Okay, today I decided to answer some questions from an imaginary interviewer asking me about my blog. This interviewer doesn’t know a lot about me personally, but is generally curious about my experience running a blog. Here goes:
What did you hope to get out of starting this blog?
I hoped to have a fun vehicle of expression, something new, besides a music website, something that would be more about creativity and writing for its own sake rather than trying to build a business online.
Are you getting it?
Absolutely. I have been so infinitely happy with this blog! It has been perhaps my most successful creative endeavor online, and probably my longest-lasting, while-still-satisfying creative project!
Why did you start your 365 Day Blogging Project? Did you achieve what you hoped to achieve?
As I recall, I was ready to take bold action to really start writing on here. It had been awhile since I had blogged, and I felt bad about this great site being neglected. Also, I needed a creative outlet that was not an attempt to market or build a business, as I needed a break from such things for a bit. And yes, the 365 Day Blogging Project was overwhelmingly successful! It turned this blog into a whole lot more than a sometime creative outlet. It made this blog the powerful creative and writing tool it is for me.
Would you recommend other people start their own blog? Why or why not?
If people feel that writing is an expressive outlet they wish to use, then quite possibly. Also, if they have a desire to write about a specific topic a lot, it might be a great vehicle. For me, of course, I write about whatever I want on here. And that is what has worked for me. And I have found it deeply satisfying. So that is really the final test of whether someone else should start a blog: whether it is personally satisfying for them.
What advice would you give to someone starting their own blog?
Other than the above advice to make sure it is something that is personally satisfying to you, I would say, set it up so that you can win at it. For me, blogging every day for a year was a powerful way to use this. By the way, I got the idea for that from the movie “Julie and Julia,” in which a woman blogs everyday for a year working through Julia Child’s cookbook. But I decided to have no topic restrictions on myself, just a daily post. So I set it up to work for me, while that woman (who actually did that in real life) created a very different, much more specific blog concept. I think that blogging with a given schedule can work really well for some of us, but not for others. So use it in a way that fits for you.
What has been the best thing about having a blog?
I’d say the best thing is having my own creative space to express myself. I love having my own “territory,” where I rule the roost, and I make the rules, and I say what I want to say, and anything goes 🙂
What has been the worst/hardest thing about having a blog?
Sometimes I have felt a little bad about “not having a bigger audience.” To some degree, that is probably fear of looking bad, or listening to some chatter in my head that says, “You are so lame, writing this blog and few people read it.” Which is not always true! Yet obviously, this blog hasn’t gone viral or anything. Mostly though, I have just ignored that nastiness and just enjoyed the process.
How do you feel about having your thoughts and feelings online for anybody to read?
Sometimes it can be a little scary, I admit it. Especially with the more “woo woo” parts of the blog, like when I speak to my Higher Self. Talking about Abraham-Hicks and the Law of Attraction feels a bit sensitive to me, because I’m sure there are people out there who would think it’s weird. On the other hand, I guess I don’t care that much. I yam what I yam! This blog has helped me work on self-acceptance 🙂 Finally, since I have made a concerted effort to only post positive, affirming posts that I am happy to have others look at, there is a lot that I am quite proud of showing others on here!
As I read I feel the clouds of confusion regarding my own thoughts about my writing fading, replaced with clear blue sky.