A few people now have asked me why I wanted to start a blog so I thought I’d blog about it.
When I got the travel bug in my twenties I wanted to start travel writing. Ha, me and the rest of the world right! So I looked into jobs reviewing locations and hotels but they didn’t really seem to exist and I had no writing experience whatsoever. Blogging wasn’t really a thing then, not like now and Instagram was a twinkle in the eye of Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. So I tucked it away as a dream and now I’m getting it out. Why not? It might not go anywhere, I might not ever give the likes of Louise Pentland a run for her money but as long as I enjoy it then I’ve nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Photography is another thing I’ve always had an interest in. Not all my IG photos are thought out, most are just snapshots and selfies, all are taken on my phone but I am enjoying having a motivation to take more pictures because I haven’t always felt like I’ve taken enough. I don’t want to forget the precious memories of our family life. This isn’t a reason I started a blog but an added bonus of doing so. Blog writing and photography go hand in hand. You need pictures to support your blog and for any social channels too of course.
It allows me to be creative. I don’t have time to get out an easel and start painting, or sew, or create beautiful faces with make up (all of which I would love to do). I am a busy working mum of two toddlers and run a business with Doug www.monkeytots.co. Spare time isn’t something I have an abundance of. Writing can be done in snatched moments, on the bus to work, on my lunch break, during nap/quiet time, in bed etc. So although I need to dedicate time to it, the flexibility makes it much easier to do so.
I get to learn. Not necessarily about writing but how to use Instagram and social media to promote a blog. I also have a huge learning curve ahead while I figure out about SEO and how to get my blog out there to a wider audience and hopefully turn it into a business, that’s exciting.
I’m an introvert but a blog/social media brings out my hidden extrovert and I like that. It gives me complete freedom to say what I think and feel something that’s not always so easy to do in real life. Im only at the start of my journey but already my confidence has grown. Its a great way to really express who I am. It’s giving me a chance to find my own voice.
Lastly, it’s something I am doing for me and no one else and I’m a firm believer that that’s an important thing to have. Whether its a hobby or some me time, we should all have a focus outside of family life that’s just about you and what you enjoy.
So that’s it. There are my reasons. I can’t promise perfect spelling or that my posts will be 100% grammatically correct but I hope what I write will be of interest because anyone reading this or any future blog posts are an integral part of keeping the dream alive. I want to build a real community and you are part of that already. Stick around. It might be fun.