I have a ton of thoughts on my mind lately regarding fellow bloggers and have decided to compile them into this catch all post.

First of all, I want to say hello to all my fellow bloggers who are at RetroCon this weekend. I wish I was there to finally meet all of you and create fond memories. Hopefully one year. In the meantime, I hope you all have fun and I want to hear all about it.

As I’ve been looking through old blog posts and bringing over some of it I’m discovering and remembering many things about myself as a writer. Somehow I always find myself in a circle of like minded bloggers. I’m on The Retro Network and The Pop Culture Pub now. Previously The League, the Horde, my own attempts at getting a group going, or all the way back to PGZ. Many people have retired, some are closer than others, and some of us are still hanging on. With many people in those previously mentioned groups making the trip to this year’s convention, I’ve been thinking of what is and is not happening in this loose group of people.

One: we all need to remember the truth in ourselves, and thus in others, that our creative endeavors are at best third in priority. Family. 99% of us aren’t creating as a full time job so work comes next. Then finally some time at night or on a day off to create a little bit. I had to accept that I can’t create the level of daily content I dream. I’m up early to work, come home exhausted, need to reset into dad/husband mode and do everything I can. Then when the day’s plans are done see if there’s time to watch/read/write. I’m off work today and it’s gross outside so I’ve thankfully found a window of time. A necessary window…

Two: every creative mind gets depressed. A person in this circle recently posted “my anxiety and depression got the best of me most of the week.” Same. Every one of us. Same. But because it is the same, I feel most if not all of us should feel safe confessing to those emotions in this world. I was down this year and so many conversations took place outside of public posts. Debating giving up. Figuring out what to do next. Does any of it even matter? What I learned was, it was my turn. Every one of us with a blog, podcast, video have gone through this. At least once, but most of us on a rotating schedule. As society starts to provide acceptance and safety to discuss depression, those of us who are in our 30s, 40s, and 50s who grew up in that geek closet need to show that support to all of similar mindset. If awful school experiences give us anything today, it should be great empathy to those that went through the same. Because of time, distance, pre-internet, being a kid, whatever reason I couldn’t be for you then. But we can all be there together now.

Three: we need a hub. I don’t know who has the time, resources, skills, patience, and more. I don’t know who could be the Editor of it all. Is it The Retro Network? Nerd Lunch? Purple Stuff? Maybe a site I’m not aware of but you are, and that’s all the more reason. I’ve attempted it before having a kid, and couldn’t pull it off. Even less so now. I think The League was the closest anyone got and the ripples continue to this day. Most of you reading this are here because of connections made then. Hell, there’s a child on this Earth today that exists because two people met through that project.

What form this could take? I don’t know. A Facebook group doesn’t lead to cross over audience and new eyes. A super-blog with links to everyone’s blogs and new posts could work. Or a dedicated sharing Twitter. But who would run it? That’s a lot of work for one person. Or is it a group and everyone picks a day when they can update. Then the debate becomes who is and isn’t in. The last thing I want is for such a project to become elitist. There are two comic podcasts that as far as I know, I’m the only one that listens to. Should they be on the list solely for me? Also, who would police the content? Way back in The League days a member went racist in a post. He was immediately blacklisted from that group. That was pretty cut and dry, but what happens in a more vague situation?

 

Most of us don’t have someone of the same mindset in our neighborhood or at work. Talking on a podcast, or having a conversation on Twitter, has created bonds with so many of us around the world. I’m a better person for what all the other bloggers have brought into my life. Knowing so many of them and more are meeting up this weekend fills me with a desire to have this community around forever. Think about what I’ve said. Discuss it tonight at the bar at Retro Con. Write back to me about it, talk it over. Above all though, thank you for being a part of all of this.