Thursday 19 January 2012

Where've you been?

I feel like I owe you guys an explanation about why I've disappeared from the blogosphere since MoFo ended. I definitely experienced a bit of MoFo burnout, after cooking & blogging like crazy every day for a whole month I felt like I needed a little break but it's been almost three months & I've been finding it really hard to get back into it.

I feel like there's a lot of pressure recently to have hundreds of followers and comments and page views. I was starting to get bogged down in these silly details and it was making it hard to motivate myself to write anything at all.

For me blogging has stopped being fun recently, I feel like I have to get up early (which I hate!) to cook food so that I can take great pictures of it whilst it's still light, and that I need to order a new dish every time I go to a restaurant so that I can blog about it. I almost started thinking that I needed to do a competition where people had to re-tweet me or blog about my blog to enter but thankfully I got a hold of myself before I went there!

I know that other bloggers have been feeling this pressure too and some of them have even quit blogging all together because it stopped being fun. I've decided to keep going. This blog will never be about the most beautiful perfectly lit food photographs - there are plenty of other wonderful blogs with amazing pictures if that's what you're looking for. It won't be about making money or coming up with cunning plans to increase my page views. It will be about me, what I've been doing, what I've been eating and maybe even occasionally which nail polish I've been wearing or what band I've been listening to. Sometimes my pictures will be crap, I'm not a photographer, deal with it! I started this blog because I wanted to help other vegans find great food but I also wanted to connect with people, to make friends & to have fun. I still want all of that & and I definitely want to continue to write about vegan food so that's exactly what I'll be doing. I even have a proper post coming up right after this one & for now I'll leave you with this fact ...

Love Hearts are vegan! Was I the last to know?! I've eaten three packets in the last 4 hours, I think I have a problem.

22 comments:

  1. Hi Jojo
    Glad to see you back! We're just happy to read about whatever you want to blog about and your photos always look good to me.
    Take care.

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  2. Jojo, I'm glad you're back! I hear you, it's been hard for me to get back into it, too. Your blog will always be one of my favorites. I love your enthusiasm and positivity, and look forward to your posts!

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  3. Good to see you back! I love and respect your openness and honesty about this.
    Blogging is entertainment not a job! Do what makes you smile. I'm a photographer and I don't even stress the photos- to me I'm just capturing a record of my experience, not ruining it by getting the perfect photo and eating cold food and missing out on eating with my husband.
    Don't stress over silly numbers, just live your life doing things you enjoy (including sleeping in!) and let the blog record what you want.
    I hope you find the fun of blogging again!
    p.s. I think everyone needed a break after MOFO!

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  4. So happy to see that you are back Jojo! Heaps of bloggers I discovered and enjoyed reading throughout MoFo have been rather quiet since. I found it to be quite exhausting and needed a break after October. I hope that blogging can be fun for you again and am looking forward to reading more of your posts. :)

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  5. Thanks everyone! It's good to be back!

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  6. Good! I love blogs that aren't stuffed with beautifully lit photographs and self-promoting contests. And you know I love your blog no matter what. Blog whenever you want and keep blogging fun! <3

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  7. I blog for the exact same reasons that you do - to have fun and share a love for veganism! After all, blogging isn't a job for most of us, it's a way to express ourselves. :)

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  8. So glad to see you posting! I love your blog just the way it is.

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  9. I also blog for the same reasons! And it can be a little bit exhausting from time to time. I am glad you are just doing what you want here and whenever you want. I really enjoy reading your posts.

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  10. Good for you! And thanks for posting - you already helped me navigate through Berlin, and now that I've moved to London... :)

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  11. Nice to see you back! :) I do love this blog. Partly because I am super jealous that you live in Brighton!!

    The winter is so tricky isn't it, with photos all looking rubbish due to the lack of daylight! But I'm the same as you - I'm not a photographer so my photos are never going to look particularly fancy!

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  12. Yay, its so nice to hear that people like my blog for what it is!

    T & I'm really happy that my blog helped you be vegan in Berlin!

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  13. I don't expect a blog to be anything other than what the blog author wishes it to be, and I love your blog for what you make it!

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  14. I love reading your blog, it's one of my favourites so I'm glad you're keeping going. I think you get a really good balance in your posts. I struggle with photography too but I don't think it matters, as long as you can tell what it is!

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  15. Hi from Leeds, delighted to see you surface with your Brighton and personal take on vegan life. :)

    *waving pompoms*

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  16. Was wondering where you went after MoFo! so glad to see you back, I was missing your posts! And its nice to get an honest view of a day in the life of a regular vegan...whatever the photo looks like :)

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  17. I read and enjoy your blog because I often discover vegan eating options I didn't know about before (most recently Moshi Moshi - your comments helped me decide what to order!) and I know your experiences abroad will really help me if I get the chance to go to the areas you have been to!

    I don't read many blogs so don't really understand the ins and outs of that world but I hope you will carry on.

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  18. Yours is probably my favourite blog, so glad to hear you're gonna keep going!

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  19. I am also a vegan in Brighton and stumbled across your blog at the end of last summer. I was so excited as thanks to you I discovered new places to eat, such as Moshi Moshi, Pho and Boho Gelato which were previously off my radar. Your passion for cooking has also inspired me and I have been making the effort to experiment with new foods and new recipes. I have also found your reviews of places outside of Brighton really helpful, such as London as I like to visit when time and money allow! So \i guess I want to say thank you and I am very pleased to see that you are going to continue with your blog! :0)

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  20. Hi Jo-jo
    I really like your blog, it's like a comfort to me as I have been unwell for a while and it kind of keeps me in touch with everything vegan and the world.

    Your Blog is vibrant,entertaining, interesting and easy to read. The photos are great no matter how they are.I now know if I ever go any of the places you have been where I can find places to eat and that's so reassuring to me.
    Your blog makes me smile and I look forward to reading it.

    I do empathise with how you've been feeling though and I hope you come to the right decision for yourself whatever.

    Thanks for your Blog and most of all for being your honest self :)
    Katie

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  21. hi,i love reading loads of vegan food blogs, just to get ideas for my next meal or if there is a big day coming up dreaming about the lovely stuff i could be making! i could never be a blogger - i never make exciting enough food - but i love reading about other peoples!
    Please don't give up blogging altogether, where would i find about all the lovely new vegan food you have in Brighton, and i cant get here up north!!!!!!!! :0) xxxx

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