So I'm going to be very honest. Blogging is a lot of work. I know some people think: I'm just going to start a blog and make some extra money. Then they start blogging, lose interest, don't make any money, and quit. Maybe they can't find their niche, or maybe they can but the pressure of real life is just too much and their family members are complaining that they spend too much time online. I personally never started blogging for money. I started because I needed to have a blog because I was a communications major and once I started I just really enjoyed it. I became a part of a blogging community that was filled with women building each other up and supporting each other in their pursuit of blogging and making a name for themselves. I'm coming up on my 7 Year Blogiversary. You wold think I would be doing this full-time! You have no idea how much I would love to quit my day job and blog everyday.
So let's talk about why I suck at blogging...
1. I work full-time.
I know there are a lot of us out there that work full-time and blog full-time. My hat is off to you if you can keep the momentum going, stay sane, and engage with followers. At one point when my blogging was at it's peak I was working full-time, juggling kids sports events, going to college, and running an Etsy shop. Talk about having a lot on my plate! I also know a lot of bloggers who are amazing at juggling a million different tasks, me not so much. My day job is nothing to brag about. It's un-rewarding and just a paycheck at this point, but it has me exhausted enough to the point where it's hard to jump on my computer late at night and post. I only want to post when I'm passionate about something I want to share. I have to be true to myself and my readers which is why my posting has died down in the past few years. Not to mention you all have seen me get married and divorced.
2. Homophobia in the blogging world.
Yes you read that correctly. Just like in real life, homophobia exists among all these cutesy lifestyle bloggers. Most bloggers won't out right say it, but I have had situations (like collaborations) where they politely said thanks but no thanks, because you're gay. Usually after I have spent hours typing up a post. As a blogger you want to reach out to other bloggers and collaborate. I've been asked to guest post and be part of a lot of different projects, but I also had work turned down because I am gay. One project in particular that I was asked to be a guest writer on, was a project about defining a particular time in your life that changed everything. For me that was my coming-out story. Guess whose article didn't get posted? That's right! This girl. When I asked why my story wasn't published she politely said it's contents was too gay for her. Which felt like a smack in the face for me. She came to me to collaborate and I shared a moment in my life where everything changed. I spent hours on that piece, but it wasn't good enough because she was homophobic. That was the last time I put myself out there like that. I'm actually a very real person not afraid to talk about all topics in the real world. I was really hurt by that.
3. I am me (dyslexia and all!)
I'm silly, I'm weird and I don't have a whimsical life like most bloggers. My life is real, messy, and downright hard sometimes. I've been divorced (only technically once btw) and I'm a serial monogamous. My kids are teenagers and I love them with all my heart, but they can drive me absolutely mad! And I have no problem being real about it. I'm not skinny, but I'm not overweight. I'm that size right in the middle that is super annoying.
4. Sometimes I just don't feel like posting
Gasp! How can she not feel like it!? It's true. I'm not just going to do a post to fill dead air, not anymore anyways. It's a lot of work and sometimes I go through periods where I don't get comments or readers engaged, so I just take a break. I think I've gone a few months before without a single post. Amazingly I still get 10's of thousands of unique views on the regular, but who are you people, and why don't you comment? I know there are regulars...I see you! If this was my full-time job
*side note - I also miss all the bloggers who use to blog and are no longer around. I felt like I was a part of a strong girl-power community. I went through my reading list and found more than half no longer exist.
So I'm just going to stop at 4, though I could probably go on forever! I didn't even get to the part where I explain how much I loathe HTML or how much I have wanted to change the name of my blog, but then would have to change everything everywhere to do it!!! Re-branding can be a s.o.b. and it can make or break your brand/blog. I actually did a lot of research before naming my blog, to make sure it was something I like and not super common. I have a big sign in my house that says Live Love Laugh and I bought it about 10 years ago. That's where I got the idea. Justice, who was about 8 at the time helped also.
Anyway, I'm at home today, sick. I've been fighting some crazy virus since last week and I hope it's almost gone! I've lost my tissue twice! Which can be very frustrating when you need it. Oh and Betsy Devos made it in? I'd love to hear your thoughts on that. I've been watching the news torturing myself.
If you don't hear from me by Friday I hope you all had a great a week!
xoxo,
Eeka
P.S. Any gramatical errors can be blamed on the flu.
