Why I love blogging

I have been tapping away at this little blog for almost 10 years. Yep, in 2006 I started this as a hobby. Some of my earlier posts are under a different blogspot address, but most of them are over here. It’s had its ups and downs and sometimes I’ve taken a short break from it. Mostly, I’ve been pretty consistent and blogged 5-7 times a week. I feel like this has been my “job” since 2011 though. That’s when I really started to treat it seriously. It’s also had a lot of “looks” over the years as I taught myself how to design blogs and then websites.

I learnt the most about blogging around 2012-2013 when social media started to explode and blogging conferences became a thing. The majority of people were on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram so blogging started to become a business and influencers were being recognised by brands. I went to BlogHer in New York in 2012 and that felt like a turning point for me. I know a lot of additional social media tools have been added to the mix since that time – Snapchat/Podcasts/Video. I’ve kept it pretty basic and consistent since 2013 and stuck with mostly my blog, Facebook and Instagram. I think you’ll over extend yourself trying to be on every single platform. I feel this just works for me though.

I am in love with the flexibility blogging gives me. I write most of my posts before 7am. I am not very good at scheduling things – that doesn’t happen for me. I like to wing it most days. I sit and write about whatever comes in to my head! I might jump on Pinterest and just scroll around before an idea hits me. Sometimes I draft blog post titles in advance so I can wake up and know what I will be writing about.

You have to learn everything yourself to become a good blogger I think. I do love to learn and I have so many more skills than I had 5 years ago. You need to know how to take photos, edit them, add text, and fix basic things within your blog. It just helps if you are willing to learn all the technical things in the background. Afterall, this is a platform using technology and it’s constantly changing. I never stop reading, clicking, trialling…

I love the creativity. I am in complete control of how I express my thoughts, pictures, and even sales processes. I have changed a lot though over the years. I am more conscious of who is reading my blog and why they come here. I know my readers like a little bit of personal thrown in with mainly inspiring home ideas. I do less personal stuff these days and I’m happy with that. I’ve had my fair share of “trolling” over the years! Ha.

I’ve tried a lot of ways to make money, then failed and gone back to basics. Blogging is not a quick way to make money while you’re sitting at home. If you’re lucky enough to have done just that then go you! But for me, this has always been a bit of a struggle. It’s a freelance gig and we all know that freelance is bloody tough. You cannot rely on blogging to provide a consistent income stream (for the majority of people!). It’s nice when it’s there, but there can be times when it’s not there! It’s taken me years to work out (hence going back to find another consistent job with a builder this year) that I can’t rely on my blog’s income. I did for a while there, but it made me sick. True story. I like that my blog gives me additional income in peaks, but it’s not a breadwinning formula. I do lots of things for free too, so the reality is, not everything you do revolves around money! You have to give give give before someone says they’ll actually pay you. I have loved some of the cool opportunities, travel and freebies. That’s one big reason why I love blogging so much. You never know what might turn up at your door, or what will be in an email when you open it.

The things I see and learn about! Wow, some people are so clever. Inspiring and so so so so clever (did I just say that!). This would be why I love blogging so much. There is a never ending source of information to make you feel motivated. Not only do I love interior design, I love reading about motivation, manifesting, decluttering and feng shui. These are my favourite topics. I also love throwing questions out there and people responding. That’s the best.

I’ve grown a thicker skin and I am grateful for that. Not everyone is going to like me, or my blog, or my topics all of the time. I’ve been doing this long enough to realise people come and go. They like you for a few months, then they move on. I’m cool with that! I think being knocked down a few times helps me be a better person. I carry all of these feelings over to my kids by teaching them about resilience. Yes, that’s it – I’m much more resilient thesedays and I have blogging to thank for that.

Some people don’t get it do they? Blogging? They’re like whaaaat? It’s hard for me still to tell people what I do haha. I was at a pub the other night and a random girl and I were chatting. I didn’t know her at all and she asked, what do you do? I have a standard line “I write an interiors website.” Ha! That sort of gives an answer that people understand which then leads in to general talk about design. Otherwise, I’d be waffling on about a lifestyle blog where I write about my kids and floor plans and shopping and pretty rooms and then sometimes I write about brands…. 😉

I love blogging so much because each day it gives me something new to talk about. I love it because I also see new things every day. I love being able to interact on my social media platforms and feel inspired by other people. I like that there are no rules and no set formula. I like to wake up each day and bash out some words and wait and see if people respond. It’s fun and it’s a challenge. It’s a marathon, not a sprint…

Have you been blogging for a long time? What do you love about it? Or if you’re new to blogging, what are some of your goals?

♥ KC.