Sunshine and Olly

I Cracked the Blogging Code

by Jonathan Blaustein

I figured out a way to blog again.

To find the inspiration.

(Obviously, it’s been lacking, as I haven’t blogged regularly for months.)

In Economics, there’s a term called “barriers to entry, ” which refers to structural obstacles to entering an industry, which can limit participants, and taken to extremes, encourage monopolistic behavior.

Part of why the photography and journalism industries have collapsed, to the degree they have, is that barriers to entry disappeared, in the (now digital) information dissemination industry.

And the advertising income streams that supported paper publishing didn’t transition to digital.

In my own experience here at Sunshine and Olly, I think having to worry about layout and photo editing made the whole endeavor feel like work.

It’s a modified version of the style I utilized at A Photo Editor, in the final two years of my long-running column. (11 years, weekly.)

It makes sense that I did what I knew how to do, but these days, just thinking of the whole rigamarole is such a hassle.

I like writing, though.

And I have a lot to say about a lot of things.

From the Israel/Hamas shitshow, to how I lost 40 lbs since I started this blog. (Give or take.)

I am the fittest I’ve ever been, and am now teaching my own blend of mixed martial arts, privately, instead of photography.

(Mostly because the industry collapsed, as I predicted in my final run at APE.)

No one wanted to hear me say it, (they hate Cassandra,) but the photo festival world now mostly hosts retired folks, because being retired, by definition, they don’t need to be making money.

The rest of us do.

And there’s very little to be had in photography.

So many people fighting for so few resources.

We’re back to Economics.

Supply and Demand.

But I want to wrap this up.

Here’s how I cracked the code for blogging again:

I go for a walk, make sure to take at least one nice photo, which will be the featured image for the day’s blog.

Then, I write whatever the fuck I want.

Some days, I’ll even do proper photo posts, b/c I did virtual portfolio reviews with LACP last month.

Regardless, hope you have a great day, and I’ll catch you next time.

Search for a Topic
Categories
Posted Recently
Feedback

Sunshine and Olly is evolving, and hopes to inspire community. So if you have thoughts, feel free to reach out at jonathanblaustein@gmail.com

4 responses to “I Cracked the Blogging Code”

  1. Stan B.

    Glad you figured it out, to your own particular liking. Although blogs have been in the rear view mirror for quite some time (that reading thing is just way too cumbersome), they’re still capable of accomplishing many a thing that vlogs can’t via photos and the written word as proven in the aughts before IG, FB and YT took over. It just takes time and commitment, and even more so should one establish a healthy comment section (a rarity these days). Lead the charge…

    Like

    Reply
    1. Jonathan Blaustein

      Thanks, Stan! Really nice to know you’re out there. I was just saying to my wife, I love writing, and have a lot to say. But being an unpaid digital producer felt like a drag. Leaving the blog fallow for weeks on end, though, was also unfulfilling. (And I’ve already started it…) So we’ll see if this iteration works. No worrying about spacing and looks. Just blogging. Hope things are looking up in San Francisco!

      Like

      Reply
      1. Stan B.

        Been blogging in some iteration since 2005. At first I blogged every day, now I average about twice a week. It’s the closest I can get to a diary, not so much about my boring life, but about things of interest I think worth sharing- be it photography related (books, trends, exhibits, personal photos, both known and underrepresented photographers, etc), or not: music, politics, cultural trends, history, science, UFO’s, humor… I no longer care about audience size, but you’re a known commodity, so you have a leg up. Along the way I even teamed up with a fellow reader/blogger/photographer and put out an online photomagazine. Thing is, you can make of it what you want, when you want, considerably freer of having to conform to the more rigid, limiting constraints of other platforms.

        Like

      2. Jonathan Blaustein

        Thanks for the perspective. I’d like to have an outlet to share my thoughts, when I have them. So ditching the need for the bells and whistles allows for that. If I want to share images, I will. But I’d much prefer to feel free than constricted. Who knows how long we’ll have our freedom of speech, after all…

        Like

Leave a comment