Authenticity. And Blogging.

It goes a little something like this:

You have all these ideas in your head about what you want your blog to be like: You want it to be raw. And organic. You want it to be a place of reflection and of positivity; a springboard where dreams and aspirations are born and catapulted into the universe. You want it to be a place of goodness, because there is comfort in returning to something that makes you feel good, no? You want your blog to be written in a voice that is none other than your own, because anything less would just be...sad. You want this blog to be authentic. And yes, while you're being honest, you admit to yourself that you also wouldn't mind this blog being pretty. And you certainly wouldn't mind knowing who - if anyone - is reading along. Ultimately, you envision this "place" to be a perfect reflection of YOU.

But then you start perusing what else is out there, in that vast, sea of blogs; you start reading. And subscribing. And following. And clicking. And linking over. And as much as you are inspired, you also want to be the one to inspire. But then you have those moments when you feel insecure, because the more "seasoned" blogs out there have clearly found their rhythm and their audience. And you're still learning.

But as intimidated as you might feel, you're also wise enough to recognize that this isn't some kind of competition; it isn't something that has any bearing on who you are...it isn't indicative of your value or your worth. You are simply blogging because you enjoy the act of writing. And taking pictures. And creating art. So you make a choice. And how liberating is it, when this leads you to making the conscious decision to just be YOU? To not try and fit a certain mold, or to deliver something that isn't "you"?

To me, that is authentic.

* * *

And while on the topic of authenticity, I am reminded that every sunrise or sunset I have been blessed to witness is different every time. Each are unique and authentic in their own way. And there are the days when I'm holding my camera at justtherighttime and I am able to capture and make still an otherwise fleeting moment. These are the photos where the planets are aligned and I'm able to get it just right:

And to honor authenticity, I feel compelled to add that while I'm all for tweaking images in Photoshop, this particular photo is raw. And organic. And authentic. And untouched.

And it's not such a bad thing, is it?

:)