Hi friends! This week I'm writing a series about how blogging is a big part of my life. Hope you enjoy.
My friend (and social media wiz kid) Chris has asked me to talk to a group of new bloggers. Instead of simply talking about my experience with them, I wanted to actually share what I would say to all new bloggers if I had a chance. I don't claim to be a "pro blogger", the "best blogger", or even a "super expereinced blogger"; more than anything I am a woman who recently (within the last nine months) started blogging and has learned a lot along the way.
I feel the need to clarify something that I have realized for a while now: I am a big proponent of blogging. Blogging allows both space for creativity as well personal challenge.
Want to recount those stories from college that still make your family laugh? Blog about it.
Want to explain your views on a certain political situation? Blog about it.
Want to show the world that your particular product (from photography to food to planning a fun event) is the best available? Blog about it.
My personal journey into blogging started out as a place to let my creativity flow while I was working on graduate papers. Since then it has morphed into what I mentioned in a recent post: It's changed from a private refuge into a public area where stories are shared alongside photography, food, fashion, and good design. I am so thankful that it has become a place where encouragement and support and laughter are main staples.
What I appreciate more than experience that comes with reading my blog are the results the have presented themselves because of it. Along with the comments, compliments, conversation, and interaction that this space has spawned, I consider the blog itself a living breathing resume.
- My iPhone-photography became the training grounds where I practiced good composition and played with the affects of lighting. Through my own rule of almost always posting my own images here on Approaching Joy, I gradually improved. Now I have started to shoot weddings (alongside my wonderful employers) and catch one in a lifetime moments.
- My design skills began poorly and bordered on being obsessive (20 blog redesigns in the first two weeks... I only wish I were exaggerating). Thankfully these skills have matured and I have learned so much. Again, thanks to my bosses, I am designing priceless albums that families will cherish for a lifetime.
- My writing was always there but often in the background. It wasn't until recently that I publicly claimed something that I had known for a lifetime: I am a writer. In the past month alone I've had the opportunity to show that skill off to multiple communities beyond my own and have the opportunity to share on an even larger level in the near future.
If you're saying, "Paige, I'm not into photography or design and my writing isn't the absolute best," you are missing the point. Blogging isn't about a visually appealing site or your technical skills as much as it is about communicating your story. I totally believe that the time and effort it takes to successfully maintain a blog is time and effort well spent. By taking that time to tell others your story, you are telling people that the things you believe in matter and that your opinion matters as a result.
The absolute beauty of a blog is that it is a love letter instead of a billboard. It's a unique form of communication in that it acts as a way for people to talk with one another instead of simply talking at the other. In my personal example, I could have posted pictures all day but until I invited someone to see them (via Twitter in my case) it wouldn't have made a difference, no one would have been there to appreciate them. I could have personally supported good causes (like this post on St. Jude and this one on Heifer) but it wasn't until I had a community to share these with that I could make a more substantial difference.
My question to you new blogger (or maybe even to that person who has yet to stick a toe in the blogging waters) is this: What is stopping you from telling people your story? What is preventing you from showing the world that your passions are worth their time? You, friend, are worth the time and effort.