When this blog started almost four years ago, we were still in the early stages of the pandemic, and I found myself with lots of extra spare time and little to do. Fast forward (almost) 4 years, and the situation has changed drastically for me. Even though COVID-19 hasn’t gone away, the pace of life has mostly returned to the hectic levels it used to have, and on top of that, I now have a toddler who is quite a handful. Because of all of this, spare time nowadays is more precious than ever, and I find myself rarely wanting to spend it on updating this blog. It’s not just the act of writing a new post, but also listening to hours and hours of new music, from both established and new artists, updating social media channels, and email exchanges. Believe it or not, all of that takes a toll.
This is why I haven’t been very active lately, and quite honestly, it will probably stay that way. I have just renewed the web hosting for one more year, but I did it mainly because I didn’t want The Alternative Mixtapes to simply disappear. I will continue to write about some new songs I like sporadically for the next year or so, but chances are that this will be the last dance. I haven’t made up my mind yet, but it’s leaning that way.
Who knows? Maybe I’ll start feeling joy again for writing new posts, but only time can tell. In the meantime, expect some new musical gems coming soon.
While I would really hate to see you quit blogging (not only do I enjoy reading your posts, but I also really like you as a person who’s been one of my most loyal supporters), I get it. Though I have more spare time than you, now that I’m mostly retired and only working 8-12 hours per week, I’ve found I just don’t have the enthusiasm for writing reviews that I used to. As you so beautifully articulate, “listening to hours and hours of new music, from both established and new artists, updating social media channels, and email exchanges” does indeed take a toll.
I’m continually amazed at how much time I spend each week doing those things, not to mention trying to keep up with all the blogs I follow, and it’s both exhausting and disheartening. The result is that I too am thinking of once again quitting writing reviews, and just posting my weekly top 30 chart and perhaps an occasional article about something that interests me. Besides, the overall number of views of most of my reviews has really fallen off, despite having more social media and blog followers than ever – most of who ignore my posts.
Thanks so much for the kind words, Jeff! One positive outcome of this whole experience has been getting to know you. You don’t only maintain a great blog, but I think we also share similar beliefs and values. Anyway, even if I quit blogging, I’ll definitely keep being one of your regular visitors. I always learn something from your posts!
I don’t rule out getting that enthusiasm for writing reviews back, but as things stand today, when I decide where to spend my free time, it’s getting harder and harder for me to justify spending it on this blog. I knew you would totally understand!