I’m going to be real honest with you for a second. I’m sick of blogging. Each day I find it harder and harder to sit down and write a post. Usually because I’m too busy/too tired/whatever. But mostly because, frankly, I’m just tired of it. I’m too lazy to style my food, so my pictures suck. There’s nothing I can say in my post that hasn’t already been said a billion times. I’ve been blogging for 5 years, people. It’s been said.
Blogging is a different animal nowadays. When I first started this blog back in 2008, it was pretty simple. We cooked, we photographed, we blogged. It seems like now there are like, 10 added steps! We cook it (not necessarily because it sounded like great recipe, but because we think it might be a big hit on pinterest), we style it, we photograph it, we blog it, we submit it to various food photography sites, we pin it, we post it to our facebook, twitter, and instagram, and then we do the whole thing over again the very next day, because if we let off the gas pedal for even a little, we might lose our followers and our advertising revenue will go down, all the while, finding time to go to countless seminars and conferences learning how to better our blogs, become masters at SEO, and learn how to get the maximum exposure on pinterest. Well, I’m in trouble….because I hardly do any of that! Imagine the cloud of worry constantly hanging over my head because I’ve fallen off the blogging horse and can’t seem to get back up. What will happen to my blogher ads? What if I lose readers? My pay will go down considerably! ‘My pay’?? Seriously?! Gross, Amy.
Then I log onto twitter/pinterest/feedly and see so many fellow bloggers selling out and proudly doing some random company’s advertising for them. Is that what we’ve become, bloggers? An advertisement for someone else‘s stuff? If every post you create revolves around a product that someone paid you to talk about, I think you’re missing the point. I’m tired of good bloggers trying to sell me on cell phones/potatoes/coffee makers/yogurt/WHATEVER. But even that isn’t the real reason I’m sick of blogging.
There is a particular post that has been sitting in my drafts folder for almost a year now. It’s a cursed post. Seriously. Every time I sit down to finish the dang thing, something ALWAYS happens to prohibit me from typing a word. I’m not kidding- the post draft contains one picture…but not one word. This morning, I decided to sit down and just knock it out in one setting. Just plow on through and get it finished! And then this happened:
And this:
[heart = melted]
Seriously, HOW can I, in good conscience, sit there and blog while my sweet baby looks like this?! I can’t. That’s why I barely get any blogging done anymore. Because I refuse to do it while Cassidy is awake, since that’s our time. When she’s napping, I try to use the time for a shower or cleaning or napping myself. By the time bedtime rolls around, honestly, I just don’t feel like it. That’s my time with Joel, and the last thing I want to do is sit in front of a laptop.
I know. There are LOTS of blogging moms who find time to do it all. Pretty much all of my closest blogging friends have kids- little kids!- and they find plenty of time to devote to their blogs while giving ample attention to their children. I guess the difference between them and me is they’re not burned out. I need to find purpose in my blogging again. And something tells me it has nothing to do with stats, ads, or pinterest. I know that every time I wait a week in between posts, I lose readers. I know that. But it also means I’m doing something far more meaningful with my time- whether it’s swinging in the back yard or pretend cooking with Cassidy, lounging in bed watching Psych re-runs with Joel, or having coffee with my mom and sister. When I finally do find my blogging purpose again (and I will), it’ll be because it was on my schedule and not my readers’ or pinterest’s or my sidebar ads’. So there.
Phew. It feels good to get that out! Any other bloggers out there feel my pain? Share it with me! I’d love to know how you refreshed yourself and your blogging! Hopefully I’m not alone, here. 🙂
I hear you, Amy! Not having enough time to blog is the main reason mine gets really quiet in the springtime – too many thing to do with work, gigs, and trying to squeeze some family time in. But the time away means that I get extra excited to cook and photograph and experiment during the slow summer months. Take a break if you need to! We will still be there if/when you decide to come back.
About sponsored posts… I am so on the fence about that. I’ve been dipping my toe into that area, and am still wondering how I feel about it.
And, I miss posting on WC. Is that board still active?
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amy Reply:
July 12th, 2013 at 4:42 PM
I think everybody left the nest to form a new wc group elsewhere. I have no idea where, unfortunately! I miss it too!
