Well, there will be no bells and whistles. No marching bands or giveaways. But I am quietly delighted to be celebrating the fifth anniversary of Lost in Arles, most certainly for one reason…you.
We have been through a lot together, n’est-ce pas? And yet time has passed within the blink of an eye.
I have been mulling a post over in my head for the past two months now. Its working title has been “Go Big or Go Home?” and this seemed the right time, a good a day as any, to talk it out.
Remi, my handsome, smart and funny companion, coaxed me into starting this blog. After a year full of confusion and heartbreak, it was a means to start building a pathway forward. “Be true to yourself,” he would remind me, especially when readers other than my immediate friends and family started to appear, much to my complete surprise. “Don’t try to please others.”
And so that is what I have tried to do – with the occasional wavering, it happens – in the over 600 posts so far. Slowly, you have arrived – one by one usually – and many of you have stayed. Some amazing bloggers were kind enough to talk about Lost in Arles very early on and that was an enormous help. Recently, I had a big influx of new readers, as two of my friends with very popular blogs were kind enough to mention me. Amazingly, it seems like I have lost most of them. Did that hurt? Kind of but it made me realize that just maybe this is a space that you need to randomly stumble upon and think, “What is this? I kind of like what she is doing…I just might belong here.”
As a blogger, there is massive pressure to constantly expand your readership and your presence in social media. “Don’t you want sponsors? Don’t you want a book deal?” (Um…oui?) At some point in 2013, I could feel the wave of what I was making here rising, that a wave was coming. There were a few people that I have an enormous amount of respect for who gave me concrete advice about what to do next – change platforms, build in SEOs, create a selling space, consider the possibility of controlled advertising, launch and keep updated accounts on Facebook, Twitter and the rest…it was all right there and very clear cut.
Except that I couldn’t do it.
I just didn’t have it in me to do this blog in my own way plus all of that too and so the wave rolled back out. My friends who have very successful blogs – some of who have built them up in the same or even less time than I have been writing and photographing here – can. They work incredibly, incredibly hard every day of the week. We are talking definitely beyond the realms of a full-time job. I love them precisely because they are so motivated and ambitious but I am not. I wonder if those years of acting auditions just sucked the drive out of me. It’s entirely possible.
But a slow pace can be a good thing too. I remember the exact day when I started to pick up my camera with an aim to do something beyond simply illustrating. Remi was in the midst of a long project of photographing the Romanesque churches of Provence, while using a complex technique that would at times require an hour to create each photo. How I would fidget and fuss amidst the pockets of too long until, out of nowhere, came the idea to start exploring on my own through the lens and not just with my always racing mind. And it became pretty clear to me immediately that what I was interested in most was to focus on the world of the little.
When we moved out of Arles over a year ago, Remi told me, “This will be great for your blog.” And how wrong I thought he was, for months. I really floundered, stumbling without the constant energy and sparks of city life to inspire me. I didn’t know what to say. Until finally, I gave up and let the little win. Because there is so much that is important within the minutiae of everyday.
Sometimes, the answers really are right there in front of us. Recently, I took an online personality test. It seemed smartly done and I was curious. Little did I know how illuminating it would be (for many aspects of my life). It turns out that my personality is extremely rare, an INFJ, what this site calls “The Advocate.” The traits assigned ring true – I have a high sense of idealism and a real need for integrity above all, qualities that I hope to use to help people that I care about. I need to have a purpose.
And what I have been wondering is, “Do I?” Is this blog with its incessant repetitions and variations on a theme, enough?
It took me a few weeks to find the answer, which is, “I think so…Maybe I am an Advocate for Beauty.” And oh, how I really hope that doesn’t sound as pretentious as I fear because guess what? You all are too.
Of the nearly 3,000 of you that follow along here through various sources, there are about twenty, maybe thirty who leave comments on a regular basis (merci!) and yet I feel like I know all of you and are connected to you somehow. Does that sound crazy? But it is true. And I have even been lucky enough to have met some of you in person or shared walks through Arles together – which only confirmed that suspicion one hundred percent.
Because we are of like minds and hearts. A little community but a really good one.
And while our advocating may not be anywhere near as far-reaching as what former INFJ’s such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Mother Theresa brought to the world, a-hem, I still think that it is really needed in our demanding world.
