And, most importantly, you get in touch with your readers. There's nothing more thrilling than reading that first post about how your work truly mattered to someone else!
As the title of this blog post suggests though, it truly is all about balance. This is a hot topic among all indie artists. Indies typically don't have the luxury of large-scale backing and promoting by those in their respective industries. We have to do it all on our own, so balance can be as elusive to us as Sasquatch is to National Geographic. Do I have balance-based enlightenment for everyone out there? Woo, baby--do I ever wish! I would be a gazillionaire, highly lauded, and probably quite snooty if I did! (Not really--I would end up wasting my money on an authentic Storm Trooper costume and my very own Batmobile! But I digress...) No, unfortunately I can only provide balance advice as it applies to my own life. If any others gain knowledge or guidance from this, then yay woo! Here goes:
1) Throughout the work week, I'm going to limit myself to AT MOST an hour of social media time in the morning and one in the evening. These time frames will be divided between my various social platforms. I won't be like a child before bedtime, either. "Please Mom, just five more minutes??" As my hour is up, I will truly unplug.
2) I will utilize my social media time in a good way, making positive and meaningful connections. I will not just pad my various outlets to make my numbers seem savory to others. Because honestly, who does this help?
3) I will recognize and move away from the "I Must Be Missing Something!" fallacy. Truly, no--no I'm not. And if I am, I guarantee someone will let me know about it in another fashion. Ahhh, technology.
3)I will use a paper thesaurus versus it's convenient, minxish e-counterpart. This way, I will abstain from the temptation of "sneaking on" just to "make sure nothing important has happened". Also, when the Zombie Apocalypse occurs and we all have to revert back to *gasp* paper, I will already be on top of things. Win-win, I say! ;)
And finally, 4) I will give myself a break from the above self-imposed rules every now and again. I will be as social as a debutante come cotillion time, folks! I will deliciously nurture the social side of my nature until I turn green from the cotton candy-tilt a whirl-absolute madness of it all! Then, I will take an antacid, swear it off for a bit, and focus back on Rule 1).
What do you think, dear readers? Do you have any other suggestions for finding balance? I would love to hear from you, if so! Meanwhile, I will leave you with a toast: *imaginary wine glass raised high* Here's to tripping, "Tw-ouble", getting back up with humility and skinned knees, and wisely moving forward! Now, if you need me, I will be writing! Much love to you all!! xoxoxoxox
Princess Masako
Amen, Princess Masako! Truer words have never been spoken--especially when it comes to someone like me! If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm a wee tad bit social, ya'll. "Who ME??? I don't know what you're talking about!" is what I would like to be able to say. However, (sometimes unfortunately) it's all too true.
As a newbie author, the pitfall of being too social can certainly hinder you. When you're geared toward loving people, as I am, it's very easy to get swept up in the joy of social media. You make contacts, follow and gain followers, and pin like a voodoo priestess! You justify all of this as playing the "social media game"; after all, you're only doing any of it to get yourself noticed and your work out there to the public, right?? If so, then bravo and good on ya! With me, yeah...not so much.
I severely had myself fooled, until a chance problem with my Twitter account taught me otherwise. Remembering back to the first day of my recent "Tw-uspension", I could certainly liken my then-reaction to someone coming down from a drug addiction. I felt panic; I kept checking and re-checking my Tweetdeck, wondering how could this be?? I shouted at my computer, "I don't need you!!" It was a long, sweaty, awkward time in my life, indeed.
Misery soon turned to a Zen-like state, however. Having truly nothing better to do, I picked up my pen. Distractions aside, I wrote like a madwoman! Blessedly, I'm still writing. Being in "Tw-ouble" was the best thing that could've ever happened to me; it recharged and refocused me as a writer. And that's kinda the whole point, people--writing.
Am I bashing social media? Absolutely not. Social media can be amazing for indie authors! You become introduced to a vast, yet tightly-knit, support system by connecting with other indie authors. You make lucrative connections all across the board. You make dear friends, whom you can laugh with, call upon, and vent to. These people understand what you're going through better than anyone else ever could; they are dealing with many of the very same issues themselves! And, most importantly, you get in touch with your readers. There's nothing more thrilling than reading that first post about how your work truly mattered to someone else!
As the title of this blog post suggests though, it truly is all about balance. This is a hot topic among all indie artists. Indies typically don't have the luxury of large-scale backing and promoting by those in their respective industries. We have to do it all on our own, so balance can be as elusive to us as Sasquatch is to National Geographic. Do I have balance-based enlightenment for everyone out there? Woo, baby--do I ever wish! I would be a gazillionaire, highly lauded, and probably quite snooty if I did! (Not really--I would end up wasting my money on an authentic Storm Trooper costume and my very own Batmobile! But I digress...) No, unfortunately I can only provide balance advice as it applies to my own life. If any others gain knowledge or guidance from this, then yay woo! Here goes:
1) Throughout the work week, I'm going to limit myself to AT MOST an hour of social media time in the morning and one in the evening. These time frames will be divided between my various social platforms. I won't be like a child before bedtime, either. "Please Mom, just five more minutes??" As my hour is up, I will truly unplug.
2) I will utilize my social media time in a good way, making positive and meaningful connections. I will not just pad my various outlets to make my numbers seem savory to others. Because honestly, who does this help?
3) I will recognize and move away from the "I Must Be Missing Something!" fallacy. Truly, no--no I'm not. And if I am, I guarantee someone will let me know about it in another fashion. Ahhh, technology.
3)I will use a paper thesaurus versus it's convenient, minxish e-counterpart. This way, I will abstain from the temptation of "sneaking on" just to "make sure nothing important has happened". Also, when the Zombie Apocalypse occurs and we all have to revert back to *gasp* paper, I will already be on top of things. Win-win, I say! ;)
And finally, 4) I will give myself a break from the above self-imposed rules every now and again. I will be as social as a debutante come cotillion time, folks! I will deliciously nurture the social side of my nature until I turn green from the cotton candy-tilt a whirl-absolute madness of it all! Then, I will take an antacid, swear it off for a bit, and focus back on Rule 1).
What do you think, dear readers? Do you have any other suggestions for finding balance? I would love to hear from you, if so! Meanwhile, I will leave you with a toast: *imaginary wine glass raised high* Here's to tripping, "Tw-ouble", getting back up with humility and skinned knees, and wisely moving forward! Now, if you need me, I will be writing! Much love to you all!! xoxoxoxox
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