Hello, and welcome to Amber and Yarrow.
It has been over a year since I’ve deleted my Instagram, and about three months since I stopped going on TikTok. YouTube still remains a part of my daily content consumption, but typically reserved for educational videos. And the truth is – I don’t miss either of them. What I do miss is reading blogs.
“But there are more blogs out there than ever,” you might say. Yes, I would agree. However, blogging has changed very drastically in the last decade or so. It has gone from people sharing their lives authentically, where I was genuinely curious to read every update, to blogs chock full of keyword stuffing for SEO and words for no other reason than to meet the minimum requirement to rank on Google.
A few months ago, I found myself searching “old-school blogs” on Google, and I went down a rabbit hole straight into memory lane, right near nostalgia street. I found several blogs I forgot about, and even some new ones (apparently, I am not the only one searching for old-school blogs, and there are plenty of people sharing!), and more so – I was inspired to start my own.
The truth is, I have wanted a creative outlet for a while. I like sharing things I learn, things I do, things in my life (within reason). However, I am not cut out for multiple daily TikToks, Reels, or even Instagram posts. That sounds exhausting and like another “chore.” Even the current state of blogging sounds intimidating – if you don’t post weekly (or more!), make sure your SEO is on point, post your daily Pinterest pins, and churn out content upon content, are you even a blogger? My solution – I’m doing it anyway, but I’m doing it the old-school way.
What is it about an old-school blog?
So what is it exactly about an old-school blog that makes me so happy? I think for me, it was the personal connection, the feeling of “visiting” someone’s corner of the internet and reading their (willingly shared) journal/diary. There was no feeling of urgency, nor feeling of “this is a content machine.” Yes, some bloggers did update on a schedule, but many did not. It was a pleasant surprise when you’d visit their page and see an update – score! And lastly – there was so much less performance and much more presence and authenticity, as well as vulnerability. Let’s face it – nobody’s life is as perfect as it’s made out to be on social media. And lastly – the joy of looking back at your own life over time, and how far you’ve come. Maybe it’s me aging, but I can’t wait to look back and reflect.
my plan for this blog
I’ll be honest – I have no rigid content plan for this blog. In fact, I have a very loose idea of what I want to write about, but here’s the gist. Above all, I want a genuine place to share a record of my life, reflections, musings, and hobbies. A space where the reader (that’s you!) can also slow down and perhaps even forget about worries for a while. I want this to be a space where my creativity is not driven by trends or algorithms. I’m not sure exactly what this blog will grow into – but that’s part of the fun.
What you can (probably) expect
Like I mentioned above, I have a vague whisper of a plan for this blog. That being said, I want to share some ideas that I have, so you can decide if this is something you’re interested in sticking around for. I’m a Millenial in my 30’s, a dog parent, a human parent, a wife, and a nurse. I am also on a journey to slow living, burnout recovery, and am trying out as many hobbies as I can to find more joy in the little moments. So my (very loose) plan is to write about the following topics:
- Life updates
- Slow living reflections
- Burnout recovery
- Parenting
- Cozy moments
- Recipes
- Hobbies
- And more…
an invitation
If you are also feeling nostalgic of blogging circa early/mid 2000’s and miss that slower, more personal corner of the internet, I hope you feel welcome here. And if you have a blog of this style, please share it with me – I would absolutely love to get lost in reading more blogs.
Until next time!