It isn’t that I am determined to keep the blog from growing or that things will never change around here either but to answer my original question of “Go Big or Go Home?” Well, Lost in Arles may not be big, even after five years…but I certainly feel right at home.
Thank you, thank you for doing so much to make it so.
I am happy right where I am. I hope you are too.
With much Love and profound Gratitude from Provence,
Heather
Hi Heather, congrets on the five year anniversary, more than 350 members is but still a significant number and then all the ones that come, incognito. I really cherish the everyday approach in the your blog, the photos of my beloved Midi, the colours and light. Like a dosis of warmth passing through the eyes, to keep the winter at bay. So more that it is non-commercial. I have chosen the same, in my blog, no adds, no FB, nor Instagram or Twitter. This is a passion, for you, for me , where the soul needs to be in every post.
Sunny clear skies ahead, of days with the Mistral clearing the entire dome.
Henrik
Dear Heather,
Congratulations with this fifth anniversary! Your blog is a jewel!!! I just love all your posts! Your personal stories and pictures are so very precious! As you I keep away from advertisements because it wouldn't be our own personal blog anymore! Bisous! xxx
"Lost in Arles" is big to me! And it is wonderful just the way it is. A good decision from my point of view to keep away from advertisment. (Though probably a hard decision when it comes to the need of earning a living) And a good thing to keep your design simple and classical. It goes perfectly together with your photography and story.
Nearly everytime I think to myself: "Oh, you are so lucky". But it would be injust to say so because I know there are also difficult things about living in the south of France. Its only that you show us the beautiful sides.
Often, I think to myself I maybe wrong here because I come from a completely different background than it seems most of the community comes from, not being wealthy or an antiques dealer or someone who travels the world. But it's the "little things" that interest me here.
And isn't it a gift that we can live here in peace that allows us to enjoy those little things, the patina, the peaceful landscape, the olive trees in the sun?
Thank you Heather for showing us beauty in the little things so steadily and for such a long time. Congratulations!!!
to wish you congrats Heather and also my thanks-i really love your blog with its stunning pictures and inspiring thoughts…for me, there's nothing nicer after a hard days work and sitting for an age in city rush hour traffic, to come home and settle down with a coffee, to read and see your latest piece…aahhhhhhhh xxx
Oh! I have to say one more thing!
Magic. It is all about magic. And that is what you show us. The dogs; the patina, the fountain, the crusty stuff that grows……the peeling paint….the cobblestones with their moss…..
This is what you show….you call it small…..and it is….however…..it is the total beauty for many of us! It is everything for me!!!
And THANK YOU!!!!
Penelope
Heather…I'm another who reads and rarely comments. You speak of the Provence that is magic to me… the real..the small…the villages. The Provence that draws me back for the last 5 years….Your 5th anniversary and my 5th year visiting.
Please keep doing what you do so well. Yours is one of my favorite blogs
Ali
Happy Anniversary on your beautiful blog- I've been a reader for many years and love your thoughts and pictures. St Gabriel Chapel is such a peaceful place…Always enjoy vacationing in that lovely area – Have a wonderful Sunday!
Best wishes from Florida's East Coast
First of all congratulations! Five years is a long time to have a conversation. Bottom line, I like you just the way you are..If you want to go big I'll stay with you. If you want to go small I'll stay with you. Just keep on writing and taking those marvelous photos. It's sufficient.
Sandra Sallin http://www.aprartfrommyart.com
Happy Blog Anniversary!
Happy here? Absolutely. You are a fantastic writer, great thinker, beautiful photographs, cute partner, adorable dogs, and a special good heart to name a few. I remember that abandoned town with the super spooky fountain, gorgeous landscapes, the fenced in closed church, a photo of the Rhone River that gave me chills (deep water not my thing), and more. At the blog level I feel you are, ads make sense, a column with ads that you determine the size of.
I hope you continue to do as you've been doing because your blog is never boring, and always a pleasure to read.
Congratulations on the milestone. I have been a faithful reader for several years. I don't write just read. You, Jeanne, D.A., Elizabeth, Ellie, and Brooke are my favorites. Thank you for being here. You matter to me.
Vicki