Letter For You

 Hey,

It’s been a while since I sat down with you with a cup of coffee under the sparkling midnight sky and really held your company in candid conversations like this. I didn’t win any awards while I was away or invent a teleportation device or even did the bare minimum of an average student’s routine (not a flex, I need help). A lot has happened ever since then and I don’t quite know how to put them all in a frame. I think I forgot the purpose of my blog and how and why it was created in the first place. Ever since I started writing about global issues and then created an Instagram account for my blog, it didn’t take long for me to get carried away by social media stats, attention, and feedback. I don’t resent it but I think it’s crucial for me to make sure that I remember what this blog means to me.

Sometimes I forget I even have a blog or the fact that I started posting mostly on the IG account rather than the main website itself, all because people wouldn’t bother checking out the website (let alone read the long-ass posts) despite spoon-feeding the links to get there from Instagram.  It’s not healthy for anyone’s mental health if you start revolving your work around people’s attention and derive your sense of fulfillment from good stats. There’s a good bunch of people I know who are exceptionally brilliant at what they do but their work is very underrated on social media. That leads them to their frustration and thus, the self-destructing-domino-effect. It doesn’t matter even if it’s just one person who follows, supports, and loves your work wholeheartedly because all that matters is the fact that it’s just one person, and not a hundred or a thousand. That leads you to conclude that no one follows, supports, or cares about your work. I don’t know about other social media platforms but I reckon it’s very much similar to the trend in Instagram.

Instagram started off as a place where you posted photos instead of written posts. Now, it’s no longer a place to see your friend’s blurry cocktail photos but a whole alternate virtual universe based on trend algorithms. Influencers and creators apologize profusely when their activity or feed goes inactive for some time. No offense, fellas, but no one really even noticed you were gone, or at least… you probably didn’t cause any grave damage to anyone’s life by not being active on social media for a while. It’s OKAY to take a break for whatever reason you might have. You don’t owe anyone an apology or an explanation. Put yourself and your mental health first. Always.

I felt the need to address all this because I was, in one way or another, spiraling towards the same trap. I created this blog to treat it as my space for whatever I wanted to throw in. When I started it, it was mostly about my life and the lessons and experiences I learned from. I was in a dark place back then which explains why the theme of this blog had been dark (until now). Although it has been an absolute honor to feature some great personalities and stories on CSF, I don’t want to disconnect from the truth that this was and will always be my space and my primary journal.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is that I will post about whatever I feel like, whenever I want. This is not exactly a notice or announcement to anyone but more like an affirmation for me. If you’re a real reader reading this from the outside world, thank you. I truly appreciate you in my life.

Until next time. Take care of yourself, okay?

Love,

H