Reinvention

After 18 months of writing about branding and marketing, I hit the point of burn-out. So I'm making some changes that I hope will keep me interested and engaged in the blogosphere. I was inspired by a couple posts:

Jack/Zen: The Zen aesthetic has always been known for its simplicity - Zen gardens, poetry, and the like. It's communicating the essence, no more or less.

The question about creating simplicity in our life spaces, life styles, relationships, and work is the question: What is the essence of my life?

And therefore, what, if I took it away, would also take away a part of this essence? And what, if I kept it or added it to my life, would be unnecessary for this essence?

And from Evelyn Rodriguez:

...blogs are like places for me. Places for people. What is the place like? What types of people would hang out there? (Nope, not demographics, perhaps ethnographics work here.) For instance, I picture this blog as a salon, or an artist's colony...

As I ponder my withdrawal from blogging, I arrive at two conclusions:
1. Blogging hasn't been simple. Keeping up with all the information and ideas, getting inspiration to write the 'mandatory' 3x per week posts, rejecting people who asked to be included on my blogroll and feeling badly about it.... It became overwhelming.

2. If my blog is my salon, it should represent me... and it hasn't. Although I've tossed in my token "non-business" posts, my blog has felt decidedly one-dimensional. I don't know if I'd hang out in my own salon!

So I'm going to break some rules.

First, I'm not going to have a blogroll. I'll maintain a list of <10 links to blogs that I feel represent what's important to me, mainly on the business front (since this is mainly a business blog, of course). The people on my list have passion, occasionally challenge my thinking, and inspire me to see things differently. Or their philosophies agree with mine, so I feel smart. :-) Almost all of them I've met in person, and there's a depth to them that I appreciate. It was incredibly difficult to cut 40 links down to 8. Many of the blogs I cut I'll still read. Many of them I count as my friends. But in the name of simplicity and my sanity, I just have to take this step. Please accept my apologies if you're one of the blogs that I cut. I will continue to read blogs and link to/comment on interesting posts; IMO, that's more valuable than being buried in a list of links.

Second, I'm breaking my own rule and removing the stuffy business photo from my blog. It's been replaced (and will continue to change) to reflect more of my personality. I like to laugh and have fun! And if we're not having fun in our business, we should all take our marbles and go home.

Third, I'm probably not going to post every day... or even 3x per week. The beauty of RSS  is that I don't have to make a "sticky" site. When I'm inspired to write, it will show up in your reader.

Fourth, I'm going to expand my writing to reflect my diverse interests. I will stick to branding as the core of my writing, because my blog continues to be my best new-business tool. Yet I've been too focused on other's brands at the expense of my own. Every good brand is consistent yet multidimensional. My company brand is myself. So I'm going to risk being politically incorrect and say some things that may cause potential clients to wrinkle their foreheads... but I'm not going to worry about it. I think that's the beauty of Hugh McLeod's blog; he's quite unapologetically himself. And it certainly hasn't hurt him.

Last thought: I really like Jack/Zen's quote, What is the essence of my life? I make it a point to reinvent myself every couple years... when I feel that small nudge in my soul that hints, "hey, sluggard... it's time to move. Explore. Grow. Reinvent. There's an uncharted vastness yet to be tasted." I'm in one of those transitional phases now where I'm asking myself, "Who am I? What is the essence of my life? And where do I go from here?" Evelyn's blog inspires me because she doesn't hesitate to document her soul growth. I've always kept it to myself, and yet it's such a gift to witness another's willful blossoming. So perhaps I'll begin charting my own new direction on these very public pages. And hopefully, I'll renew my engagement with this community called the blogosphere.

Comments

[Katherine Stone]

Love the photo!!!

[Johnnie Moore]

WAy to go. I especially like the decision to wander from the branding brief and put more of yourself in.

Will enjoy the results, on whatever timetable they appear!

[David St Lawrence]

Congratulations on your reinvention. It should make your blog even more interesting reading.

The picture is delightful. May your life run more in acord with your new image.

Blog on...

