Why We’re Going Back to Basics With Blogging!
About ten years ago, I started a homesteading/small farm blog to document various projects and to share information about farm related topics. Though I enjoyed the process, the little blog fell by the wayside. It just didn’t feel like people were consuming that type of content anymore. Now that we are expanding our flower farm I feel the call to get back to blogging, as I think that there’s value in longer form content. I know I am rusty when it comes to writing and sharing my thoughts in a way that people would enjoy reading. The challenge I am giving myself is to try to prioritize presence over perfection – just do it, even if it’s not perfect! I know that I’m “rusty” because I just haven’t been writing. Realistically, not many people will read a long-ish blog post, as we’re used to scrolling and consuming quickly, but that’s okay. I still want to try!
The most significant motivator for me wanting to start sharing my thoughts via a blog has been seeing how AI has taken over many spaces, including social media marketing. I am certainly a user of AI and have found it to be a valuable tool. What I find disheartening is seeing how AI is being used in place of people’s own thoughts and creativity. I know, as modern small businesspeople we live in a world where we feel pressured to produce more, more, more all the time to try to generate clicks and grab attention. It’s exhausting, and I understand why people use AI to help them keep up with the demanding pace.
We are told “you should be posting/promoting online x times per day/week” and “you should have fresh content every week” in order to grow your following and generate business. I do understand why, but I really hate to see it. Once you recognize the format and rhythm of AI generated content, you can’t unsee it. It’s everywhere, and it could just be me, but once I see the tell-tale signs of an AI written post or piece of marketing content, I lose interest. I say this not out of judgement, but rather as a simple small business owner who wishes we could go back to a gentler pace and true authenticity. I want to hear someone’s own thoughts written in their own words, or their creative project that comes directly from the heart, not something that AI generates from a prompt.
As I mentioned, I use AI frequently to help with research and planning as I find it to be a useful tool when I’m trying to organize my thoughts. I am making the conscious choice to not use it in place of my creativity, including Flora Mystica marketing, social media posts, and future newsletters. While I might show up less frequently or more imperfectly, what you see from me will be in my own words. I hope that collectively we can begin to reject the notion that we all need to consume and create more, and more, and more, and get back to sharing in a way that’s genuine and sustainable.
-Pauline