You are that man on the City Circle tram, my first reader that 'came out' in person, holding my arm so I didn't fall as the tram jerked around the corner, telling me you've been reading since you saw me on Business Chic.
You are the stranger on Facebook who told me you relate to my stories of Ichthyosis because you also have the condition, and had not spoken about it much until my article.
You are the stylish corporate who strutted across the tram tracks, telling me you love my blog as we passed each other in the peak hour crowd.
You are the colleague in the lift who made my other colleagues realise there's more to me than my day job.
You are the musician's manager, encouraging his support act to read my work.
You are the diner in the restaurant, telling me you'd hope you'd meet me there after seeing my pictures from the next room on Instagram.
You are the stranger my parents gave my card to - a Miss Australia Winner - emailing me out of the blue.
You are the senior manager who told me you've been reading my blog over the long weekend, and I should look to be published more widely.
You are the boy who teased me at school, reading and then apologising, and who would later become a lover.
You are one of my favourite singers, sharing my work as I've told the world about your perfect voice and lyrics.
You are the shopper in Borough Market who excitedly called my name with that broad Australian accent, making me forget I was in London for a minute.
You got to know me through my words, and now you're one of my very best friends. There's many of you.
You are my blog reader.
Thank you for doing and saying so.
♡
I was at an event the other night and someone I had just met asked me what I do. I'm a writer, I told them. "That's right", they said, "I've read your writing before". And the night continued with similar conversations. A fellow public servant told me she has used my writing as a resource in her department's diversity policy (a big compliment!). A young woman asked me for advice on becoming confident in despite of her chronic illness. And I don't want to seem arrogant, but I want to share this with you:
I met a teenager studying year 12. She told me she was "a big fan" of me after reading my article in Frankie. The level of excitement she showed upon meeting me was about the same as when I've met Darren Hayes. She was extremely excited! So cute! She told me she wanted to be a journalist when she finishes school. I encouraged her to start a blog.
Though these were brief meetings, I took some time to ask these people about themselves. I wanted to know about them. What brought them to the event? What are they hoping to do in their lives? Will they let me know about their journeys after the event?
I was saying, there's a strange power imbalance in being a blogger. People know a lot about me because of my online presence, and when I meet them, I know nothing about them. Often the meetings are so fleeting. They excitedly tell me they read my blog, I thank them, and most of the time they rush off when I'd really love to stop and chat. I want to get to know my readers.
I was also saying on twitter that I will never cease allowing anonymous commenters, because so often they leave the most golden, powerful comments. Writing a blog and enabling anonymous commenters seems to give people permission to share their personal stories. I love that. Thank you.
Blogging is like a one-way window. You see me, you know me, but I don't often know you. And I want to know who you are.
So tell me:
Who are you? What brings you to my blog? What are your dreams? Tell me a secret. How are you going to change the world?
Be anonymous or share your name. Tell me about you.
I am Joanne, I discovered your blog through vogue forums
ReplyDeletemy biggest dream is to start a homeless street law program in Brisbane and I'm in my second last year of law school :)
Hy Joanne! Lovely to hear from you. Wow I love your dream - I hope you reach it.
DeleteAnd the Vogue Forums are the source so so may blogs that I follow/
Thank you for commenting :)
I am Mary. I found your blog on Victorian Blog Share after being guided to the group by my lovely daughter, who suggested I share my gardening blog there. Reading your blog gives me some perspective on my own puny health problems. I also follow Michelle Rogers, who writes the 'Living With Bob' blog. You are both amazing, inspirational women. I admire your strength, humour and optimism. The effect you both have on people's lives moves ever outwards in quiet ripples.
ReplyDeleteHey Mary thank you so much for your comment and lovely words. I am so glad I have influenced your thinking in some way. It means a lot when readers tell me that.
DeleteThank you.
I'm Krissy! I actually can't remember how I found your blog...it must have been through another Voguette's blog, I think.
