Saturday, August 24, 2013

Messy Little Musings: Nuts and Bolts

My blog friend Carolyn runs a weekly photo meme she calls "messy little details." It's a place to showcase those photographs we take simply because they catch our eye.  I have mainly used MLD to pair photos with quotes via picmonkey (like in this post). Today, though, I'm posting this photograph I took "straight out of the camera."  Because I really love it. It's a photograph of a wooden bleacher (bench seat) at the soccer stadium. I love the texture and subtle color palette. I also like how it represents the nuts and bolts of the stands.
The photograph gets me thinking about some of the nuts and bolts of my blog. Color, for instance. Carolyn has also started a series of posts where she creates color palettes from her photographs. She credits Brandi Girl blog for the idea, and Brandi offers this freebie color palette, as well as this more advanced tutorial. Unfortunately, these are both a bit beyond me, but I love the idea.
I've also been thinking about the nuts and bolts of what I post.  I participate in several memes which give a structure to my week.  I often do "Hello Monday," Glue it Tuesday, Look Up//Look Down on Wednesday,  and Paint Party Friday. In addition, once a month, I do Photo Heart Connection, Storytelling Sunday, Tea with Abi, and Month in Numbers.  That only leaves a couple spots each week to catch my breath, blog about the scavenger hunt or participate in some other memes.  On the whole, I like having this structure, and since I don't worry if I miss a week, it doesn't feel too constricting. Now, I'm wondering what you, my readers, think about this. Do you notice these features? Are there ones that appeal to you more than others? Are there any you skip over when they come up in your reader? Is there anything more or less you'd like to see in my blog?


19 comments:

Amy said...

I think you have been hanging out in my brain lately - I have been thinking about blogging a lot recently with similar thoughts swirling through my mind!

I love joining in with all the lovely prompts from a variety of sources - at times they have been just the thing to help me springboard into something new creatively speaking or to even help how I write.

Right now I am feeling a little lost on the writing front and I strongly believe how I am scrapping this year is affecting what I write on the blog. I am using this ebb in writing to focus more on my photos ... and I have to say, I am loving the change!

I'm glad you wrote this today Rinda and I will be back to read the responses of others. Great shot too - again, another subject (wood) which I am drawn to.

Sian said...

I'll be interested to see how everyone responds to this too. It seems quieter than usual, even for the time of year, in blogland at the minute and I wonder if everyone is simply very busy, as I am, or whether they are struggling to find inspiration, or whether blogging has just lost its appeal.

I like a mix of features, which is what you do, so I'm one satisfied customer

Fiona@Staring at the Sea said...

How funny to come visit for the first time in a while and find you voicing my own thoughts! Having barely blogged at all, during a summer of fun with my children, I've been giving a lot of thought to how my blog will be shaping up in September. I often think that I have too many set posts on particular days and it doesn't leave much room for the random. Like Sian I think that blog land has been very quiet of late and with the demise of Google Reader I've tended to just visit those bloggers that have made comments on my posts. Which has meant a lot of blogs that I enjoy, yours included, have dropped off my radar temporarily.

debs14 said...

Like you, I have embraced some of the regular themes: tea with Abi, Storytelling Sunday, Simply a Moment, Month in Numbers etc and I love checking out all the others joining in the same. I have to be honest and say I rarely check out people's Project Life posts though.

Karen said...

Like Sian, I've been too busy to keep up with my blog, and like you and Amy, I've been thinking a lot about what I post. I think "Random Reflections" about sums up what I do--a bit of photography, a bit of family, a bit of papercrafting. I'd like to be more regular, but on the other hand, I'm delighted to be so busy with things and people I love. Living comes before blogging for me. :-)

I enjoy all your posts. Some cause me to stop and reflect; others I can enjoy on the fly. It works for me.

Lou said...

I'm guilty of not doing much in the blogging world over the summer. I found Instagram and have been posting daily...ish photos there...rather than having to think about a blog post! Still, we have been taking part in the blogging word scavenger hunt!

I do tend to blog as and when....joining in where and if i can. If i tried to plan regular posts i'd worry if i didn't get around to writing them and, for me, it would then become a chore and I don't want that to happen.

A good mix means there is something for everyone.

Melissa said...

During my July blog break, I did some musing on my blog and really like that I don't have any kind of schedule right now. I'm posting a little less frequently, but it will pick up again I'm sure as we head into the fall.

I enjoy all your posts and typically read them all, occasionally I'll scroll through the Paint Party Friday if I'm doing a big catch-up on blog reading(although I make sure to see all the photos!). :>)

Lesley G said...

I love your blog just the way it is. Granted I don't always comment but I love how you blog and how it grips me and gets me thinking. I hope you will host a winter scavenger hunt as I've loved the summer one :)

Carola Bartz said...