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Comment by Suzanne — July 12, 2013 @ 4:11 PM
Thank you for such an honest post. I often feel the same way, and go back and forth in my mind about whether blogging is worth the time I invest. It is so hard to find the time, but when I do make a great recipe I am excited to share it and those are the times I love blogging. I need to keep reminding myself that when I have time and some inspiration, I should post, but not stress about the frequency. Sometimes I wish I could actually make some money from all of the work I put it, but then it would start to feel like work and not so fun, and I don’t want to get to a point where blogging feels like a chore. I’ll keep blogging for now because I enjoy it, but my real life and family will always come first. It’s so nice to hear someone else recognize that family is more important than blog stats!
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Comment by Kristine — July 12, 2013 @ 5:05 PM
You’re not alone. I feel this way frequently. Most times, I feel inadequate as a food blogger. No brand company has ever offered to fly me out to their ranch to learn and blog about their baked beans. No chocolate company has ever offered me a check to develop a recipe. Heck, I’ve never even been to a blogging conference.
I haven’t had a new like in weeks on my FB page, and you know what? I really don’t care. It all gets to be overwhelming. My kids are grown, but I work a full time job and it leaves little time to tend to my blog, FB page, Twitter, Instagram etc. I’m lucky if I can get a recipe post up once a month. Where does it end?
I have recently been offered $150 by a marketing company to let them advertise on a featured blog post. I was seriously consider doing it, that is, until I read your blog. It snapped me back to reality. This is MY blog. I won’t sell out and let someone else take it over. For what? A measly buck fifty in my pay pal account? No. Thank. You! I will stick to doing it my way. Slow or fast. Post by post. Bad lighting photo by bad lighting photo. Or Foodgawker picture worthy. It doesn’t matter. What matters is the personal satisfaction I get out of doing it.
I look at it this way, I began doing this because I love doing this. It is a hobby. Not a job. Not a paycheck. I do it at my own pace, and I can’t take it personal if I lose readers. I don’t think I have ever stopped reading another food blog, or any blog for that matter, because they weren’t posting up to my reading standards. Crikey, if I don’t have time to blog, how can I possibly have time to read all my favorite blogs? So it basically comes down to whose blog I stumble upon (no pun intended) that day.
Great post!
Best regards,
Sherri @ The Kitchen Prescription
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amy Reply:
July 12th, 2013 at 6:18 PM
I’ve never been to a conference, either! That’s probably a good thing, though- if I ever did go, I’d be the weird social anxiety girl in the corner the whole time! Ha!
Please don’t let my words shame you out of not accepting money for your blogging! I get paid to advertise on my blog and I’m not sorry for that! What matters is that you do what makes YOU comfortable and happy! As long as you stay true to yourself, you do whatever you want!!
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Comment by Sherri @ The Kitchen Prescription — July 12, 2013 @ 5:41 PM
I could have written this word for word! I totally understand 🙂
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Comment by Jenn — July 12, 2013 @ 6:29 PM
Ick! I feel the same way. I do post about products on my blog but that’s because I like getting the free samples and trying new products. I don’t get paid and honestly don’t expect anyone to read those posts because, well, they’re a bit cringe worthy. I look at my blog and just get depressed because I don’t have time for it, I work full time and just don’t have the space for lots of props and a photo studio. I also feel like I have to censor myself sometimes and pretend to be someone I’m not.
I love your blog and if you don’t post for a long time I’ll be sad but when you decide too I’ll still have ya in my blogreader;)
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Comment by Heather {Dietetic Sinners} — July 12, 2013 @ 8:16 PM
Amy, you nailed it with this post. Thank you! You said everything that’s been rolling around in my head for a while and you said it much better than I ever could. As much as I adore your blog, I understand completely the need to back off. My little girl was born in January and blogging is way, way down on my priority list as well. Plus, I’m so bad with the networking and commenting and the tweeting, pinning, facebooking, etc. I just want make food and write about it. That’s really not enough anymore. Blogging is supposed to be fun. The minute it’s not, it’s time to take a break. There is plenty of other fun to be had – in sweet baby giggles and precious date nights with the husband. Keep on rocking it, girl. You are awesome!!
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amy Reply:
July 12th, 2013 at 10:10 PM
Erin!! Congratulations on the baby!!! I hate that I’m so out of the loop now and I didn’t know about this! Enjoy every minute- it just gets better and better! (except teething…that pretty much sucks)
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Comment by Erin {Milk & Honey} — July 12, 2013 @ 9:22 PM
You’re very wise! Much more important to be a good mommy (and have coffee with your sister & mother!) than a “super star” blogger!!