[Kathy Sierra]

Yay! This is inspirational, Jennifer. (The picture is awesome, too -- it makes me cheerful just looking at your big fun smile.)

Good luck with your new (and continuous) adventures. I, too, am honored to be on your list.

It'll be a big treat when your posts show up in my feed, especially now -- knowing that it's because you *wanted* to write something, not because you were keeping your quota.
Cheers

[Evan Erwin]

Rock on, I'll be reading when you get writing :)

[Edrei]

Every blog is a reflection of the blogger. What you write and how you write it are just mirroing who you are. Making you blog more personal and bringing out who you are is a great idea. Just makes you more comfortable in...blogging. And as they say...just blog and they will come.

[Evelyn Rodriguez]

Hi Jennifer,
Honored to hear I was of help. Anyone that knows you will know that while the blog may be re-invented -- it actually reflects the whole Jennifer I know and love. Welcome back!!

[Tom Asacker]

I've missed you.

[The Zero Boss]

Congrats for finding your footing again - and for having the courage to evolve.

I also had a blog meltdown recently, and have been reinventing my blog personality since my return. Although I also abandoned the blogroll (http://www.thezeroboss.com/archives/005335.html), I decided to make things just a bit more "pro".

It's hard to change a blog when you feel that so many people are reading it, and have become used to such-and-such from you. I know I've worried about making changes before, fearing I would wake up and find I was no longer the belle of the ball in my little corner of the 'sphere. But, hey - people change. And blogs need to change with them. In my case, I made some life changes and took on responsibility for a blog on the Weblogs, Inc. network; both events necessitated changes in the content and structure of my primary blog.

[Darren]

Glad to hear you're back and reinventing yourself. I've been through a few blog reinventions myself in the past three years and sometimes its just the simple changes that make all the difference. Looking forward to seeing what emerges from this for you.

[Big Picture Guy]

In the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tze wrote, “To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.”

The first step was, in fact, to step back. to take the time to discover your inner self, to understand what belongs and what does not.

For what it is worth, your posts have always demonstrated both wisdom and passion; both can only come from caring. That part of you should never be lost.

I suspect that, having returned to the beginning, you will see things afresh and begin to enjoy them anew. Your journey will be complete.

See you then.

[fouro]

Wow, Jen. Way to go!

Ah, I remember way back when... to-ing and fro-ing on the viability of $80k VWs, branding versus becoming, and the always earth-shattering: "What's a conversation, really?"

With all that's come to pass, everywhere, since then, it only more certainly comes down to challenging ourselves and leading by example. The rest is turbocharged entropy, yeah?

I'm honored to be on your list. Journey on!

[Peter Caputa]

Nice!

Blogging is a journey. Not a positioning statement. So, I look forward to watching you evolve and grow with it.

Rock on, Jennifer!

PS. Loving the photo. My single male friends would like to see more :)

[Troy Worman]

I did the "brand you, brand myself" tag. Don't wait for permission to succeed! Good luck.

[Brian Massey]

Your post is inspiring. I have come to believe that transparency is a measure of authenticity, it's the opening of the flower. I'll watch with interest as your flower opens and hope you'll share with us the hard spots... of which there may be many.

[Bill]

I like to laugh and have fun! And if we're not having fun in our business, we should all take our marbles and go home.

I think that says it all. And you have a wonderful smile. Bravo!

[Yvonne DiVita]

Welcome back. You have the right approach. Would that we could all be so honest.

[Steve Sherlock]

Jennifer, I endorse your choices. I have found that blogging is difficult, at least for those like myself that have a normal 40-60 hour work week. I try not to be envious of those who seemingly can blog full time.

Was it Dr. Seuss that said: "Those that care don't matter, and those that matter don't care." ?

I think we will all like the "new" you more than the "old" you!

[Chris Bailey]

Fantastic! Jennifer, do it all for yourself. Those who dig you and what you are all about will be here. When we let go of the 'shoulds' behind blogging, there is so much richness to be found in our spaces.

Looking forward to being with you on your renewed journey.

Be well.