blogurnaling

A lifetime ago, I was a blogger. For over 5 years, I ran a mens fashion and lifestyle blog called Rogues and Brogues*, my outlet for sharing my thoughts, tips and reviews on finding my own style as a 30 something who dresses like a 20 something on the budget of a teenager.

I wanted to encourage other men who do not fit the classic model mould, shorter, chunkier, older like me, to try and find their own style. But the whole blog ecosystem changed, it moved away from words to videos, TikTok loomed on the horizon and I was too shy, too self conscious to join. I loved writing; it was my medium and I knew I could not communicate in the same way on camera as I could on a page. So I walked away from it in lockdown and with that, I lost a major part of my life; it was a source of income, a source of friendship, a source of inspiration and it left a sizeable hole.

And then came journaling…

I had always loved stationery, buying new supplies for going back to school, hoarding fancy notebooks and stickers for unknown reasons and special occasions that never came. Too afraid, too greedy to use the supplies for fear of betraying them with my handwriting. This was the opposite of blogging where errors can be quickly deleted, rewritten, edited, but pen & paper is unforgiving and permanent.
My fingers flag behind my brain, my handwriting is rushed and irregular. As much as I wish my penmanship matched a font, I’ve neither patience or push to practice so I’ve just learned to accept that that’s my handwriting. So without the safety net of the backspace button, my pages can feature spelling mistakes (this annoys me the most as I’m a stickler for spelling), scribbles and multi-directional handwriting flow as my hand tries its best to catch up and copy the thoughts it’s trying to capture.

My journal is my safe space and my creative outlet but it doesn’t work for me in the way blogging did. I can share my innermost thoughts in my journal page, but what if I want to write something I’d like to share with others; my opinions or reviews? So I’m re-embracing the blog. A digital journal if you will.

I’m still going to be an analog advocate, but that doesn’t mean I have to avoid the online. I’m a digital marketing manager- I spend my working day online & when I get home I’m scrolling my phone or tablet. I wouldn’t have the stationery community or friends I have without social media. I share my photos and stories on Instagram – telling who I can of my new purchases, a journal spread I’m proud of, when the next journal club meet up is. I’m tentatively venturing onto Youtube and TikTok – I cannot escape the internet. But I also love the break from being chronically connected that my paper and stationery gives me. So using my words, in a different albeit familiar format, feels right.

_{*Don’t look for it, the domain lapsed and it’s sitting in limbo somewhere on a blogger server. I’ve been tempted to download the content just for my own hoarding nature but part of me is happy to let it rest.}