Choosing Beauty: Where do we go from here?

After having a rough first day at Blogher ‘08, I remembered authenticity and choice and on day two entered Beautiful Blogging and Positive Posting. 

The facilitator, Kyran Pittman, at Notes to Self began with framing the conversation:

…blogging is not just about ranting, and blogging is not just about raking it in. Blogging can also be about love, trust, positivity, hope, empowerment, quality over quantity, and transformations, global and personal. This session will give you some concrete examples of bloggers trying to contribute to their blogging communities, no matter the size or scope….  

excerpt from live blogging at wannabehippie

She then introduced the amazing panelists:  Krystyn Heide at hoperevo.com , Jen at one plus two, Alyssa Royse at justcauseit.com and Lucrecer Braxton who started ArtSlam.  As women began sharing their experience of beauty and positivitiy, the room became electric with possibility. 

The definition of beauty I heard was not based on denying challenging moments in life in the hopes that the hard stuff will just poof, disappear. Instead, many women shared their experience of adversity, personal pain or collective disappointment.  But rather than collapse under the pain or feed negativity, they each made a choice to respond in a positive way.  The form of the response looked different–from a photograph to a blog post to an organization–but the thread of intention was so palpable the room lit with heart-opening inspiration. 

The session transformed from panelists speaking to an audience to a circle of people engaged in conversation about how the blogesphere can be an opportunity to express, connect and organize to celebrate beauty, choice, and service to others. 

When Kyran commented that part of the issue came down to leadership the earth moved for me.  My spiritual training reminds me how important it is to respect lineage and honor teachers who carry lines of healing.  I’m not quite sure how to frame this in blog except to say that Jen Lemen, Jen and Rachelle’s Small is Beautiful , Carla’s Sacred Life Sunday and Darcy’s Spiritual Blog Reviews were my guides of trust and beauty as I offered up my blog virginity (during the session I was also reminded of Karen’s kind blog ).  I’m not saying these are the only resources of beauty in the blog world; they were the ones I discovered.

I wish to say thank you to these wonderful blog teachers who have offered leadership in paving the way for authentic beauty and positive posting.  I also wish to pose a larger question to whomever wants to listen: 

Now what?

I don’t think there is one answer to this question and one need only explore the panelist’s contributions above to see how the blogesphere can be a forum of response.  As for me, I was the woman who felt the earth shake me out of my seat to pose the question:  How can we help everyone here connect more after today?  How do we help this way of beauty grow?  Immediately, Elaine at Wannabe Hippie offered to list interested blogs as part of her live blogging effort.  Thank you!!! 

Over the last few days, I’ve read comments in various places from people saying they also believe in authentic beauty and positive posting.  That while we don’t deny it’s lovely when our blog resonates, we aren’t writing posts to increase stats.  We blog for different reasons but at the core, we blog because this is one way we make a difference, beginning from within.

I would like to extend the invitation to anyone who feels called to leave their blog name/address as a comment.  I’m no techie but I can make a list and post it as a page here for people who feel that their ways contribute towards creating a blogesphere that celebrates authentic beauty, positive posting, choice, and/or service to others.  

I do this with knees trembling but with heart open, because if not now, when?

P.S.  Your Authentic Beauty & Positive Posting Community page is now active.  Come visit and join the fun!

Explore posts in the same categories: Everyday moments, The Art of Practical Spirituality

Tags: authentic beauty, BlogHer '08, gratitude, leaps of faith, life, Sacred Life Sunday, service, Small is Beautiful, Spiritual Blog Reviews

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