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Comment by mother — July 12, 2013 @ 11:24 PM
Frankly, I’ve loved the evolution of your blog since having Cassidy. You are adorable and so filled with love, it’s a really great story. And if you aren’t getting a ton of hits or “repins”, then so be it. The loyal ones, the ones who still love to see your recipes when you post them or who still love when you tell a good tale, they’ll still be here. We’ll still be here when you have time. Getting burned out, be it on blogging or work or anything, is a bad feeling. I’d rather see you happy and posting something delicious once a month than burned out and tired and completely bitter about the time it is taking away from your family.
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Comment by Kim (Feed Me, Seymour) — July 13, 2013 @ 5:44 AM
I’m sorry you’ve been holding this in for so long. It’s your space here and you should use it how and when you see fit.
I blog for me. Clearly I don’t work too hard on staging and photography nor do I have many followers, but I do it when I feel like sharing recipes with family and friends. Someone asked why I blog since I don’t make money and I was kind of shocked. I keep up with some of the former WC community and enjoy that connection with people that enjoy cooking good food for enjoyment and fun. I too am over so many sponsored posts that don’t even relate to food. I selfishly hope you might still share a recipe now and then or return in the future. I’ve always enjoyed your blog!
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Comment by Laura — July 14, 2013 @ 7:41 AM
Not sure if my few words will make a difference as I am so far behind in the blogosphere. I started a blog last year and have barely done anything with it. I posted many recipes, but have only told a handful people about it because I feel that it isn’t anywhere close to what other bloggers have done with their blogs. I am caught in a viscous circle, I don’t want to invest in the expensive professional camera or this and that when I don’t know how it will all turn out! I am holding myself to such standards that I have handicapped myself- I started my cooking blog for my family. As a way to safekeep my Mother’s (may God rest her soul) recipes and the ones that I have discovered and that my family loves. It is for my niece and nephew that I am really doing this. While it would be nice to be successful especially because my mother always talked about writing a cooking book, it is really for my family, and that’s how I think (in my very very humble opinion) you should look at your work. You are doing it for your daughter. So document it for her, write about the recipes that your family really likes and the rest will follow. You shouldn’t force it, because I can’t even tell you what I wouldn’t do for just few more minutes with my mom! So enjoy your life, write about what you love and if money is an issue then why not write about a stroller every once in awhile:):(
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amy Reply:
July 15th, 2013 at 3:39 PM
Your nieces and nephews are very lucky to have your blog! What a great way to keep your mother’s spirit alive!
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Comment by LH — July 15, 2013 @ 8:34 AM
What a great post! You said it all in behalf of the majority of us who feel the way you do. What has happened to the world of blogging? I feel just as overwhelmed as you do. Hang in there. Just do it for the love of sharing. Do only what you can and only because it brings you the happiness it once did. What an adorable baby you have! Yes, I don’t blame you for stopping everything and showering her with your attention. Keep doing what you love 🙂
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Comment by Betty Ann @Mango_Queen — July 15, 2013 @ 12:19 PM
OH, Amy. It is very hard, isn’t it!? I’m glad you let your feelings out and that everyone here is supportive. When I started in 2007, I had one particular friend who always bugged me about making my blog a business and making money from it. I thought she was crazy and told her I would never make it a business for two reasons: 1) How the heck can you make money from a blog!? and 2) If I made it my job, then I would not enjoy it!
Well, here I am 6 1/2 years later and I now consider my blog my full time job (along with being a mommy, of course!) ha! I am very careful not to accept paid sponsorships unless I love the product and would tout it anyway, but it’s easy for me to decline those more than other bloggers because I rely on my ad networks for most of my income. Nowadays, that can be a scary thought, but I really don’t want to chase down brands and try to get paid by them. I want to continue to enjoy what I do, and still have ample time with my kids.
I’m still working on finding the perfect balance of finding time to make recipes, photograph them and write about them, and it’s been very hard. I have good days, bad days, horrible days, great days! But, at the end of every day, I thank God that I have a beautiful family and a job that provides me income to help support us, yet, I can stay at home with my loves. 🙂 Because if I didn’t have this “blogging job” then I would have to have another job which means time away from the kids.
