These pictures of me were taken in 2008.
I had short (natural) blonde hair, and occasionally drank beers in Minneapolis bars while wearing pirate eye-patches. I only had two tattoos. I had never been to NYC, Boulder, Portland, San Francisco, or Los Angeles.
My, how times have changed. Well, not so much that beer and pirate thing. I’d still do that, given the necessary equipment. But the rest of it.
It was in October of 2008 that I started this blog. I was blogging already (anonymously), but I decided that the time had come to just own the weird name (I love my name), buy the domain, and see what happened.
It’s been a pretty incredible five years.
Lately, and for months now, I’ve been thinking a lot about this space. What to write, how to write. What to share. Should this blog support my business and brand, or is this a place of personal reflection and navel-gazing? Both? Neither? Do I care? Does anyone?
And then I look at my food blog. It’s pretty clear what that’s about, you know? It’s about food, wine, and travel and some intersection of those things. When people ask me what I blog about, that’s the easy answer to give: “Food, wine, and travel. And feelings sometimes. And whiskey sometimes. And Portland a lot. But food, mostly.”
I’ve been thinking for a long time about what to do with this space. I’m not as proud of the writing here as I once was, and that’s not to say I’m not proud of my writing in general, it’s just that I’m not sharing the good stuff publicly, and what is being shared feels incomplete at best and weak at worst.
I also feel like I’m right in the middle of a transition, the intermission between a first and second act. And it’s hard to write your way through that, at least in any way that I’d feel comfortable sharing publicly. As Jenny Blake so eloquently stated a couple of days ago, “I am choosing not to share more of the details because I don’t yet have perspective on them.”
Bingo.
Eliminate What Doesn’t Support
I’ve also been committed over these past few months to evaluate the things in my life (how I spend my time, what projects I’m working on, what tangible items I own), and removing those that don’t support the goals I have for myself. Sometimes those goals are pretty clear (Pay rent on time! Build strong relationships! Go hug my niece!), and sometimes they’re not (career/client direction, how to spend my time, where to pour my energy and creativity).
When I started looking at the blogs I own and/or contribute to, I couldn’t help but look at this one and start to wonder whether or not it supported me anymore.
And then I realized, it doesn’t.
So, I’ve decided to close up here and move my attention more fully to Nomadic Foodie. It will stay focused on food, wine, whiskey, and travel, and of course, will have personal stories woven throughout, but the fully personal blog space needs either an overhaul, a pause, or both. For now, I pause to evaluate and to minimize.
For now, anyway.
I am still contributing to Pooping Rainbows, which has been renamed (thank heavens) and rebranded as The Hooray Collective. On the 13th of each month, I’ll post a personal story, prose, photography, something I wrote years ago, something I’m hashing out now, and whatever else falls under that beautiful, broad umbrella of “personal creative expression.” If you want to read the pieces I’ve published so far, they’re here.
Gratitude, Love, and Other Such Understatements
I’m torn at this part, because there’s a bit of a desire to just keep writing until I trail off. I think it’s because it’s hard to let go of a space that’s meant so much for so long, and as much as I know that the decision is the right one (for now, anyway), it doesn’t come without some pretty massive feelings about closing up a space that’s introduced me to my best friends, long-time clients, amazing travel, and other incredible (usually delicious) experiences. Granted, Nomadic Foodie has come with some pretty incredible opportunities as well, but it all started here. Well, it started on an anonymous blog back in 2004, but you know what I mean.
I’ll leave this up for the next few weeks as I export things, back things up, move things around, and then right before Christmas, I’ll redirect this URL to Nomadic Foodie, so just in case you forget and come back, you’ll be able to find me. The RSS subscription link for Nomadic Foodie is here, so if you want to be sure not to miss a thing, click it. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
Cool. Thanks.
Ok, ok. That’s enough out of me. Thank YOU, dear friends and readers, family and favorites, for reading, commenting, emailing, sharing, supporting, and challenging me. For helping me create what’s been one of the most important spaces in my life and for being the reason that that’s even true.
You’re the best (and you look great today, by the way). Now, come on over to the food blog, follow me on Twitter or Instagram, and let’s keep in touch. I’m not going anywhere. I’m just not hanging out here anymore.
For now, anyway.
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