Like everyone, the past few years have been challenging in so many ways. For us, it’s been a trying time attempting to keep our creative motivation running. AvidBards has been conspicuously put on the back burner, moving further and further down the priority list as concerns around health, work and life occupy the majority of our mental energy.
It’s been really hard for us to find the energy to keep up with Avidbards. The pressures of social media can be a lot, even though we’ve discovered and connected with some really awesome content creators this year and feel like we’ve started to build an online community. It’s easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing, though, and comparing ourselves to them and not feeling like we’re doing enough. Though the power of social media can be really excellent at times, getting too caught up in likes and engagements can be harmful.
Like many throughout the ongoing pandemic, we’ve both been juggling a lot—work, school, extracurricular activities, moving, family and personal lives. As a result, compared to other years, we didn’t get much content out this year (particularly closer to the end of the year). The fact that we both live on different continents, too, and don’t get as much time as we’d like to talk to each other, makes it hard. We really thrive creatively when we’re together, so it’s tough for us to feel motivated for AvidBards when we’re so far apart. It is first and foremost a collaborative initiative, so sometimes it feels odd doing things on an individual level!
Nevertheless, we’re making an effort to practice kindness and still celebrate what we did accomplish. So, our yearly round-up is coming a bit late this time around, a testament to this year’s trend. But here we go:
Statistics
- Total views in 2021: 19,555
- Most views ever in one month: 2,331 in January 2021
- Top posts of 2021: The Black History of Sea Shanties, Book Series as Recommended by Booktok, and Why I Want to See More Intersectional Queer Representation in Media
Favourite Posts of 2021
S: Something I’ve really been enjoying in my writing lately is not simply writing what I thought or felt in regards to what I’m consuming but how it relates to the world and what kind of messages are being dispersed. Part of what started AvidBards for us was this connection between storytelling and the world and its impacts and I’m really proud to be including that more and more in my writing (even if they take me longer to write).
Z: That’s such a great point. I think we always wanted to distinguish ourselves from just being “reviewers”. Of course, that’s not meant to throw shade on those who do that, but there are so many reviewers out there that it can be tough to know how to stand out. It’s not just about standing out, for us, though, because we genuinely love applying our analytical thinking to whatever it is we’re talking about. For me, the post I most loved writing this year was the one about intersectional queer representation. It felt like a culmination of my thoughts over the past few years of watching and reading content. And if there’s one message I tend to focus on in most of my posts, whether consciously or subconsciously, it’s how passionately I feel about this topic. In general, intersectionality and representation is something I actively look for in media, which is why its presence is so important to me.
Things we’ve enjoyed doing in our spare time
Z: I moved house this year and have a proper TV and gaming setup now, so I’ve been playing a lot more video games. I’m not originally a gamer, so I’m slowly introducing myself to the world more these days. Games played include Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, 12 Minutes, and I just finished playing It Takes Two. I’ve also been volunteering as an assistant dance choreographer at a community theater, so that’s been really fun and gets me out of the house and moving. Otherwise, I’ve watched tons of shows and movies! Some of the TV series I watched this year are Young Royals, Spectacular Spider-Man, Squid Game, The Witcher: Season 2, The Sex Lives of College Girls, and Dexter: New Blood. I also just started watching Succession, and am keeping up with all the exciting Star Wars shows (like The Book of Boba Fett) and Marvel TV content. I tend not to watch as many movies as I do shows, but some films I really enjoyed watching this year included Spider-Man: No Way Home, Eternals, Uncle Frank, and A Quiet Place. I also started getting into reading comics on Marvel Unlimited, so that’s been fun!
S: I’ve spent a lot of the past year reading. In the early months of the pandemic in 2020, I turned heavily to movies and TV, but this year I found I wanted an escape that could not always be satisfied by the screen. I wanted something to do that meant I could not turn to my phone or pause so easily, and reading was that for me! As one of my posts this year attests to, BookTok was a great aid for this. My favourite BookTok discovery this year was the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas which is high on my list of top series ever (big praise, I know). Otherwise, much like Z, I’ve spent a fair amount of time gaming, completing The Last of Us with my siblings, playing Spider-Man, The Witcher III (as well as reading the series and watching the show) and starting up Horizon Zero Dawn again. Also, I adopted a cat and much of my time is spent occupied with him!
Insights
Z: I think at this specific point in time, AvidBards is a project we know we can always come back to when we feel the time is right. But it’s also okay to take prolonged breaks when we need to. Right now, it’s not about cadence or sticking to a strict schedule. It’s a passion project, after all. And I think we realized, why force it if we’re not feeling passionate, motivated, or energized? Personally, I don’t want it to become something I feel is “work” in the traditional sense, because I might start to resent it if that’s the case. Maybe it’s about getting back to the roots and primarily doing it for enjoyment’s sake, rather than getting too bogged down by our frequency, metrics, and other typical measures of “success”.
S: AvidBards was something born out of a desire to share, debate and engage, but the reality is that the world of engagement has become overwhelming lately which has made it hard on both of us to feel as if taking a break is not a sign of failure. We’ve worked hard for so many years while maintaining our studies, jobs, and responsibilities and, like all things, if you don’t pace yourself, something gives. It took me some time to realise that stepping away from AvidBards for a bit was the best thing I could do for something so dear to both Z and I, because, as she also mentioned, it’s a passion and if we weren’t careful, it would have turned into a burden.
Looking forward
S: I’m feeling very excited and motivated to come back to AvidBards. Nothing gives me quite the same joy as writing and putting out a new post. Not because I’m looking for views but because the creativity Z and I fostered in our personal lives talking about and discussing everything we consumed found an outlet on AvidBards and that passion is always there when I return to it. I will be finishing off my PhD this year and returning to full force with AvidBards is on the top of my priorities.
Z: I couldn’t agree more. Writing for the sake of writing and being proud of the finished product–the work, thought, and craft that goes into it–is one of the best feelings in the world to me. I’m so glad to have moments like this where we can reflect and set new goals and expectations, even if we don’t end up reaching those goals. Like S mentioned, when I feel mentally and physically ready to return to AvidBards on a more frequent level, I know it’ll be great because it’ll be coming from a place of passion and want.
We always say it, but we truly want to thank all the people who support us! It means the world to us to have a platform where we can share our thoughts, opinions, and passions with you. Here’s to another year of exploring the rich worlds of storytelling—we hope it’s even better than the last!
~ S & Z