Everyone is in such different circumstances with their blogs and time of life. I hope you get to a point where you either blog and do it on your schedule, or just stop it altogether and feel great about either decision! 🙂 (Selfishly, I hope you continue blogging.) 😉
xoxo!!
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amy Reply:
July 15th, 2013 at 3:37 PM
Thank you for sharing your story, Nikki! You were one of the blogging moms I talked about who manages to do it all, yet never sacrifices your time with your babies! Always an inspiration to me!!
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Comment by Nikki @Seeded at the Table — July 15, 2013 @ 3:22 PM
Wow! I don’t think the timing of this post could have been any better for me!
Right now I’m pregnant with my first baby and, mostly due to circumstances out of my control, I haven’t been blogging very often. The worst part is that I found myself feeling guilty. Guilty for not cooking, guilty for eating out (obviously for health reasons but also a small part of me kept thinking, “I’m a FOOD blogger and I’ve eaten out for the last X meals?!), guilty for not posting, guilty because I was watching my stats (and watching them go down)… I have found myself comparing my blog to other blogs out there and the guilt just grows. Just this weekend I was thinking how ridiculous my feelings have been. Life threw us a curve ball and we dealt with it the best we could, and blogging *couldn’t* be the priority.
Now I’m able (and ready) to get back to blogging but I’m going to try not to put so much pressure on myself. I LOVE cooking/baking. I LOVE photographing food. And I LOVE sharing food with others. I really hope to just let that be my focus from here on out.
Seriously, thank you for being real and sharing your thoughts. It makes me feel less “alone”!
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Comment by Jessica — July 15, 2013 @ 11:11 PM
I recently saw a blogger who posted her contact information to invite companies to have her speak as a local celebrity. Since when are bloggers celebrities? I agree it has gotten out of hand.
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Comment by Sammi — July 16, 2013 @ 10:21 AM
I’ve definitely had those similar feelings about how you “have” to compete and do all these things to be a blogger. I decided to just come to grips with the fact that my definition of blogging isn’t what “their” definition of blogging is – whoever “they” are…
It definitely took some soul searching to come to grips with that, but now that I have, I’m back to loving blogging. I do it under my rules and I don’t let all the other crap get in the way of my enjoyment of it.
If you feel like it’s not fun for you anymore, then maybe it is time for a break. I’ll definitely be sad to see you go, but I think you have to make peace with your own definition of what it means to be a blogger and just rock that definition and who cares what anyone else thinks. If you’re sick of blogging and would rather spend time with your baby girl, then it sounds like you know what you want to do.
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Comment by Jen — July 16, 2013 @ 3:05 PM
Amen. Along with all the stuff you included I am overwhelemed with technology these days…sick and tired of it…I will be turning 30 this year, ah strange typing that, anyway, I have 2 little kiddos and I do not do not do not want them to ever think or feel I use computer/cell, etc. more than I spend time with them…and some days I will be honest and say I probably do, although at times it is an ‘out’ for myself…but still. shutting down:)
And about food blogging, I have cut back on mine quite a bit. It takes time, energy, quietness to think straight, which is hard to get with a 3 yr old who doesn’t nap and a 9 month old. Although I do enjoy reading your blog, you need to do what you feel best for you and your family.
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Comment by stacie — July 16, 2013 @ 3:30 PM
I’ve had waves of feeling similar to this…and honestly I’m now over it. It’s like I realized that I was creating my own pressure and expectations about blogging that really didn’t exist for me. I blog on my time, my schedule, my rules. I’ve never bought a food prop and styling food makes me bonkers. I don’t mind working for brands that I really use (and I don’t mind saying no either) because sh*t, after 5 years of blogging I need to make a little money to justify all the time 😉
I felt the worst about blogging when my kids were looking at me like your sweet one is looking at you. My advice, shut the laptop, do your thing for a bit and see what happens. I reevaluated and reprioritized and figured out ways to make blogging work for ME. I enjoy blogging, not necessarily all the extra stuff. I gave up personal FB (b/c it annoyed me and is a huge time suck), I don’t freak out too much over my photos (read: compare to others, I’m just not a natural photographer), I hardly ever submit them to those sites anymore, I also stopped comparing myself to other bloggers. I finally got into a blogging groove that works for me (because I enjoy it and hey – because I want to work from home part-time!). I think if you step away a bit, you may miss it or you may not, and you’ll figure it all out.
