Today, I will talk about my blogging journey. This includes sharing my first attempt at blogging and how it didn’t work out, why I tried blogging again for the second time, and the reason behind my blog name.
First Attempt at Blogging
Back in 2019, when I was in the UK for a few months, I was at an internship where one of my tasks was looking for different UK bloggers. At the time, my company was looking to collaborate with bloggers for a giveaway. For about two weeks, I would spend practically the whole day researching and compiling a list of bloggers that we could reach out to form a partnership.
This reminded me of how long I’ve wanted to start a blog. I’ve always loved to write and have been dreaming about having a blog for years so why can’t this be a reality? Writing has always been therapeutic for me. There are days where I’m itching to write. For years, I have kept a diary and everyone knows how personal diaries are. A blog is different because my writing would be out there in public. Readers online would judge me. That thought alone scares me so I was hesitant for the longest time.
I was also worried about setting up a website. The whole process seemed daunting. I had many concerns starting from I didn’t know what to name my blog to how can I create an aesthetically pleasing blog. The list went on. I put a lot of pressure on myself when it came to deciding a name What’s a name I will like for a long time? It had to be perfect!
Finally, I settled with a name that could work. I convinced myself that I liked the name more than I did. That was a mistake. The more I heard the name, the more I turned away from my blog. I barely spent any time working on content. I had some common blogger misconceptions as well. Eventually, about three months later, I stopped. I lost motivation. Every day, I told myself to work on my blog but kept putting it off and made tons of excuses.
The typical excuses include:
- I don’t have time for this
- I don’t have pictures for this post
- I’m out of ideas
- Maintaining a blog takes too much time
- Who wants to read the things I have to say?
- There’s too much competition out there
As you can probably guess by now, my first blog didn’t last. Although I bought the domain for one year, I abandoned my blog merely two months in.
Second Attempt at Blogging
Even after my first failed attempt, I kept daydreaming about what it would be like to be a blogger. I know it’s what I want. The idea still seemed appealing but I doubted myself even more because I tried and it didn’t work out. I had a full-time job and was so tired by the end of the day that I did not have the energy for a side hobby.
Fast forward one year later and we’re dealing with COVID-19. I now had extra time on my hands. We weren’t allowed to go out freely with friends and family anymore due to social distancing. I was always indoors and had more time to reflect on what I wanted to do in life. I decided that I wanted to try blogging again. If it’s something I’ve been thinking about on and off for more than a year, why not give it another try? A blog isn’t going to appear out of thin air. I will need to put in consistent hard work and effort to keep my blog up and running. I can no longer say I don’t have time because all I have IS extra time.
One night, on a whim, I decided to start another blog. I told myself that this time would be different. We only have one life living on this planet. I have to give it my all so when I look back, I will have no regrets. If it doesn’t work out the way I want, it sucks but at least I told myself I tried. I would hate myself more if I didn’t so here I am!
Reason Behind Blog Name
Here is where I explain where my blog name came from. Watercolour is an art form that has always stood out to me. You dip your paintbrush in colour. When your brush touches the paper, the colour spreads out because watercolours are not completely controllable. It does its own thing. Life is the same. Everyone has all these plans in life (in one way or another) but you can’t completely control every aspect of your life. You need to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.
You then continue to add colours to the piece of paper to create a finished product. When a person is born, their life is a blank slate like a piece of paper. As he/she grows older and experience life, colours are added to his/her life. When the combination of colours blends together, it leaves a unique mark and creates something beautiful. Essentially, I wanted my blog name to have a deeper meaning than something frivolous.
I have barely started my blogging journey and I’m happy to say that I’m already proud of my progress. I have already gotten further on this one compared to my first blog and I’ve just begun! I’m excited about what’s to come and it makes me happy that I turned my dream into a reality instead of sitting back and wishing I can do something about it. There have been some unexpected difficulties but I hope that I will continue to spend consistent time and energy on my blog. Only time will tell…
1 year later and here is what I’ve learned…
Xoxo,
Nicole