A Good, Sunflower Life: Remembering Tina Downey

 

On August 23rd, the blogosphere lost one of its brightest stars: Tina Downey from Life Is Good. She's blogged since 2009, sharing her life through good and hard times while maintaining the gift of sunshine.

Among her many talents, Tina was the soul of the A-to-Z challenge and an ardent supporter of the Insecure Writers Support Group. It wasn't until this summer that I got to know Tina better. Her attitude in the face of adversity is one I will always remember, cherish, and hope that I may be as strong when my time on this earth is over.

For those interested in showing their support this day, the Downey Education Fund has been set up to assist her two boys with their college education. Be it a dollar or more, they will appreciate it.

My one regret is I didn't know her as well as most, but I think she'd love this video I found in her memory. Here comes the sun, Tina!

I'm David, and you lived a great life, Tina. We will miss you.

IWSG: On Social Media and Impostor Syndrome

Thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer's Support Group gives bloggers a monthly chance to express their concerns, worries, and insecurities without fear of reprisal. It's a seriously big group now, and with well over 300 participants, it shows no signs of slowing down! I'd like to thank Alex for keeping this group going for so long, as it has proved wonderful in the supporting of fellow authors and the revealing of needed and sound advice.

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Hey guys! I'm back. August was a whirlwind month in the cosmos. Things may have been safer if I stayed on the bridge. But where is the adventure in that? So where have I been? I'll tell you about it.

I took a social media break over a month ago. Completely unplugged. Partially because I had a two week road trip across seven states. The other part is (and I hate saying this) I was going through a bout of social media burnout. Don't get me wrong, I love SM. I'd never have the same level of outreach or the platform I have today without it. And on top of that, all of the amazing writerly friends that I have.

So what's the problem?

A discussion on SM has become prevalent in recent months in how people conduct themselves. Namely on Facebook. I'm proud of the wide spectrum of friends there who post a variety of things. Then a topic sprung; those who post only positive things have something to hide; their real life isn't the sunshine they leave on their statuses.

I fall into this category of positive posting, but I will be the first to admit that life on my end of the spectrum is not all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. My motivation for being positive is my wall is often full of memes, political bashery, complaints and clickbait. Why not shake things up with a glass half-full? Reach for the positive vibes? It made sense from my end of the screen, but was I ingenuous to others?

This question led to fear, which sadly spread to the point that I didn't know what to say on any of my SM platforms. I felt unqualified.

As a Behavioral Science guy, I knew this was irrational. So I took a break, enjoyed my vacation, and was later reminded of something called Impostor Syndrome. It's real, people! And thanks to a super secret writing support group, a healthy dish of Reality was served.

And guess what? I'm perfectly normal!

Except I should chat on Twitter more ...

It's weird how we fall into the trap of internalizing negativity to the point of crippling our motivation and self worth. No one is immune, nor should they be. Hiding problems solves nothing. Given all of our feelings and junk, we are complicated creatures. The best thing any of us can do is talk about them, even if it makes no sense at all.

I did, and the group gave me the best advice I've had in months:

"Keep doing what you're doing!" they told me. "Be consistent!"

And I will. 

What's your opinion on conducting yourself on social media? Have you ever experienced Impostor Syndrome? Who likes rainbows?

I'm David, and on September 8th, we remember Tina Downey.