Upside My Head (Pay Attention Now)

Upside My Head (Pay Attention Now) blogger Ann Freeman is a 54-year-old artist, connector and wannabe DJ. She is also a mother, grandmother and “queer girl extraordinaire.” She is a white girl in a brown family and a mostly brown community of friends. As a result, her life crosses a lot of interesting intersections. At Upside My Head (Pay Attention Now), this Minneapolis resident writes about and discusses race, age, sexuality, politics, culture, life, art, music, motherhood, grandmotherhood and more. Pretty much anything goes when Ann starts typing.

What specifically drew you to blogging?

I was interested in exploring the medium as a way to engage in conversation about a variety of issues in which I have been interested over time. I like that it is easy to create attractive pages and provide words, photos, audio, or video, and links to related content. I launched my blog on a whim one night. I was at the computer with headphones on and some great music playing (Ruthie Foster, if I recall correctly) and I just went to Blogger and made it. I didn’t research the best blogging platform, didn’t really have a plan for content, or even the name (which I changed after a year, this link tells that story: Upside My Head (Pay Attention Now)). I just made it and went from there. Very reflective of my personal style. I do public relations for a living and having a personal blog is a terrific outlet for my own writing and opinions – and for my creative and wonky passions and interests.

What is your biggest challenge when it comes to creating new content? How do you overcome it?

I am not particularly disciplined to post regularly. I vacillate between three and 10 posts a month. I’d like to be more consistent. I am a morning person with a day job, so it’s hard to get inspired to blog at night. I am more prolific if I get on the computer before work with a good cup of coffee. It helps to be thinking about subjects for a while so once I sit down to write I can kind of knock them out. I allow myself to do short easy blogs as well as longer, more thoughtful pieces to help with productivity as well as keep in interesting mix of subject matter rolling. I also try when I am inspired about something to drop everything and write. I may need to go back in later to edit, research, and finish, but at least I get the essence down when it is in my heart.

What is the most rewarding aspect of maintaining Upside My Head?

Once every 20 posts or so the magic happens. I write something and it resonates enough with people that it gets shared and lots of visits, and most important, comments. I have a small blog with a small but loyal following so when a post breaks out of that it’s exciting. I feel like I’ve made connections. The post that comes to mind that has had the biggest impact is “I don’t know my Somali neighbors.” The comment thread is far more interesting that the post itself and it was read by and shared among many Somali and other East African folks. A cross cultural conversation emerged, and best of all, I made a couple of new friends from the Somali/East African community.

What is one thing you hope your readers learn/understand from reading your blog?

My blog covers a variety of topics. I have the good fortune to live a life that exists on the intersections of many different communities. I have developed a perspective over the years that is specific to life on the intersections. I hope that readers are sometimes able to see things from a different point of view because of that, or to see parts of themselves reflected in my posts. I am a community-builder at heart and this blog is at its essence, a celebration of community.

Bloggers often draw inspiration from each other. What other blogs do you enjoy reading? Who are your favorite local Twin Cities bloggers?

One of my biggest inspirations is Erica Mauter who has been a long-time Twin Cities blogger. She is probably best know for fresh.mn, but is present all over the Web. She has a page that lists where you can find her. She is a friend, and someone who I learn from all the time.

Other blogs and bloggers who inspire me include Racialicious - the intersection of race and pop culture, Jack & Jill Politics, anything by Baratunde Thurston, This Week in Blackness, The Bilerico Project, Pam’s House Blend – Front Page, Tim Wise (on white privilege), Bao Phi, and TSUNAMEE. The bloggers are from all over the country and blog on a variety of topics, but most involve lively conversation on current events. I have not reached out to meet and connect with more local bloggers and would like to do that. I have the good fortune to be one of the bloggers that is part of MinnPost’s Minnesota Blog Cabin. The content for the daily Blog Cabin post is drawn from a large pool of local bloggers so I have learned a lot more about who is out there in our community, but have not yet built relationships.

What do you love the most about living in the Twin Cities and why?

I live in South Minneapolis and cannot think of a better place to live as a queer woman, to have been a white parent raising two children of color (I’m now a grandma!), an arts lover, a bicycler, rollerblader, and a water lover. We have great people here. It is way too white here, but I am privileged to call a very diverse group of fabulous people my community of friends. This winter was brutal, but the other three seasons are divine and the reward for enduring all that darkness and cold. I love the politics of Minnesota. At one point we had we had the completely eccentric Jesse Ventura serving as governor, and our senators were the late great progressive Paul Wellstone and the very conservative Rod Grams. Where else does that happen? And the grassroots activism here is ever inspiring.

What aspect of Spring in Minnesota are you most looking forward too?

I have been to almost every May Day parade and celebration for the last 30 years. It’s completely a rite of passage for me. I took my kids there when they were babies. I take my granddaughter now. It’s on our annual list of “adventures with Grandma.” I like having roots like that, a deeply felt sense of place, of community, and of home.