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
Congratulations Heather, you have achieved so much over the last 5 years, quite an incredible journey.
xx
I have/had a blog….it is still out there somewhere. Congratulations on 5 years! Writing a blog on just your own ponderings (word?) takes quite a bit of time. I really don't enjoy the ones with all the advertising you have to click through and over. I have enjoyed reading you for a couple of years and applaud what you are doing as just perfect. I love the little insights into life in France as I sit in Texas. Please keep it up.
Authentic, intelligent & meaningful. That is the way I would describe your blog to anyone, Heather. Always a pleasure to view your amazing photos and to read your posts.
The so called "small" things in life are actually the most important. You are clearly one who thinks in depth and has a high standard of integrity. So many blogs are all about the author and simply a promotion of self. That is their right and choice, but not something I want to waste my time reading.
Please, always remember how effective your blog is in bringing joy and insight to it's reader!
I can't believe it has been five years! I remember when I first found your blog and was struggling with leaving comments because my system would not let me. When I was finally able to figure that out (I think a full 2 years later) I was gobsmacked when you responded. And continued to respond. You made me so welcome. You are a treasure, and I love "my visits with you" Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me a place I belong to heart and soul. Here's to many more years of visits!
Congratualations sweet Heather. We have been at it about the same amount of time,. Although I am not a talented photographer or gifted writer like you. Your decision to do things your way is admirable….but it seems your list of followers is getting greater without any change!
Everyone said it beautifully…….I sincerely hope you got the message…….LOUD AND CLEAR!!!
I wish there were a way to make money……WAIT!! There is!
WRITE A BOOK!!! HELP !! BROOKE!!! YES???? HELP!!!!!
THIS WOULD MAKE THE BEST BOOK!!! Y
YOWZERS!
LET'S MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!
Hello Heather
I would like to say, that given the choice to go big or go home, I have always chosen to stay home.
I have been reading your blog for about a year. I love your writing, your honesty, and your gentle nature.
Thanks for being your true self.
Bernadette
It is uncanny how when I need your words of wisdom, I happen to stop by and there is a post that took the thoughts right out of my head and put them in print. I had just been scrolling through the 'stats' part of my blog and wondered to myself, why am I doing this? Then I got caught for a moment in the "I need a new look, I should concentrate on expanding my readers, etc. (you know the mantra of successful bloggers – of which by-the-numbers I am not). You've inspired me again to continue doing what I am doing and if I reach a handful of people then so be it ~ hopefully I will have touched a few along the way. Let me assure you I've been touched by your blog; keep up the good work because people like me look forward to hearing from you.
Heather, please don't change your vision, your seeing! I count on you, and your blog, just the way it is and how it moves along as you move along! I'm just about to quit visiting some blogs, as sales, and more 'things' in my life are just not important any more – actually they haven't been for a long time. Views, thoughts, feelings, experiences, visions of life are so much more important!
Your blog has been a window into the details of a place that I love. Stories and mystery leap from each photo. An Advocate for Beauty is such a wonderful way to describe yourself. As a fellow INFJ, I applaud your decision to remain true to your own vision of blogging with integrity. Raising a glass (of chilled white) to you, Heather, and Lost in Arles.