Ok, it’s pretty hard starting your own blog! I didn’t realize it until I started to think of a name for my domain. I’m going to break down why it took me awhile to start and what difficulties I still face. To start this off, and I feel like this is a rookie mistake but I did it anyway: I asked too many people for advice.
Seeking The Approval of Others
Now I appreciate the feedback and help I got, but I’m sure you know what it’s like to have an idea about something that you think is so great then share that information with someone (or multiple people) only to end up discouraged and doubting yourself. Maybe that’s why the saying goes, “Work hard in silence…” so that no one’s in your business!
I had several names for my blog and I was pretty content with them until I let the opinions of others change my mind. I admit I was being difficult anyways, trying to think of some artsy abstract name that had nothing to do with anything, but still a name I could back up if someone asked. So sheresenicole.com it is because this is me. My words, my ideas, and my thoughts.
The Illusion of Failure
Before I even put real action into creating a blog, I told myself I’d probably be so bad at it. Thoughts of failure literally paralyzed me. Then I thought, is this the kind of fear that holds people back from achieving greatness? Think about it. What if that thing you were so scared to do, you just did anyway? Like you just went for it and it ended up not being so terrifying and something great came from it? I mean, even if that outcome didn’t happen, at least you can rest easy and not think about what would have happened.
Not So Tech Savvy
For some reason, I’d catch a break in making this site and get stopped in my tracks with little technical nuances. One of the many complications I had was rerouting my domain to this WordPress site. I was on the phone with GoDaddy and iPage support only to find out I needed to change the DNS servers. All of that still sounds like gibberish to me, but I’m slowly learning how this all works. Initially I thought all I needed to do was get a domain and that was my website lol. I’ve learned so much from that point and I’m still learning.
I started off building a website on Wix but found it couldn’t really translate what I wanted it to (as far as page layout and content). Then I switched over to Squarespace, which has really lavish designs, but I found difficulty when I was customizing the template. So after almost smashing my laptop into the wall, I googled the best websites for blogs and it pointed me in the direction of WordPress. I was able to find really nice starter templates, purchased one and started to plug my content in. Although I had gone through all of that and finally settled on a domain, layout, and website provider, I still had to learn how to customize this site. After copying all my content onto this page I needed to create a logo – which brings me to my next obstacle.
Design and Photography
Creating the content as far as logo design, photography and creativity I had to really think about it and I needed the tools to do so, one example is Photoshop. With Photoshop I was able to edit the photos I had previously taken, and create a starter logo for myself. Being the perfectionist I am, it took me up to 2 weeks getting settled on the one I have now, and still I’m undecided on it but it’ll do for now.
Photography was another obstacle for me because I had to find someone to take good photos of me. I had to find the time to do so, and when I would take my own photography, it was about finding the right angles, making sure I had good lighting, and concept. So I am always googling for tips on how to take blog photos and various flat lay techniques.
Marketing
You have to juggle several things if you want a blog to get exposure. That means creating Facebook or Pinterest friendly photos, using appropriate hashtags, rewording blog post titles to grab viewers attention. Not to mention the consistent post updates to various social media timelines. I only have 3 social media accounts for this blog and that’s more than enough, in my opinion.
Content
Content is another thing that scares me because of the “what if’s” that come with that title. What if I can’t keep up with one blog post a week? What if no one likes my recipes or thinks I ramble too much? What if etc… Now that I have launched it’s all a matter of keeping it consistent which is still a work in progress…
Getting Started
The last reason I almost didn’t start this blog was because I needed to just do it already! I had been sitting on this idea for a little over a year and hesitant on actually getting things in motion for about 3 months. I needed to make a deadline for myself, honour it and put some action behind it. Slow progress truly is better than no progress.
And here I am today. I’m sure I forgot some other difficulties I had. For some it comes easy, for others like me this was a struggly ordeal. I can’t wait to look back on this and see my progress.
Until next time.
