This week, I gave myself the challenge of creating a tumblr and an identity to work with for the duration of the semester. I am at the very beginning of developing this identity, as that will be my overall journey, but I have found that even the smallest choices are going to be pivotal; everything must be deliberate and coordinated.
My first small task? Choosing a name. Talk about simple, yet deliberate. I did some research and looked for a a name considered to be “attractive” and one that I found friendly. I landed on Zoe Ellis...and so it begins. Zoe now has a gmail account, tumblr, and user name. Nothing about this tumblr will be connected to my name or identity. Everything will be constructed from the ground up to fit the identity I wish to create.
In choosing colors for my blog, I was thinking about the kind of mood I want to set, or even the kind of audience I aim to attract. I am struggling with choosing overly feminine colors for fear that I will end up attracting a younger audience, which might lend itself to a controversy I am not willing to take on with this blog; I am not looking to attract young, pre-teen girls to the world of fitness and body analysis. Of course I will not be able to stop this from happening entirely, I am just hoping not to find myself linked to that kind of audience most often.
This bring me to the issue of control. There is so much I will not be able to control about this process. I will not know who exactly is looking at Zoe's page, I will not get a solid sense of the demographic interested in the particular subject matter, and I will not be able to control the ways in which people use the information posted on my blog. That said, I want to have control over as much as possible...mainly pertaining to image.
I think I have found a way to gain the best control when it comes to the physical image of my blog, i.e. my avatar...
I think that I have decided on using myself as an avatar. My name can not be found on tumblr, as I have never had a personal blog of any kind hosted by the site. I will be available to create photos for posts, as necessary, and I am interested in seeing where being an avatar for my created identity will take me.
What do you all think about this mix? Does it seem functional? Let me know your thoughts!
Stay tuned for a link “Zoe’s” blog!
PS.
The struggle is already real; I configured a customized page, mission statement, and quote and just as I was about to add a photo, the page closed and it appears that nothing was saved. I will conquer tumblr and Zoe will become a reality...or at least an inauthentic reality :)