Hello all and happy weekend! Now that I've been blogging regularly for about 5 months now, I decided I would share my thoughts on the subject and answer a few questions that people might have about blogging - from the mind of a Beginner Blogger! First I have to say that I've been in this "blog world" long enough to see a lot of amazing bloggers out there who blog for a living and actually earn money doing it. I couldn't imagine how much work it must be with sponsors and giveaways and all that, but I'm sure it is mostly fun work if you love it. Blogging is not my job, though. I have a regular, 9 to 5 full time job, where I go to an office everyday and work 40 hours a week for a small company. I currently don't make any money off of this blog, I do it for fun as a hobby, mostly because I've found it to be a great creative outlet for me that I really like! I don't know if I will ever be a full time blogger, but right now that's not really why I blog. Which kind of leads me to the first question...
1. Why did you start this blog?
Technically I started this blog back in 2010 when I was getting ready to move into this house with Trent. I planned on writing about all of these new adventures I would have moving in, documenting all of the renovation projects we undertook...I thought it would be awesome to look back on in the future. Plus, I used to religiously read Young House Love (who am I kidding, I still do!), and they inspired me sooo much to start my own home blog! They were a young couple in their first house too back then, and I got so many ideas from them, including the idea to create Mood Boards for each room I decided to tackle.
Unfortunately, I wrote a few posts here and there and never really got into it, or had the time to devote to a blog. I was still going to school full time while working part-time, then trying to find a job. So even though the house projects continued, this blog didn't.
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| Working on our kitchen remodel in 2011 |
2. Is it hard to find topics to blog about?
At times - when we don't have a big project going on with the house (like right now), I might feel like I'm forced to think of a topic I want to write about. Sometimes I draw a blank. Or I don't feel motivated or don't have the time to write. So I just don't blog that day. I only blog when I'm inspired to take on a new project (ex: Painting wine bottles), when I'm itching to be inspired (ex: Gathering summer porch inspiration or Abstract paintings I'm loving at the moment), when I want to share home improvements we're tackling (ex: Hallway renovation), or when I'm really passionate about a topic (ex: Ceramic animal decor).
A couple of my crafty "in between" projects - Bookcase makeover and DIY Earring holder
I always thought I would run out of ideas - that we would go months without making any progress on a project and I would be stalled. But life happens everyday. New projects come up, I find something new at Target or at a thrift store that I didn't expect and that I get excited about and want to share...it always continues. And when I want to share my weekend happenings or something random that happened that day, I do. Because it's my blog so I can share it if I want to, right? Heck, I just decided to write this post on a whim because I had some thoughts going on in my head, so I just started typing. And out came this LONG post!!
Sometimes, I'll be doing the dishes or getting ready for work, and a blog post idea will pop into my head. I have a running list of blog post topics on my iPad that I think would be fun to write about. Some have been sitting there for quite a while - projects I have yet to tackle but would like to, recipe posts (I have always wanted to write a recipe post but have yet to do this. Maybe because I don't cook or bake. Like ever.)...The most important thing I'm trying to say about this is - I don't want my blog posts to be forced. If I'm writing about something, it's because I'm excited to share it. That's all. It's not my job. It's my happy place.
3. Does it take up a lot of time?
I can honestly say I never used to think I could find the time to blog. I thought it would be so time-consuming and that I had so many other things I needed to do instead. Like I said before, I work full-time, so I didn't want to spend the little spare time I have when I'm not at work, doing one hobby and nothing else. I'm happy to say now that I'm glad I faced my fears and gave it a try again. Because I seem to always find time to pop in at least a few times a week, which is enough for me. When I started I felt like I should write every single day. I had a lot of topics to cover, and I wanted to make sure I was constantly updating and didn't slack like I did when I first started a few years ago. Maybe that was a good thing, because I'm still keeping it up - maybe not every single day, but most.
Like any hobby, if you really love doing it, you find the time to do it. And you still have time to do laundry and make dinner and go grocery shopping and everything else that life requires. Keep in mind, though - I don't have kids! If you do, I'm sure it's a lot harder to find balance. I enjoy blogging though, so I will continue to do it in my free time. The little time it takes up is worth it for me. I get to be creative, and I feel like I'm being productive, getting projects done around the house, and sharing my story. So maybe others can relate and gain inspiration from it.
4. Is blogging hard?
I used to journal all the time when I was younger, so the writing part is totally natural for me, and not hard at all. I think I've always needed that creative outlet my whole life. I used to draw constantly, I've always enjoyed writing, art, crafts, decorating...anything creative really. And I always seem to have lots of ideas floating around in this brain of mine. So, no, it's not hard. As long as you have something you want to share and feel passionate about, it's quite easy! Think of a topic, type it up, maybe complete a project while you're at it, and have fun. Anyone can start a blog. There's no pressure if you're doing it for yourself. It's just a bonus if others join you for the ride. Probably the most awkward and time-consuming part for me is taking photos of all of my projects (especially if I'm outside by myself...it's weird having to take pictures of all of my projects that I work on!) Then uploading all of the photos and editing them all for the blog..that's probably the worst part, for me anyway!
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| My recent bottle and jar painting project |
This seems like such a weird thing to worry about, but before I started this blog, I was scared I would be doing it "for nothing." That nobody would read it. Soon after though, I realized that I could easily feel all of the pressures of blogland that are out there to have 500,000 followers and be the top home blog, or whatever, but I don't care about all that. I love when people read my blog, comment, follow me, and I thank the few people who have done just that!! But I really just blog because I enjoy it, and for all of the reasons I've stated above. I know a few family and friends read it, and that's more than enough for me.
All in all I'm so glad I started blogging again, and I'm really just glad to be sharing all of our life experiences in our first house. We will always have these stories to look back on and can say, "Remember when we did this?," or "Look how far this room has come since then!" Even if our progress isn't as fast as I would like sometimes, it's best to just enjoy the ride and each little craft, project, life event, and random thought that fills the space in between.
Well said!
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