Why do I blog?

I've been thinking about this question quite a bit recently. What is my purpose in blogging? Is it for myself or is it for others? Do I have a goal in mind, a purpose for my blog? Is it strictly informative or do I have a persuasive angle to argue? Do I let my blogs be affected by my hidden motives? Has the reason I blog changed over the years? Why do I continue to blog?

In order to discover some answers, I decided to take a little walk down the history lane of my blog:

I've changed my blog's look to fit my changing personality and maturity. I can't even remember what the title started out as but I know I tried out several. "In Other News" stuck for quite a while but was replaced with the current title, "In Search of Sunlight", which I am quite content with... for now.

2006 (13 posts over a 2 month period)

• 2006 Blog Summary: My first 2 months of blogging proved to be a foretaste of what was to come: a hodge-podge of deep ponderings, random stories, and pictures of life. My first blog was posted on November 11, 2006. My reason? - I needed some place that I could express myself, whether it was of a serious nature or not.
  
• Not even a month after my first post, I posted what I remember as being one of my most successful blogs. It was titled "Stark Honesty" and the reason I considered it successful was because it sparked quite the discussion amongst some highly intelligent people. It got 10 thoughtful comments and inspired a friend to write a rather lengthy but ingenious digression which in turn received 22 comments. So therefore, optimistically, I could say that my blog received 32 comments, even if 22 of them were second-hand.
• One of my all-time favorite posts was posted on December 25, 2006. I like it because it gives a humorous look into my family. This blog was probably written more for others than for myself - I just wanted to share how awesome my family was (and is!) (And after reading it again, I want to apologize for my change of verb tense in the middle.)

2007 (43 posts)

• 2007 Blog Summary: Most of the blogs from 2007 contained random stuff that caught my fancy - pictures of fun times, quotes that intrigued me, funny stories from my life, or issues/thoughts I was pondering.
• On the first day of the new year, 2007, I posted one of my other most memorable blogs: a blog stating that Paul Howe was make-believe. I really have no idea why I decided to say something so ridiculous but I did and it generated quite the response. 25 comments to be exact.
• It's also interesting how sometimes our thoughts recycle. For instance, I could re-post a blog that I posted on November 1, 2007, Saudade, and it would be just as true now as it was then but in a completely different context, which adds a multitude of new emotional layers to the concept.
  

2008 (59 posts)

• Summary: Pictures, opinions, Accent Religion page articles, 2 months of summer silence, a steep spike in posts starting in September (an interesting personal fact: humor is one of my main coping mechanisms), Southern Scholars intellectualism, and to end it off - 4th semester nursing insanity!
  
• First look at someone who was going to become a dear friend: Allana!
• a poem (first one since high school) that carries with it some very deep and poignant memories.

2009 [37 posts (including this one)]

• 2009 Blog Summary: More focus on photography, my experience with every RN's rite of passage: the NCLEX, deep thoughts, time with friends, and how God is currently making His presence known in my life.
  

Now that I have completely digressed from the original topic, "Why Do I Blog", I want to get back on track. And, because of the digression, I have discovered the answer.

In the past, I have blogged for a number of reasons:

1. Personal Expression
   
2. Informative Stories (funny and serious)
   
3. Share pictures and beautiful moments
   
4. Gain feedback from my readers (what their opinions and thoughts are concerning a topic)
5. Share my life with extended family and friends who read my blog (and rarely comment. *clears throat purposefully*)
6. Make a point or convey an opinion to a specific reader (Yes, I must admit it, I have done this. I would probably categorize this under "hidden motives" but, on the other hand, sometimes I know 100% what I'm doing.)
   

But those were all reasons I've blogged in the past. What will be my reasons in the future? Should I come up with something more specific? More goal-driven? More vision-focused?

As of right now, I don't think so. My blog is a look into my life, and my life is a patch-work quilt in the making. I'm not 100% serious and I'm not 100% funny. I'm sad sometimes. And happy too. I am an introvert. No, I am an extrovert! Sometimes I'm poetic and my words flow just right. Other times I'm curt and a bit too honest. There are parts of me that are beautiful and parts of me that are rough. As Caitlin likes to say, I am a "bundle of contradictions." And that just about perfectly sums me up.

Through my blog, you can see glimpses of all of these things in me. It's up to you to draw your own conclusions.

I write - sometimes for my own benefit and sometimes for the benefit of others. Overall, however, I write because I have a burning desire inside to express myself. Whether my expression is through photography, poetry, humorous anecdotes, scholarly musings, art, or any other medium, I use them all to share a part of myself.

And if there was no audience - no one to read or respond to my thoughts, I know I would write anyway. I would continue to give voice to my soul. Because in my expression, I grow and I learn - about myself, my world, and my God.