This is another in our She Said, He Said series. Our #shehechat on Twitter returns this week at 8 p.m. CST Thursday. Be sure to return tomorrow for Jim’s viewpoint on this issue and our topics for our chat!
No, when I use the word “renaissance” I’m not talking about the time period in the 15th or 16th century when the art world went through a revival. Although, the word “revival” does work in this instance; as does “rebirth” and “renewal.”
As a newspaper veteran, I’ve found it interesting to watch the blogging communities emerge as significant information gatherers and sharers. People blog about all sorts of topics, but I think that what the industry refer to as “mom bloggers” have really started to pull away from the general blogging pack.
Spreading their wings … and their skill sets
I was turned on to this topic when I read this article on Babble.com. The author, who recently attended the Pennsylvania Conference For Women, makes some interesting observations.
Based on her conversations at the conference, she noted that women who once thought that they had to concentrate on one specific skill set are now juggling three or four “jobs” in one week. These “jobs” range from blogging to marketing to social media consulting and are mostly at-home projects.
The inspiration behind the blogging
I started thinking about the female bloggers I know who are stay-at-home moms and have found a way to bring in some money by marketing their different skill sets in various venues. OK, sure most of them aren’t the sole bread winners in the household and they can deal with the irregular assignments and unstable pay. Still, it’s pretty admirable and inspiring to me. It takes a lot of courage and a lot of time to do what they do.
I even wonder if this mom blogging phenomenon somehow subconsciously inspired me to go out on my own this year. My situation isn’t all that different … except for that whole being a mom thing.
Maybe this is about art after all
If you asked me to visualize my job now, I would first have to lay out all the skill sets I have put out there as services. They would include graphic design, writing, editing, marketing, project management, event planning … I could go on.
I imagine each skill set a different size and shape than the others and, when pieced together, they would form a mosaic of what my career path looks like today.
Bring on the renaissance
In the aforementioned article, the author wonders why mom bloggers are better at marketing their different skill sets and achieving success. Maybe it’s simply because moms are used to juggling their everyday lives. No matter the reason, I do believe you are seeing a renaissance of women in the workplace; even if that workplace is now virtual.
The Renaissance Period was a time of transition in the art and literature worlds. I think what we are witnessing is the revival of multi-skilled women and, even if I can’t be a mom blogger, I’m happy to be part of this renaissance.
[…] when Shelby tackled this topic my first thought was that the renaissance has not just been for women. I know plenty of men who […]