My history as a blogger is rather long and drawn out. From a Xanga page I started at 16, to recording the details of my first pregnancy and thoughts on becoming a mother, I have kept some sort of online journal for many years. Over time, my reasons for doing so have changed over and over.
There have been times when blogging was mostly for me, and very few people ever read what wrote. As my husband and I started a family, my blog became a place to share news and pictures with friends and relatives. In the two years since I became a mom, however, blogging has come to mean something completely different to me than it ever did before.
In the blissful excitement of new motherhood, I rarely thought about anything at first except my son and all things related to him. As the months passed, though, I began to wonder who I was, besides a mama. Was the woman I used to be still in there somewhere? Did she enjoy the same things? Was she passionate about the same issues? Some days I wondered if I would ever feel “normal” again. I learned that it is absolutely vital to my sanity as a mom to keep a grasp on who I am as an individual.
My blog became a place for that. For me. Of course I still wrote about my son, and motherhood (those are huge and inseparable parts of my life)- but also about photography, art, and my observations of life. I could be myself there, and remind myself that there was more to life than milk and diapers.
As my son has gotten older and running a business has required more of my time, it has been so important to me to keep a personal blog separate from my business blog. In the midst of busyness- and at times total chaos- my personal blog has remained a place where I am simply myself. I share the things that touch my heart and thoughts along my journey. I can be honest and real there, without any pressure. I love to write, and I can do so on my blog in any way I feel led. I share the images that mean something to me. My first thought is never who else will see it and what they will think, and yet over and over I am speechless that just bringing whatever is the truest reflection of me at that time can resonate so deeply with others. I have met people though my blog who I may never have a chance to speak with face to face, and yet they have inspired and taught me in incredibly real ways.
Blogging is, for me, about connections- with both others and myself. In a world that often feels disconnected, I am so very thankful for that.
Hannah Mayo
Hannah is a fine art and lifestyle portrait photographer, and lives in sunny South Florida with her husband and son. She loves film, coffeeshops, and the ocean, and spends her free time reading, going on family adventures, and doing just about anything creative – including writing for her blog, Seeking Equipoise. She believes that there is beauty in all the world, and that it has power to change hearts and minds.
