How to Start a Blog: Watch Me Figure This Out
I have read a lot of blog posts and watched a lot of YouTube videos about how to start a blog. At some point it all becomes both an obviously simple and mind numbingly daunting fete.
Since summer of 2022 I’ve been actively reading and watching videos on the topic. Since November 2022 I’ve had an unpublished website. Today, on January 7, 2023, is as good as any day to get real with myself about why I haven’t published a single article. At the crux of my procrastination are three truths:
1. This Blog Will Be Terrible
In researching how to start a blog, I’ve definitely heard many seasoned bloggers provide this cold-hard truth. As a perfectionist, I need to embrace this and not let my perfectionism stop me from creating. I know factually that there are few things anyone is immediately great at. The most some of us can aspire to on our first try is “promising”. The difference between someone who gives up after the first try and success is consistent practice. Check out this video of Ed Sheeran on Then Jonathan Ross Show many years ago.
Ed Sheeran could be anyone talking about any creative endeavor or skill, but the willingness to be vulnerable enough to share the imperfection and demystify the process stands out to me. I know he isn’t the first or the last to do this so I encourage you to find the role model that resonates with you. I have to realize that while I may never be the Ed Sheeran (or insert favorite artist here) of blogging, I will also never be able to call myself a blogger if I don’t try. I have to figure out how to start a blog. In short: don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.
2. I’ve Yet to Find My Blogging Voice
Even once I pass the threshold from terrible or decent, it will still be super easy for me to get distracted or discouraged by other creators whose combination of content, skill, design, intellect, and other resources invested produce a better blog than mine. There’s always going to be someone who is a better writer, better photographer, has more engaging stories, a more compelling product, and understands the technical analytics behind a successful blog. It’s also hard to see beautiful content that I aspire to make and see how it is so out of reach for me with limited talent. Focusing on what I’m not yet, can suck the joy and discovery out the process.
The reality is that part of success is knowing who I am and what I bring to the table and delivering on that. But I don’t know who I am as a blogger yet. I think I know what I want this to be, but honestly I have a hard time articulating it right now. I know that I want to share what I’m making to create a meaningful and beautiful life around me and I want to encourage and empower you to do the same. Part of that work and that journey is finding my voice. When I do, I hope my message becomes more articulate and comes through clearly to you. I hope that you recognize me for what I uniquely am and not a parody of what others are doing.
TLDR: Grow where you’re planted. Comparison is the thief of joy.
3. I Might Quit This Blog
I have been interested in storytelling from my earliest memories. When we were little, I would tell my little sister a bedtime story every night. I have enjoyed writing since I learned to put pencil to paper. In sixth grade I began journaling at the behest of my sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Lang. I’ve continued to journal nearly every day of my life since about age 13. My seventh and eighth grade teacher, Mrs. Thompson, is the first person I recall telling me that I wrote well. I have had a creative writing hobby of some sort since middle grade. During college and graduate skill I developed a skill in academic writing. I have been a professional grant writer and in my current career I write hundreds of email a week. Like many people, I maintain strong friendships through text messages that are detailed and abundant.
I write a lot, but outside of journaling and assigned work, I’m not that consistent with my practice. What I failed to mention above is how many times I’ve tried to figure out how to start a blog. Each time I start only to get hung up on how bad it is or what I want to say. I have a lot of first drafts floating around on hard drives of old computers. It’s disappointing when I think about about much progress I could have made had a I stuck with one of my first tries in the 2000s. But, upon reflection, each time it’s been a little better. I am making progress! This time can be different.
The take home: If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.
But All Is Not Lost
Here’s the thing. Today I showed up! A word I’m embracing this year is consistency. I can get beyond my procrastination and out of my head by showing up regularly to make this the space I dream of. I hope you join and watch me figure out how to start this blog, but I also understand if you’re not quite ready for that journey. Maybe in a time not too long from now I’ll have figured this out. Can’t wait to see you then!