Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Recycling posts

In his post this morning, Chris Blattman hit on something that I agree with. There's just a lot of information recycling. Read about something somewhere and then put it in your own post. I plead guilty to that. And I'm sorry.

I'm new to this blogging thing, and I'm not writing about myself or things in my life that are changing. Its been a year since I was last out in the field, where the action is. So I have less first hand information to give, making my posts less vibrant.

Unless I have an original spin on something or it cannot fit into a tweet, I'll do my best to keep it out. My posts will be less frequent, but hopefully when they come around, they'll be fresh.

Also, things are getting a little hectic at the moment. I will be traveling a lot starting this friday through the end of June, and I'm not sure how regular my internet access will be.

As always, thanks for bearing with me. I appreciate your patience and input at every stage.

3 comments:

viarota said...

-- I disagree with your latest post remarking on Chris Blattman's comment, that you somehow need to have an original or fresh idea on every post.

Sure, as lazy consumers, I like to be stimulated with novel ideas. "I'm bored. Entertain me" attitude. Sure, as a selfish reader, I want something groundbreaking and innovative. But you are not writing for readers and reader opinion, they're not paying you. You must write this first and foremost for yourself as the originator of this blog. As a healthy creator and a producer, it's more important that you put one or two things down every day, even if it's stupid and mundane and repetitive, rather than wait to unblock and lose your discipline. I do care about your progress and I do care about your blog for its own sake...it's your brainchild... it's your baby and you need to protect it from comments like that. Please use your heart and put effort in it little by little... your ideas deserve at least nurture, to see the light of day. Then if it's really a sucky crap article, delete it after a day after posting up a draft. But be constant, put the work in, practice . It's the only way we get anything done.

You are putting in the foundation to create that vibrant body of work. That Chris Blattman is just typing out the opinion of his inner critic. Besides, is anything REALLY new? Every piece of work is inspired, is influenced, is informed by something else... either on the internet, or in the world outside. It might be a melange of ideas, it might be the same-ol'-same-ol' seen in a different light. The same goes with photography, the same old stupid scene shot at the cusp of dawn is reinterpreted by virtue of the unique way the sunshine interpreted it. I'm sure if Oscar Wilde wrote a blog, most of his comments wouldn't be wry and witty. Do not be sorry for "recycling" - we should call it ''renovating'' and you are "reinterpreting" what's happening in development through your own God-given filter.

To assume that we have the ability to create something absolutely foreign, or mindboggling refreshing out of nothing, is the voice of our own ego, and I have succumbed to that self-criticism before: 'If it's not the best, if it's not the only one of its kind, if it's not really innovative, then I don't deserve to make it real. People can't ever hate what was never made.'

Have I said too much? If I have given unsolicited comments, it's because without you I wouldn't have watched Pangea Day or then been able to take about it with Jess. It's because this blog does matter to me. Please, do not let business (or busy-ness) get in the way of what causes are important and matter to you... Let this be a labor of love and a service to people, let this be one of your avenues of consistent accomplishment and self-respect, let it be validated for its quantity as well as quality (as they say, quantity has a quality all its own.) No offense Pragnya, this blog isn't about how jazzed up you can make it. This is about you being the conduit to serve something greater. Don't let us jaded consumerist readers determine how fresh you need to make this, if anything we should all be more like you and produce. It's hard, but the world would be a better place. Just do it. :-)

A said...

I miss your posts. You weren't recycling anything. Write more!

pragzz said...

Awww. Aren't you guys SO sweet! Thanks for your support. I'll definitely start posting soon. I just got back from vacation, and just started a very hectic assignment, so give me some time to catch my breath. Thanks again...I really appreciate your support! :)