Today this blog celebrates its twentieth anniversary. I almost forgot, because I was focused on it being the first day of spring: an event we're eagerly anticipating up here but about which there's been precious little evidence, other than the maple sap running, and brighter, longer days. However, I'll post these grape hyacinths in the hope that we'll be seeing real ones -- in about a month.
The craziness of living in, and enduring, such a northern climate may be matched by the craziness of having blogged here for twenty years. Or perhaps I'm just stubborn. Social media was supposed to be the death of blogging, and it did do-in most of the blogs that started when mine did. Other platforms were touted as the next best thing, but I think most bloggers just got fatigued. Keeping up a blog, trying not to repeat yourself, and finding something personal to say is hard enough over years and years, but when the readers and commenters start to go away, it's even harder to remember why you began it in the first place.
But I do remember: I was a journal writer and determined letter-writer, with a well-established practice, and blogging fit me to a T, not only because it satisfied those same urges, but because it also added the possibility of a visual component. The latter, of course, became the raison d'être for Instagram, and I have loved being part of a community of artists and photographers there. But for those who want to write regularly and seriously, nothing has really worked as well as blogs, and for someone like me who's a visual artist as well, and wants to own her own website rather than be data-harvested at every click of the mouse and keyboard, blogging has continued to be the best choice. I guess stubborn perseverance has just kept me at it, because first of all I write and make a record of my art for myself -- I'd do this anyway -- but how much better it is to share it with you, communicate with you, and get to know each other.
Jacaranda blooms in Mexico City, back in March, 2017.
The doubts I was having about blogging a few years ago have mostly disappeared. It's clear to me that this is where I belong, and that it works for me. Adding an art education component will satisfy another strong urge in me: to teach and encourage others who may have always wanted to draw or paint, or who want to do it better; or encourage those who loved making art when they were kids, only to get discouraged or distracted along the way.
A recent change is that I have begun mirroring this blog on Substack. The content will be exactly the same, but if people want to subscribe there and receive a notification via email when there's a new post, that's an easy way to get one. (I know some of you don't use feed readers, which is another possibility. While I do always post a link to new posts on Facebook, you may not be there either.) Substack posts also receive a link on my Twitter feed. Many Substack writers are trying to get people to subscribe for a monthly or yearly payment. I'm not going to do that; the content here has always been free, and I see no reason to change that. The only possible exception would be if I decide to offer formal online art courses, but that's a ways into the future and won't impact the blog at all.
Red bottle-brush tree bloom, from the same Mexico City trip.
Whether you have been reading my words and looking at my pictures for twenty years or have just found me recently, I want to say thank you. It's humbling to know that people come here repeatedly, looking for some solace or calmness in the difficult days we are all facing, and I'm glad that the writing and art which help sustain me also, sometimes, help to sustain you. After all, that's why we think deeply, why we create, and why we are here together. Thank you for visiting, and for encouraging me with your presence. If you've never left a comment, that's absolutely fine, but please don't be shy -- I try to respond personally to all comments, and will be really glad to hear from you. And for those of you who've become my friends over the years, whether virtually or in real life, and in so many corners of the globe -- how amazing it is that we found each other, and how everlastingly grateful I am for the ways in which we enrich each other's lives!
For those who like statistics, since I moved the blog to Typepad in 2005, after two years on Blogger, I've written 2356 total posts, which have received 13,796 total comments.
Posted by: Beth | March 20, 2023 at 06:29 PM
Twenty years. Almost two decades. So many changes in the world over the psst 20 years. Yours was one of the first blogs I discovered. It took me years before I began to comment.
I agree with everything you wrote about the vital place blogging has been in the lives of those of us who have continued blogging after so many stopped. This year I considered stopping blogging and took about a month off but realized that blogging is a creative part of my life that I want to keep. I only read and comment on a few blogs now. That is working well for me.
As always, I look forward to your art work and your writing. Gracias!
Posted by: am | March 21, 2023 at 10:24 AM
Dear am: Thank you so much for being there, for reading, and more recently for commenting and writing to me. It means more than I can say. And I'm glad you agree with what I wrote about blogging and the place it has occupied in many of our lives.
Posted by: Beth | March 21, 2023 at 10:38 AM
Happy 20th, Cassandra Pages! I've been following along for some years, and it's a lovely place to land. (And those grape hyacinths are gorgeous, so closely observed...)
Posted by: Andrea M | March 21, 2023 at 04:14 PM
Congratulations on the 20th anniversary. I'm so glad your stubborn nature has kept you at blogging for 20 years. You're an amazing creative, both visually and verbally. Thank you. It's good to see you are also on Substack. I was wondering because I saw your authorship included with your name in recent comments you made on my Substack. Now I understand why, and I will of course subscribe there. Keep up the good work! Your spirit is alive in these pages.
Posted by: Kostas Sarantidis | March 21, 2023 at 05:07 PM
Congratulations on 20 fabulous years! It’s nice to hear that your reservations from a few years ago have dissipated. Keep it up, please!
Posted by: Blork | March 23, 2023 at 09:37 PM
Dear Beth, so sorry I haven't looked in for some time and also missed congratulating you on Cassandra's 20th anniversary... I'm doing it now, raising an imaginary giant bucketful of champagne. Long may you continue blogging in your own unique voice.
Much love. Natalie
Posted by: Natalie d'Arbeloff | March 24, 2023 at 08:42 PM
Joyeux bloganniversaire! I've enjoyed every single one of those 2356 blog posts. Grateful for your continued presence, sur le Web comme dans nos vies.
Posted by: Martine | March 30, 2023 at 02:36 PM