What’s funny is after my little blogging epiphany earlier this year (I seriously considered shutting it down), I am blogging more regularly than I have in the last couple of years, and with more joy. I hope it all works out for you!!! You are definitely not alone. 🙂
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Comment by Aggie — July 16, 2013 @ 3:56 PM
I appreciate your honesty and am 100% right there with you. I started blogging in 2008, and I started because I needed to learn how to cook and wanted to document my recipes. I have a full-time job outside of the home and honestly, I constantly struggle with not feeling “good enough” for the blog world that has taken off around me. In 2008, people blogged to share what they learned, to share their heart, to share their excitement about meals and good food. Now, that is not the case.
As you’ve said, the stress around having the perfect blog, great SEO, and the like is too much! I’ve made the personal decision not to style my photos, not to upgrade my blog and to only cook what we are going to eat (not what will look good on Pinterest). And, it’s hard!!
I don’t have kids yet, but I know what you mean about finding it hard to make time to blog when your family is around. I used to blog in the evening, but now I want to spend that time with my husband.
I am thankful you took the time to share this, and I do hope that you’ll continue blogging — but only if you find enjoyment in it, not stress! There’s enough of that in life 😉
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Comment by SnoWhite @ Finding Joy in My Kitchen — July 18, 2013 @ 12:25 PM
Amy dear, I hear you 100%. I started blogging back in 2010, and while I haven’t yet reached my burn-out point, I totally get what you mean with the whole ‘Pinterest/Twitter/Food Photo Site Submissions (I submit to 11 each day…11?!). It’s become so much more time consuming than it was in the beginning.
As for the ads, I walked away from that a couple months ago. I was driving myself crazy with checking Google Adsense every 2 hours, wondering why my revenue was dropping, or what I did to make it go up. Should I switch company’s? Why hasn’t BlogHer accepted my blog? I just got tired of it.
And when I look in my drafts folder to see which recipe I want to publish each day, my first thought is always “Hmmm…which recipe will garner the most Pins?”…it’s sad. The one thing I pride myself on though is not selling out. I hosted 1 giveaway about a year ago and HATED it. Vowed never to do another one, nor will I ever accept money for reviewing or blogging about a product…that’s MY space, and I plan to keep it that way. I’ve stopped following many once favorite blogs because they became all about ‘products’.
Anyway, sorry for the novel, but I just wanted to thank you for your post. You blog is one of the first I started following, so ‘Sing for your Supper’ holds a special place for me (it’s actually #1 in my ‘Blogs I Follow folder’). I wish you, Joel and sweet little Cassidy all the best. Take some time for you and your little family…screw the rest of it. We’ll still be here when you come back 😉
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Comment by Mercedes — July 22, 2013 @ 2:45 PM
Well, this is only my second visit to your blog. I say do what ever you want and that baby is more inportant than anything else. Instead of blogging everyday or so how about once a week or twice a month? You need to drop out and recharge and pinterest be damned!! Go with your heart.
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Comment by Tina — July 24, 2013 @ 5:15 PM
I know I am a late reply to this post, but I wanted to comment. I have been reading your blog for years now and my all time favorite post was your creamy taco mac. The pictures aren’t fancy the dish isn’t complicated (I have made it about a million times) the thing I love about this post is that you shared a very make-able recipe you had come across and a story about your life. That is what food and cooking is all about, food is so connected to our daily life and your ability to share your recipes and your stories is what makes you special. Honestly I am a little sick of the overly fancy food pictures with ridiculous props (and even more sick of food bloggers posting the insanely boring posts about how they get their pictures perfect!ack! Just shoot me!!!!) When you are ready to come back to blogging I would be happy with down home every day recipes, fun stories from your journey, boring, not perfectly white balanced pictures, as an Auntie with no babes of my own I would love kid friendly meal ideas from a mom, and most of all to you just being you.
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Comment by Phaedra — July 27, 2013 @ 1:27 PM
Wow ! I just found your blog while looking for a recipe. Man, you guys take this stuff serious !! Why people let the internet and all the social media stuff rule their life is a shame. I’m a cool 50 year old with 13 year old twin girls and life is too short, spend time with people you can see and touch, my friends are not strangers on blogs. Take care.
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Comment by Lori — August 10, 2013 @ 8:37 PM