Why did I start a blog and what's it about?
Howdy! I'm Simply Jelly Jam.
This year, 2020, I made a goal to explore potential new hobbies before the year end. I've always been a proponent of life-long learning and continuous self-improvement. I worked in higher education for well over ten years supporting and promoting learning and research. It's been a huge part of my life, so this goal really isn't new for me.
What is new are the more specific goals, or my 2020 resolutions, I made for myself. Blogging is one of several resolutions I've made for myself. So, here's my first blog! Woo-hoo!
I'm not the type to jump into something without researching and planning first. Naturally I had a couple questions I needed answers to. You may be wondering those same questions, too.
Why did I Start a Blog?
Simply put, I just wanted to give blogging a try. I thought this could be a new, fun hobby! I was able to think of some benefits for giving this a try:
My writing skills will improve with each new post. I love writing, but I'm far from good at it. You may have heard the old saying, "practice makes perfect." I see blogging as a writing exercise I can learn from. It's embarrassing to potentially have my mistakes public. I can deal with it, though. Anyway, a future goal is to write a book, so this exercise may help me prepare for starting that journey.
I'll take pride in knowing that with blogging, I'm trying something new. Last year I gave polymer clay sculpting, resin crafting, hydro dipping, and RC crawling a try. I even improved my skills in card making and video editing. I suck at a lot of it still, especially hydro dipping and resin crafts, but at least I tried new things. Before last year, I never thought I'd really enjoy polymer clay sculpting so much. I found those hobbies by giving it a try.
I can share some of my stories and experiences with others. It is a bit scary to do so, especially since I've always been a private and shy introvert. But I think there will be benefits to me facing my fear of embarrassment. Through my blog posts, I hope you: - find my stories entertaining or interesting. - pick up a tip or find inspiration when I write about a hobby. - learn from my mistakes. - laugh at my lame jokes or misfortunes. - become inspired to try something new and different just for fun.
What is My Blog About?
Personal blogging as a public journal of sorts seems like a fit for me. I like to write. In elementary school, I wrote stories about the adventures I created for my toy families. I survived middle school by writing my fears and frustrations in a personal journal. I wrote silly short stories and comics about my high school classmates to pass the slow times. I wrote a lot. In fact, my first job was as a "Notetaker/Scribe" writing class notes for students with disabilities. I admit I'm far from good and still have much to learn about writing.
As I researched different types and categories of blogs online, I initially considered a few other options. First, I thought about focusing on higher education. I'm an experienced course designer, professional development trainer, and public speaker. I figured why not? After all, I've spent many years teaching faculty and staff practical skills and best practices. Yet I didn't want to focus on work outside of work, especially since I'm contemplating a career change.
Since I'm starting a blog to fulfill a personal want and not a professional need, a personal blog seemed like a neat way to document my experiences and thoughts. This could change in the future, but it's worth giving this a try while I'm learning about it.
Welcome to My Blog Journal!
I've started this simple blog to fulfill a resolution that allows me to share my stories, improve my writing skills, give something new a try, and maybe even entertain you in the process. This blog will serve as my public journal of sorts where I'll document my experiences and thoughts about various, random things. I do find publicly sharing my personal thoughts scary, but I'd rather experience this than wonder what if?
While I don't have specific topics in mind yet, I'm pretty sure I'll be blogging about my crafting hobbies a lot. I'll also blog about new projects I want to try. Feel free to visit my ABOUT page to see what I may potentially blog about in the future.
So, What's Next?
I plan to give blogging a try for at least six months from the date of this first post. I think this should be long enough to explore this hobby well. I'll post twice a week, at least initially. I don't know what to expect, or if anyone will 'stop by' to read what I have to say, which makes this experience scary and fun at the same time.
In six months, I'll share what I've learned about blogging, the challenges I've faced, how I tried to address those challenges, and my thoughts about the experience from a hobbyist's point of view. I'll also let you know if I'll continue blogging beyond the six-month point. Who knows?!
Join me in my blogging endeavors over the next six months (at least) by subscribing below to receive email updates when I share new stories.
I'd love to hear from you! Share your first blogging experience, any tips for a newbie like myself, or your resolutions for 2020, if you have any to share. Sign up using the button towards the top of this page to leave a comment for this and future blog posts.
Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
Interesting post. Good luck with starting your blog!