Yesterday Emorie from Oh Whimsical Me tagged me to do a confessions of a blogger post. How fun right? So here it is... a quick breakdown of where I have been in the blogging world and where I am going.
1. When did you first start blogging and why?
I started blogging when I was in middle school using Xanga. Mostly because it was a place you could talk crap about all of your frenemies. You did that too, right? After that, I started keeping an online journal just to get my thoughts down. That turned into a Tumblr, and here we are now almost 10 years later and still loving it every bit as much as before. Just not talking crap, that is what best friends are for.
2. Have you had any past online presence?
I have used some sort of online journal since about 2005. Livejournal, Xanga and Tumblr were the big three with me. I have recently gone back to look through Xanga and Tumblr. It is really neat to see what has changed and ever better to see what hasn't.
3. When did you become serious about your blog?
I think I became more serious about blogging when I moved from Jacksonville to Tallahassee in 2011. It was really tough to leave my parents behind so I wanted them to be able to keep up with our new chapter. This past year I moved over to Typepad and have loved every minute.
4. What was your first blog post?
My first real blog post was August 26, 2010. This was after my personal journal and the xanga phase. It was all about wishing for fall and craving the cool weather. Back then I linked to cute things around the internet a lot and talked a lot about future goals.
5. What have been your biggest challenges blogging?
I had two big challenges when I started blogging. The first was being afraid to talk about my personal life. I was so scared that I would expose myself and my family to harsh criticism. I found the opposite to be true. Everyone I have been in contact with has been so warm and welcoming. I now feel more comfortable talking about personal aspects of my life and have even decided to spend more time talking about it. The second challenge was making myself take my camera with my everywhere. It is heavy! I have since gotten used to it and it is pretty much attached to my hip.
6. What is the most rewarding thing about blogging?
The most rewarding thing about blogging hands down is the people you meet. I am not a shy person but reaching out to people is still surprisingly intimidating. But well worth the risk. I have been able to meet some very talented, inspiring and fascinating people from all over the country. I even have the pleasure of calling some of them my friends now.
7. What is the most discouraging thing about blogging?
I would say that the most discouraging thing about blogging would be readers who think that bloggers in general have wonderful picturesque lives everyday. It is tough to live up to those standards. You can spend hours thinking about the correct things to say and what pictures you post. So of course, everything is going to look great. You very rarely get to see the messy house, or the laundry that is left undone. If you find a blogger who doesn't struggle in life even a little, please show me I would love to see that. I try very hard to put everything out there (within reason) so that no one thinks that about me.
8. What is your lasting inspiration or motivation?
I think I keep myself inspired by not limiting myself. I write a lifestyle blog, but other than that broad title I don't want to limit myself any further. It helps me to feel like I can write about whatever comes to my head. My advice (which may not be any good) is to just be yourself and write what you feel like. Don't be hendered by what your readers think your blog should be about. You may lose a few readers but you will also gain many by being just you.
9. What is your blogging dirty little secret?
Oh goodness. I guess it would be that I have kept notebooks in my purse for years full of interesting thoughts, dreams, goals and randomness. When I started doing this, I just liked to get thoughts down on paper instead of forgetting it. Now I can go back and use it as inspiration for new posts and content! It is like notes from my younger self.
10. What is your current goal as a blogger?
My goal as a blogger is to continually grow as a writer, as a documentor and as a person while making sure that I can look back years from now and see the progress this little blog has made.
11. Have you learned or become passionate about anything through blogging that caught you by surprise?
This is a great question. I have learned so much about web design from the whole blogging process. I had no idea what CSS was before I made the switch to Typepad this past year and now I have made a custom blog for myself. That is such a rewarding experience. I am not where I would like to be but I am working towards those goals slowly. If anyone has any advice or tips I would love to hear them!