ReplyDeleteMy dream is to have my own online store selling affordable fashion - I hate how expensive clothes are thesedays and I've always been a bargain hunter so want to pass that on to other girls some day :)
Hey Krissy
DeleteWhen you open your store please let me know because I agree - affordable fashion is hard to come by.
Thank you for reading and stopping by to tell me.
Harro!
ReplyDeleteI've been reading your blog on and off for about 2 years. I saw you in a Melbourne Cafe (Fraus) and introduced myself.
I've shared brunch with you at Auction Rooms. It was just after you slapped a man. You seemed to vacillate a bit between being proud that you put him in his place, and cringing a little bit (all of the best stories make us cringe, no?)
I congratulated you on being in the paper.
I'm cilla! Doctor and gadabout. I love your work.
I'm Lisa. I've got no idea how I stumbled upon your blog, but reading Krissy and Joanne's reference to the Vogue forum I'm guessing it was there (before I was unceremoniously banned). I love how positive your blog and you are. I don't aim to change the world, I just aim to make my corner of it a happy, positive place filled with love, kindness and baked goods.
ReplyDeleteOoh you were banned from the forum?! I can't imagine you as a trouble maker!
DeleteYour name does seem familiar as coming from the vf - I used to use it religiously before
I started this blog.
Thank you so much for your ongoing readership and friendship. I do hope to meet you some day.
I'm Kattie. I think I found your blog through Vogue forum too. I have no plans on changing the world, just changing my piece of it to a peaceful and settled place.
ReplyDeleteHey Kattie thank for writing. I love that you're focused on making your part of the world happy. :)
DeleteHi Carly! I'm Elizabeth. I found your blog after searching google for a picture of a dress Megan Washington wore. You were at the same gig as I was and had written a review on your blog, and I haven't stopped reading since!I'm afraid I don't have many dreams but I hope to travel to France one day soon and work in a B'n'B. I'm also toying with the idea of starting my own blog but the idea of my thoughts published on the internet for everyone to see scares me.
ReplyDeleteHey Elizabeth! You've been reading for ages -
DeleteThank you!
That Wahjngton gig - oh dear.
The only bad review I've ever given. You never know when the artist may be reading.
Oops stupid Iphone keypad. Washington.
DeleteAnd you should start a blog! No one need know
It's you :) thank you for writing in
I'm Ness, and I first found you through Vogue Forums, but have also read your work in Frankie and on Mamamia and just around. I love your positivity. I enjoy reading your blog, I like your writing type. Yours was one of the first blogs I ever got into.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a big dream-I want to do up my blue house by the sea and enjoy it, I want to teach my lovely little class the best I can-giving them independence and communication, life skills and some literacy and numeracy skills. Actually my biggest dream at the moment is to have a dog! :)
Hey Ness
DeleteThank you for your lovely words! Wow! Thank you!
I love your dreams - they're the most important
I think.
Good luck with your house and getting a dog :)
I'm Anastasia, was emailed your blog url as I was your VFKK a couple years ago. ;) Hope you've had a chance to wear that chain-mail-esque necklace. I find that when you have a huge collection you tend to only wear a few favourites/work appropriate pieces. :P
ReplyDeleteMy dream is to have a partnership in an events planning company, with a specialization in personal events. Sometimes I do feel a guilty about it, as my friends are teachers, doctors and surgeons making a real difference to lives. But someone needs to have access to confetti canons. XD
Oh hey Anastasia! Thank you for writing, and yes I wear that piece :)
DeleteI work in events and it is a great job.
I've never used a confetti canon though -
I should get onto that at my next corporate event ;)
Thanks for reading and writing :)
I am inspired. We connected on twitter through a common goal. Raising awareness about our conditions. Making being different perfectly acceptable. Changing attitudes. I am the woman who was honoured to meet you and blessed to be your friend xx
ReplyDeleteHey Friday! You are doing awesome things and I'm so glad to have met YOU! Thanks for reading and writing
DeleteI am Catherine. I'm not sure how I found you but I'm glad I did. I live in Melbourne and I have seen you having brunch once but I felt too shy to approach you - I didn't want to be intrusive. I also gave you the hint about citric acid and the washing machine.
