Some years back, when I first began this blog, I was embarrassingly clueless. The layout was schleppy, the content was stale, and my overall vision + branding for my company wasn't even close to being well tuned. Still, I'm giving myself some mad props here for even following through with starting this venture at a time in my career when I so feared risk.
And, in those days, I would have seriously mocked myself + doubted that these words would have ever come out of my mouth: "I love blogging. Love love love it."
This is why...
1. Initially: Marketing- I started blogging to share new designs + ideas about my company. It's a great way to market your business and, if you haven't already, I highly recommend even just considering using it as a platform for your new or seasoned business (for those of you who have one, feel free to share a link to your blog in the comments below). As my traffic increased, I found that people around town began coming up to me, mentioning my blog + my shop. I feel pretty lucky having reached unexpected and new-to-me readers and customers. Really neat.
2. Mission: Document Things of Beauty- I then started to blog about inspiring and talented friends + other artists I came across on Etsy. This was a crucial step in my blogging, evolutionarily speaking. I began to see meaningful nuggets of beauty out there and the entire mission of my blog changed. All I wanted to do was find things that made me feel happy. So, I began to document my most hopeful moments and renamed the blog "Wish List". This included both behind the scenes images of the inner workings of my business and all inspiring things exterior to that. The world inside Wish List is one of my happy places.
3. Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone - I tested my will. Now if you follow really well curated blogs like Cup Of Jo, Design*Sponge, The Selby, and The Sartorialist, you'll understand how intimidating the world of design, lifestyle, and fashion blogging can be. I had to get to the point where I would begin to appreciate my own voice and vision, and soon, began to trust that what I curated and shared was positive and noteworthy for myself and, hopefully, for all of you. So, at this stage, I don't too much question the validity or value of what I share here because if it makes me feel good I feel it's worth putting out there... a lesson for life, in general.
Now it's your turn...
Some great resources for bloggers:
This book -> Blog, Inc.
A Beautiful Mess has what looks like a perfect ecourse, too.
Some great resources for bloggers:
This book -> Blog, Inc.
A Beautiful Mess has what looks like a perfect ecourse, too.
Are there any blogs you like to follow/get inspired by? What content do you look for in blogs?
Do you have a blog? (Share your link below!)
[typewriter photo]
