I Don’t Know Where to Start

I don’t really know where to begin with this post.

It’s inside my head.  Thoughts and ideas and questions and stuff mixed up and rolled into a jumbled mess.

And I don’t know where to start.

Actually, it all started with this incredibly thought-provoking post and these comments on Beth’s Facebook page.

I read it last night.

And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. 

You see, I love linky parties.  Actually, I like going to them much more than participating.  I’m not really good about participating.  I just start cleaning up all the Captain Crunch and all the little bits of “freshy decorating” and I forget when to link up to the party.  And sometimes I don’t really think anyone really wants to see my glue-crackled table or my dust bunnies or my Bingo pillows.

Well, okay.  Jen did e-mail me once about the bingo pillows.

But the fact is, even those I usually am not good about linking up, I love to visit.  And I love to host.  I love the camaraderie and sharing and the incredible ideas.  I have been known to spend hours at a linky party.  It’s kind of like being at a one-of-a-kind-get-together thrown by Andy Warhol at The Factory.

Amazing.

Creative

Inspiring.

And links and links and links of amazing and creative and inspiring.

All in one place, put together just for me.  To pin or look at or Facebook or simply to wonder “why didn’t I ever think of that.”

And just like the famous Andy Warhol parties, I think that is the point of the Linky, to see and to be seen. 

Do you ever feel sometimes, though, that the linky party has gone from a psychedelic color-filled inspiring ride with Andy Warhol to those junky kiosks at the mall? 

You know what I am talking about. 

You’ve seen them. 

You walk by and the people are trying to offer you hand lotion and eyebrow threading and discounts on your taxes or planes that fly around.

Can we be honest here?

Those kiosks just aren’t inspiring.

Most of the time you just run by.  You don’t stop.  You don’t even want to make eye contact.  Because usually the hand lotion stinks, the eyebrow threading looks a little scary and the planes usually break as soon as you get them home.

And the kiosk people are pushy.

And I feel like when I see a spammy comment on a party post or I see the same project over and over and over again or I see links for products that have absolutely nothing to do with home decorating or a link where the project doesn’t even fit what the linky party is about….

                                               ….I’m back at that kiosk at the mall.

But then I question myself. 

I step aside one moment to check my heart.

And that’s where the ideas and thoughts and general jumbled mess come in.  Bloggers have a right to market their blogs and their linky parties and their projects.  This is a big blog world and we are all searching for our little corner. 

Where we can feel special.

Where we can share our projects.

Where someone tells us that they like or blog or what we have created in a sincere and special way.

And I this is when I worry that sincerity and authenticity have become lost art forms.  In the rush to push and promote and shout to the world about our projects and our crafts and our latest finds, we are losing a little bit of what makes our blogs so special and unique.

In a way, we are all looking for our own Andy Warhol experience….

                               ….and too many times we sell ourselves short.

And instead, we find ourselves just settling for second rate hand lotion.

In the mall.

At a kisok.

PS  I want to know what you think of linky parties and spammy comments and Andy Warhol and kiosks.

PSS  I do link up every week to this party.  She’s an Andy Warhol all the way.