ReplyDeleteMy dream is to manage my career and be a good parent to my little boy who is currently five months old and gorgeous.
Thanks so much for your blog -you are truly an inspirational writer and woman,
Hey Catherine! Thank you for the hint about the Citric acid! I do use it in my machine! Though when it gets on my skin I feel like a human wizz fizz!
DeleteAnd you so should have come up and said hello. :)
Thank you for writing
I am the girl who met you through Maggie Alderson on Twitter and then moved into a job in your department in another city. And now we chat through messenger all day.
ReplyDeleteHaha what a small world it was when I saw your tweet to say you saw me in the work newsletter! So glad we met! You make the workday go quicker.
DeleteI am Roni. I found your blog by chance as facebook's ticker feed showed a friend commenting on something by you. I am the mother of a boy who is visibly different and was struck by how eerily similar the experiences of different looking people are regardless of the cause of that difference. And then I was struck by all the other similarities- love of food, love of good street art, love of writing, hate of support groups and the negativity they can bring.
ReplyDeleteI have 3 kids and am in the last year of a fairly useless uni degree. I live on 5 acres and am surrounded by chooks and half-hearted vegie patches. I dream of making fantasy costumes and art and maybe restarting my sporadic attempts at blogging. I have a bizarre secret; a desire to do a crowdfunded awareness ad on TV about how people approach strangers and interrogate them about their appearance!
Oh Roni! So glad you found me and I certainly want to be in on your advertising awareness campaign.
DeleteLets do it!
You lead an interesting life :) and yes you should start blogging again :)
I found your blog through Vogue Forums in 2010.
ReplyDeleteI'm a 3rd/4th year education student who has struggled to get to this point of a degree since 2005 due to anxiety. I hope to finish in a year and a half and become a PE and health teacher. That's the ultimate dream!
I remember feeling very happy when you won the Yooralla media award, as Yooralla is my employer and my position there is incredibly enjoyable!
Hey Frith
DeleteI wish you all the best for your degree and for future employment. Thank you for your continued readership.
:)
awww wowsers Carly!
ReplyDeleteI think I followed links from other blogs to come across yours. You are the first fellow blogger that I ever met IRL. Thank you for allowing me to photograph you for my blog. I love following your adventures, seizing the day and making an awesome life for yourself - it keeps me inspired to do the same.
Big hugs to you beautiful! xx
Ohh thank you so much Cheryl! You are the first blogger who featured me on their blog :) I am so glad we met - your style and work ethic impresses and inspires me. Love you x
DeleteWow wow wow! Love these comments - thank you everyone!
ReplyDeleteI will reply to your individual comments soon - but just wanted to stop by and tell you all how much I appreciate you leaving these comments!
I'm Kat. We met once through Katrisse - I think it was her birthday drinks at a bar on Smith St.
ReplyDeleteI can't actually remember how I ended up finding your blog, but I guess I've been reading for about 6 months :)
I work in workers' compensation and I find your posts about managing a chronic condition quite insightful.
Hey Kat! I remember those drinks that that bar. Thank you for reading and commenting.
DeleteHola Carly!
ReplyDeleteI'm a fourth year marketing student but my uni job is at Scope as a disability support worker, so I'm interested in what you have to say about disability, society, acceptance etc. I think I found you through Mamamia in an article you wrote. Then Twitter! Long live Twitter.
Not 100% yet sure how I'm going to change the world (and I will) but I want to do it with as much openness and empathy as possible.
I'm Clare, I've met you through twitter and can only dream to have a spirit as strong as yours. I love have a dream to be writing about living self-sufficiently from my (dream) 5 acre house block and a fully self-sufficient house.
ReplyDelete