In precisely one week's time, Chronically Vintage will turn four years old. If this blog were a child, it would already be in preschool, talking up a storm, and (I like to imagine) starting to fall in love with vintage fashion, just like it's dear old mom.
{This was the very first image that appeared in my inaugural post here on Chronically Vintage. Almost four years later, it seems more than fitting that it should appear once more. Image source.}
It's fair to say that, while of course a blog is wildly different from a living, breathing child in many ways, both do share some parallels such as that they often require a good amount of our time, focus, thought, and (of course) love.
In the time since beginning this blog on a nippy March day back in 2009, more than 880 blog posts have appeared here. That's a rather hefty number when you stop and think about it, and I'm the first to admit, I'm already eager to crack into the four figure range (with I predict will happen at some point around the end of this year or start of the next, if my current posting rate continues along much the same path it's been on since early 2012).
Through Chronically Vintage was not my first blog (nor is it the only one I run these days, though it is by far the one which I devote the most time and attention to), I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that it is the blog that I have poured the greatest degree of time and effort into. Though there have been times over the years, when for various reasons (chiefly my health), blogging proved to be something of a challenge for me, there was never a moment in all that time when, in my heart of hearts, I didn't want to blog, to write, to share my unending passion for the past with all of you.
Nor have I ever encountered writer's block, never completely lost my mojo (anytime I felt it waning, I called on the seven tips in this article to help bolster it again), and never run out of ideas to write about here.
The longer I've blogged, the easier and more enjoyable it has become. Long gone are the days of being the new kid on the block, newbie jitters and uncertainties, or of the process of finding my vintage blogging voice. I believe in change and evolution and try never to let this blog fall into a pattern of too much routine (there's a reason the "same old, same old" is called as such!), but I can safely say that, four years on, I've developed a set of techniques, habits, and topics that I turn to time and time again to help ensure that this blog is both what I want it to be, and what I believe my readers will enjoy.
I have zero qualms with admitting that I blog, first and foremost for myself. This site isn't my whole livelihood (though it certainly is a part), but that doesn't mean I don't treat it as though it were, nor that I ever slack off on the job. Whether I'm doing research for a post, writing, replying to comments, visiting and commenting on other blogs, connecting with Chronically Vintage fans through social media, or discussing vintage blogging with someone in person, my site and the general subject of history are always at the forefront of my mind.
Whatever I experience, see, purchase, learn about, or create becomes potential inspiration for a blog post. I love my blog and I adore blogging. If I didn't, I don't imagine that I'd be here writing this post today. You have to love something with all your heart to devote countless hours to it each year, to think about it often as you're drifting off to sleep and when you awake refreshed in the morning.
The longer you blog, the more your blog takes on a life and personality of your own. It becomes a tome of your writing and/or photographs, an autobiography of (at least parts of) your existence, a way to connect with like minded individuals, and outlet for your thoughts and emotions, a trusted friend, and a defining part of who you are.
When I started this blog I settled on the name (Chronically Vintage) that I did because for years already at that point I'd been battling a series of severe chronic illnesses and often felt as though they (my health problems) were defining who I was and taking over my life. I wanted, if only for an hour a day, to take back part of my life and instead define myself on my own terms, by something which had always been near and dear to my heart.
I didn't set out with definitive goals when I began blogging, I just knew that I needed, a very basal level to write about something that brought me unending joy and which I simply could not get enough of: vintage.
Four years on, I'm delighted to say that, right from the get-go, this blog more than lived up my hope that it would provide me a creative outlet that was (for the most part) a million miles away from my health issues.
Over the past four years scores upon scores of other terrific benefits, opportunities, challenges, accomplishments, and new friendships have arise from blogging as well. I've grown as a writer, a photographer, vintage lover, and an overall person. I'm not who I was when this blog began and I adore that fact. When I look back at the five, seven, ten (and so on, I sincerely hope!) year mark, I won't be quite the same then, and that fact makes me happy. Just as I always want to ensure that my site grows and evolves, so too do I hope that these things ring true for me on a personal level.
Without a doubt, one of the most important and meaningful elements of this blog's existence has, from day one, been all of my readers and online friends. To say that I adore you more than Fred Astaire loved his tap shoes would be a serious understatement. Always there to share in the good, the bad, and everything in between, to encourage and inspire, and to motivate me when my spirit was down, you have been - and will always be - and integral part of this blog's universe.
Thank you one and all four four incredible years of sharing in the history, fashion, and lifestyle of the past. I cannot wait to see what the future holds in store here, and wholeheartedly look forward to enjoying every last awesome moment of it with all of you!
