One of the most common questions I get asked when I tell someone I’m a blogger is “how did you start blogging?” And my reason for why I started blogging is probably a lot different than most people’s response for a few reasons.
I started blogging 8 years ago before blogging was a career. At that point, I didn’t read blogs or know any bloggers; I simply wanted a space to write down my thoughts. Writing had always been an outlet for me and something that I was good at it. No matter what I was writing, I could sit down in front of a screen and let my fingers take it from there. It was therapeutic and at that point in my life, it was one of the only things I felt I could be in control of. Let me explain…
My first entry was the day before I sent my husband to Afghanistan. We had been married a little over 2 months and had just found out we were expecting our first child. I had never felt so many emotions in my life (on top of pregnancy hormones…) and I felt beside myself. I remember sitting on the floor of our apartment in upstate New York and thinking “I’m going to start a blog and use it as a place to get out all of these thoughts and feelings in my head”. I didn’t know if I’d even share it with people but that’s not why I started it. It was for me, a place for me to be raw and honest about all of the emotions I was feeling during one of the scariest times I’ve my life.
I honestly don’t remember when I first told people that I had been writing blog posts about everything going on. I remember feeling apprehensive to share because there was no sugar coating in those first posts; I was terrified, sad, alone, nervous, angry, and pretty much every emotion you could possibly think of. But when I did share, people were SO supportive. They loved being able to keep up with how I was doing and read updates of how my husband was doing over there. They were able to get a glimpse into our life and lifestyle and see what was really going on in that stage of our lives.
Around the one year mark I was talking to another military wife and she was telling me about a network that connected brands with bloggers. And that you could get PAID to blog about things. I wasn’t working at the time because I was staying home with our new baby so I thought what’s the harm in checking it out?
And the rest is history. Here we are, EIGHT years later, which is so crazy for me to even comprehend. I’ve had more experiences and opportunities than I ever thought possible and everyday, I wake up a do a job I love. It hasn’t always been easy and it took awhile for me to find my voice. I’ve wanted to throw in the towel so many times when it became too much or I felt like no one was listening.
But I know people are listening. The emails and messages I’ve received over the course of 8 years is living proof of that. I’ve chatted with women across the WORLD who have read my blog and been able to relate. Whether it was a new army wife preparing to send her husband on his first deployment or a new mom struggling with a non-sleeping baby. I’ve grown up in this space and matured over the years but one thing that’s never changed? I’ve never sugar coated anything and always spoken my mind. And while that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, that’s fine. This is my truth and my journey and I’m a better person for it.
Blogging isn’t about the money. It never has been for me. And while the money is nice, that’s not why I do it.
I do it because it’s my creative outlet. It’s something that I do that’s completely mine and something that allows me to combine my background of communications and marketing.
It’s easy to lose yourself in your kids when you become a mom. They depend on you for everything and you sacrifice your needs for theirs. This space allows me to be me, to share things I love, kid-related or not.
I do it for the relationships. I have met SO many amazing women (in real life and through the internet) and it’s been the greatest support system throughout every twist and turn. They’ve helped me grow my business, they’ve supported me in times when my husband was gone, they’ve sent Starbucks gift cards when I’m having a bad day. They’ve been a breath of fresh air in a sometimes isolating job as a stay-at-home-mom.
Starting a blog was easily one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. But don’t get me wrong, it’s had it’s ups and downs and moments where I questioned it. It’s not a “get rich fast” type of job and it’s exhausting. I worked for YEARS without any pay but my hard work has paid off. I’m able to provide for my family, take them on trips, travel the country, work with amazing brands and make the best of friends. If that’s not a dream job, I don’t know what is.
Thank you to everyone who’s been following along with my journey. A lot has changed in 8 years but I hope this continues to be a space you come to for whatever reason you’re here. Fashion inspiration, real-life motherhood, travel guides, beauty hacks, whatever. Thank you for allowing me to be me and loving me for it. Thank you for every share, comment, like, etc. That helps me to be able to continue to do what I love.
Reach for the stars babes.. you can have everything you want in this life and so much more. And you might not even know it at the time
(I wrote this post as part of a series Arin and Navy are sharing this summer! Be sure to check out their blogs to read as more bloggers share their stories and experiences on various topics!)