While wandering around my feed reader the other day I clicked on over to Semantically Driven and came across My Blogging Quest. This quest is to write about the journey your blog has taken you on and since my About Page is definitely lacking in content I think it is time I embarked on a Blogging Quest of my own!
Way back, way, way back in November 2005, this all began as a blog spot blog. I’d known about blogs for a while, but thought them too geeky even for me. Then digi scrappers and designers started blogging and sharing lovely inspiring designs as well as little details about their lives and I was suddenly hooked. Hooked enough to start my own blog, with the original intention of promoting my digi scrap designs.
As I look back at those first few post now (take a look at my archives if you want to torture yourself) I see that there wasn’t much digi scrap promotion going on even then. Once I got started I found myself writing about everything but digi scrapping. I wrote about the things going on in my life, things I needed to share with someone… in the beginning it was my father-in-laws heart transplant and subsequent death.
I suddenly discovered that I liked to write. Who’d have thought it? I never enjoyed writing when I was at school or uni. Essays were something to be left till the last minute and hastily written the night before they were due. I never felt I was very good at writing, it didn’t come easily or naturally, yet here I was, mum to two two year olds finding an amazing release in writing, in blogging. I started and I couldn’t stop.
Here I am, years later, I have my own domain name now (two of them actually) and a wordpress blog (or two) and I’m still blogging.
Lets be brutally honest here… blogging makes me feel powerful.
Not in a ‘toot my own horn I’m the best blogger in the world you all must listen to me because I know everything‘ kind of way… but in a ‘my words can reach out to others‘ kind of way. It makes me feel like I can share and connect and be meaningful. It makes me tap into the various part of me that I wouldn’t usually get to explore and it makes me feel like more than just a wife and mother. It makes me feel like my life is more than just my small circle of family and friends. These are powerful feelings for me.
My blog is still a tad confused. I think it has multiple personality disorder as it just can’t stick to one topic – but then that is a direct reflection of who writes it – me! There are so many things I want to do, explore, try, share and write about.
This blogging quest has already taken me on a brilliant journey. I’ve connected with some amazing people and learnt a lot about myself. I’ve discovered new and amazing things, and been given so many cool opportunities. I’m not read to stop any time soon either!
I can’t quite believe I have stuck with blogging for so long (I’m not usually a stayer!) and I’m some what surprised that I am still so keen to grow and change and develop my blog.
My brain is racing with thoughts and ideas about what I want to do, where I want to go with this blog. I want to write more about activities for kids and early childhood development and philosophies (I used to be a preschool teacher). I want to write more about hippy parenting ideas and dilemmas and questions. I want to write more about growing our own food and the sustainable living ideas and dreams we have. When I shifted to this wordpress blog I split off my digi scrap and design stuff to a separate blog (lazy cow designs) but these days I am wondering about how I can bring it back – I want to write more about being creative and splitting that bit of me off to a separate blog, a separate me, feels odd now.
I have no idea how I am going to combine all of that and make it fun and interesting and easy to read… but figuring that out is part of the fun, part of the journey.
It seems my blogging quest is far from over!
If you’d like to write about your blogging quest, pop on over to Semantically Driven and find out all the details!
That was a fun read. And I can relate, a lot. I have one “personal” blog, more like an online diary that I have kept up for years now. But I keep on starting blogs “on the side”, and I always end up nowhere with them. It’s hard to keep a real focus or determine a direction for sure!
That’s great that you discovered you liked writing. I know what you mean about the multiple personality disorder thing with your blog. I think I’m in a similar boat. Thanks for joining in.
Wow Kate, you have been blogging for such a long time! Well done. Only going since Feb I am still finding my way but there are days when I am not sure if I want to be doing it. Other days I totally love it…
I hope you continue for another 4 years at least. :-)
Great to see how everyone “got here”! I am glad you did discover your writing – I know I am glad I did.
I never realised that you were a preschool teacher. So many ideas, so little time – I know how you feel. I think you need to choose a direction and then stick to it for a while – otherwise you start to feel schizophrenic!
Christie
I can so relate to “My blog is still a tad confused. I think it has multiple personality disorder”.LOL!..I also find myself blogging on so many topics. To me they are all related…they are all related to sustainable living…but to others I imagine they are all over the place.