Yes, of course I have noticed this on your blog, Rinda. I actually thought "how cool to have such a structure" since I don't have much of a structure on my blog. Even PPF has fallen quite a way down - this past Friday was the first time in a long while that I participated again. It has also left me with questions like what I would like to achieve with my blog, do I like to participate in memes, do I want to do my own thing. I guess that a mixture of both worlds would be good for me. I don't think that I would be happy about too much structure on my blog. However, you seem to be a much more organized person than I am and your ability to express yourself is so much better than mine, when I often struggle with the language and am frustrated when I feel that I can't really express accurately what I would like to say. Oh boy, I could go on about this...

Carola Bartz said...

And I completely forgot to mention how much I like your photo - these little things that most people don't see and even less would take a picture of. This is the excitement of photography (the art of seeing, really) and then bringing it out on our blogs.

Missus Wookie said...

Well I'm a woman who likes structure and fairly random bits so I have a similar structure on my blog and like it on yours. I like seeing things so different to my style or experiences - enjoying those glimpses into other ways of life and that is a lot of the reason I read blogs!

Abi said...

Such an interesting conversation going on here. I really like the way you blog Rinda and find there are always posts that interest me. I like to have a structure with a blog. I chose six memes or regular posts each month at the beginning of the year and although a few of those have dropped off the radar I still try and keep a regular pattern. Time for tea has grown much bigger than I expected and I love joining in with storytelling sunday. I also try and post PL each week.
I think structure helps when I am busy and helps to keep the blog ticking over when i'm stuck on what to say.
I wonder if blog land will become more active as we all settle back into routines after the summer break.

TB said...

Rinda, I love your blog! I seldom comment, but I love your writing and ideas and structure. One of my favorites is "look up, look down". I would like to use this in my blog (although I haven't touched my blog in a year). This might get me going again!

Thank you for lots of inspiration!

Cheri said...

I love the mix of set topics and random stuff on your blog. I read everything, even when I don't comment although I do skim through PFP and a few of the other ones that I don't participate in. Some of my favorite posts are when you post a question for discussion - which will bring me back to see what others have to say on the topic! I'm struggling right now with the lack of random posts about things I'm thinking/doing. I feel like sometimes I get too caught up in posting my class assignments and memes and forget to post about ME!

alexa said...

I do notice the regular features on your blog, Rinda, and enjoy them all from the photography through to the art journalling. I too have thought that things have been quiet this month in the blogosphere - but this may be due to holiday commitments. I am thinking in general about blogging and memory-keeping and wishing I had more time to come to some conclusions for myself!

Unknown said...

Firstly, I love your photo, as I have just said about another photo, it make me want to touch. Those subtle colours appeal to me as well - and you could make a lovely palette from it.

With regards to blogging - It has been quieter - for myself summer is a busy time with events and family and holidays etc so I've struggled to manage to both blog and comment. Structure helps me to blog, and I find that when I vist other blogs common features do two things, they make me feel at home and relaxed and they also give me a sense of recognition, of 'oh I do that as well' which is more likely to help me to comment.
As a reader I like a mix of both, but I do tend to skip reading link ups that I don't do - such as Paint Party Friday unless something really catches my eye at the top of the post in my reader.
As a blogger I like to have some 'non regular' posts, ie things I can include just because as well as regular features as it helps me keep going, but the regular features help when I am busy.
When it comes to memes I like those I can pop in and out of, but find it to constricting to have the right photo of the right type of craft ready for the right day each week and that is why I tend not to join in with those. I do enjoy reading them when I have the time - but my blog reader gets so full some days that it just isn't possible.

As for blog readers - loosing google reader and moving to feedly does seem to have slowed down my reading and commenting and I am still looking for a better way to read.

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

Interesting discussion here, Rinda, thanks for asking. :o)

I do love the variety on your blog, and I know that having a bit of structure in blog posts has helped me on my blog as far as finding inspiration on what to blog about. While I love to be able to participate as much as possible in the different link-ups amongst our circle of blog friends, I'm finding that it doesn't always fit into the "structure" of my blog post plans. I'm struggling with which ones to continue, or perhaps I'd be better off just bowing out for a while until I feel like I have more time to participate. For instance, I feel bad adding a link to Sian's Storytelling Sunday when I know that I won't have the luxury of reading the stories that other's share.

It's a challenge sometimes to carry on with life's commitments and also keep a good balance in our blog circle. I try, but I know I fall short at times.

Unknown said...

I like the variety on your blog and enjoy reading your regular posts on specific memes. I am a bit sporadic at blogging at the moment and have not settled into any rythmn at the moment.

Anonymous said...

I always find interesting things on your blog Rinda and enjoy seeing what you're doing. My blogging this summer has been very hit and miss and I'm hoping come September or maybe October things will have sorted themselves out and I can get back to what little bit of structure I had. :)