Recently, I got told that I sound very mature on my blog (to which I thought, ‘Do I not sound mature all the time?!) and, juxtaposed, I also got told to ‘turn up the maturity levels’ so I thought I would discuss the word ‘maturity’ today and exactly what it means to me.
I’ve written before about how age is important to me, but over the last few months I’ve realised that it’s not age I worry about: it’s maturity. The only time I’ll ever change my age is once a year on my birthday so there’s not a lot I can do about it, but maturity is a different thing altogether. Maturity is something that comes with time and I often, most likely wrongly, view as an achievement.
In my blog posts, I like to think I don’t come across as too stupid. My blog is the place where I can spew my inner thoughts – it’s slightly philosophical in places and I write in the same style in which I talk to myself in my head – my inner monologue, if you like. (that sounds like I’m a bit bonkers – I am!).
In comparison, my YouTube channel is full of ‘crazy me.’ I really am a tiny bit insane, and I like that I get to show this side of me. I love writing serious blog posts, but it’s also nice to show the other, more fun, side of me. On my YouTube channel, I really am exactly like I am if you were to meet me. Although edited, the videos are still me talking and being my usual self.
That doesn’t mean though that one – blog or YouTube channel – is more authentic than the other. I like to think that by doing both I’m showing my whole self rather than just one part. Obviously, there are parts of me that are hard to show through a screen, but I hope they’ll come across if you ever get to meet me. I am a real person, you know!
Going back to age and authenticity, recently I’ve been having lots of thoughts on my age. I’m a teenager reviewing teenage fiction and I don’t have a problem with that anymore. I think in accepting that I’ve been able to move on a lot in my blogging path and it’s given me a lot of confidence – confidence I needed.
I may be young, but that doesn’t make me any different. In many ways, I feel like my age has helped me along because I’ve had more time than lots of other people to learn and develop my blog.
I am a teenager, and if you have a problem with that then that’s fine, but it doesn’t make me any different. Age is just a number, and I’m glad I’ve finally realised that.