WARNING: Taking a minute today to rant about the art of blogging. Regular content to resume tomorrow.

It is no secret that bloggers love J.crew. And why wouldn’t we?? Brightly colored classics, affordable statement jewelry, well designed prints- its a dream. But there is a downside to having this accessible mecca of blogtastic items- we all share it – constantly- and many times its the same 5 items… Today I’m talking about the colorblock tartine satchel.

First I saw it here. Then here. Then here and today here. And I can’t remember as I’m writing this but I’m sure I’ve seen it a few other places too….. It seems like everyone and their mother thinks this bag is the cat’s meow. But is it really? Has anyone seen it in person? Or does it just have great colors and photograph well?? I dunno, front-on it looks lovely- but side view??? It seems rather gigantic and a little awkward to carry under your arm:

 

I don’t mean to be criticizing these ladies in anyway- I love each of their blogs and draw on them daily for inspiration. I mean, as you can see each post has the bag mixed up different ways. They are in no way the only “offenders” , and this is not the first “viral” blog item. Remember the Jcrew bubble necklace??? Then a few months ago it was the US launch of Zara Home (did anyone even buy anything??) and we saw it again a few weeks ago when everyone shared images of Miranda Brooks home featured in Vogue (don’t we ALL get the magazine??).

What is it that makes a specific item (product, image, design, painting, etc.) sharable? And how is it that no matter how long we spend researching new ideas, we oftentimes end up sharing the same ones? I can’t even count how many times I’ll have come up with an “original” post to only find out its been blogged 10 other places – with the same images! And then I catch myself thinking- did I truly come up with this idea independently?? or was it somehow influenced by something I saw earlier?? (Kind of like Leibniz and Calculus…… too nerdy??? I’ll stop…)

Is something great because its truly great- or do I think its great because others told me it is? Do we post something just so everyone knows “hey- I know this awesome thing exists- I’m not blind to trends!” Or is it to be one of the popular kids-this club where “omg you wear sperry’s and like diptyque candles too??”

When I was little I used to enjoy reading catalogs. Not magazines- literally Pottery Barn, Bloomingdales and Hannah Anderson catalogs. My mom would even send me some in care packages at summer camp just so that I could skim through and look at outfits and products. I don’t know what it was that made me enjoy them- but just imagine my delight to what the internet has evolved into today. An ENDLESS supply of visual stimulation. So maybe I’m the only crazy person to notice how many times the same things appear everywhere- because I spend hours online everyday?

There is this mantra in blogging that you should post EVERYDAY no matter what, to help build a readership. Well- I can say its sometimes difficult to post something new everyday- especially if you are looking to share cool things that aren’t over-blogged about. I don’t like the idea of someone noticing the days I don’t have more time to devote to research, or a more original idea to share- the perfectionist/ introvert inside me says NO! So I second guess myself and don’t post. But maybe I should- maybe I’m missing out on an aspect of blogging where we love and read each other BECAUSE we have so much in common.

I in NO WAY have 10,000 readers, but it truly makes my day when I recognize someone from a previous comment. So at the end of this long ramble-  are you still here???- this question is for the handful of you: What keeps you coming back to read? Which posts/topics are your favorite? am I deluding myself thinking that anything can be truly original?

guilty??? via

Note: I almost deleted this post. I’m guilty of everything I say here- and I’m probably not articulating my point in the clearest way. I hope no one gets offended- because its something that EVERYONE writing a blog must deal with. The irony is that I’m sure I’m not the first one to post these questions! I guess I just wanted to throw out a frustration I have. Do you see it too? Do you have a blog? How do you distinguish yourself as an individual thinker while still staying relevant to the interests of your readers?