The first meeting of Southern Bloggers’ Jubilee was totally inspiring. We had a nice size group of 13 attendees who enjoyed the hospitality of our local book store, Page & Palette. I know you’re thinking “unlucky 13,” but I don’t believe in superstition. I think this is the perfect number. Our gang of writers could definitely spray the city with the most artistic graffiti I’ve seen in quite a while.
We had some who drove from 3 to 4 hours to join us, and for that I was extremely touched. The range of creativity was truly like a mural painted on the side of buildings by those gang members who truly have no idea the level of their talent. There was no vandalism involved, but we certainly did some damage to some of the blogging myths being sprayed into cyberspace.
Our topics ranged from the importance of SEO (Search Engine Optimization for non-bloggers), creative composition in our photography, to where we would meet for lunch. And the myths we busted include, but are not limited to … if you don’t see immediate success, you aren’t cut out for blogging; blogging is just a fad; you have to be the most talented writer out there, to be a blogger; the amount of traffic you have indicates the level of your success.
I was like a sponge, soaking up every syllable spoken around our two tables of bloggers. During our lunch bunch, I learned that there are very generous people out there who are happy to add your blog to their sidebar, making you feel worthy of being in the blog world. It feels as if they have inscribed the name of my blog across their heart. I only hope to make other bloggers feel as special.
I loved every minute, but I could have picked the brain of our photography speaker, Bob Tarabella, until he was considered a lobotomy patient. Other than being a good writer, I want nothing more than to capture the images of happiness being created in our everyday lives; especially in the lives of those whose gang related “crimes” are being curbed by the aging process.
All superstition, vandalism and brain surgeries aside, I’d like to increase our number, so if you are a blogger and would like to join a gang of crazy writers like yourself, we will be meeting again in April. Send me a message or leave a comment and I will add you to the email list of our members.
From left to right, our gang members are: Linda – Coastal Charm, Jenna – The Painted Apron, Bonnie – Living With Thanksgiving, Leslie Anne – Fairhope Supply Co., Beth Anne – EatBeat, Wade – Y’all Connect, Me and on the front row, Debbie – Flower Child Designs. Missing from the photo are Karyn Tunks, Danny Henley, Bob Tarabella, Lorraine – Clamco and Hope – CraftyHope.
Until next time, may all of your days be filled with legal creativity and inspiration.