Things I'm Afraid To Tell You

Yesterday morning I noticed a campaign sweeping all the blogs which is really awesome. It got started by Jess from Makeunder My Life and Ez from Creature Comforts, and it's called Things I'm Afraid To Tell You. It's a great campaign where all participating bloggers recognize that the beautiful posts they publish create a false reality of perfection. With such saturation of style, design, and seemingly-effortless creativity and success, instead of inspiring the readers, these posts have started making everyone feel bad about their own house, their own wardrobe, their own work. The funny thing is, we all share those feelings of inadequacy and jealousy after reading these posts - even the bloggers themselves! No one is immune. So now bloggers have vowed to paint a clearer, more real, picture of their lives, with all the 'ugly' that comes with it. 


Some people have made a list of their shortcomings, insecurities, and the little idiosyncrasies that make up their personality. Others have shared a personal story. It certainly made me feel closer to those ladies behind the veil, and I've added to my reading list. I wonder - how will this affect the blogsphere in the long run? Because it is true, that we want to read blogs that feature a lifestyle that we can aspire to. We need to put it in context, that's true also. 


Personally I don't know how much of my truth I want to share with you. I don't know how much you want to know. I have a personal online journal (I think read by maybe 2 people) where I do all my personal life commentary. And even then, do you really want to hear about how behind I am on my to-do lists, how I wait for the last minute to complete a large order even though I've had days and weeks to do it? How I never sleep and secretly enjoy it? About my search for deals on paper, blades, and storage? Maybe largely it's that fear of rejection that prevents us from truly sharing our lives. Wouldn't it just sting if no one would care or empathize with us when we come clean? 


What I love about this campaign, is that we're all human. Even those super-talented and glamorous bloggers! Who aren't any more talented or glamorous than me! We're all just dreamers. I like this feeling of community, even if it's shared over insecurities. That's a good foundation for improvement, anyways:) Participants have gotten a lot of positive feedback, and I encourage everyone to head over to the blog list and read away. You might find a friend.

Image source: Creature Comforts | Things I'm Afraid To Tell You post