If you ever find yourself in a rut, a slump, a period of just feeling overall bleh-ness, I have just the thing to cheer you up. Heck, if you’re not in a rut and you are feeling like an 11/10 on a day-to-day basis (go off by the way,) I still have just the thing to bump that 11 up to a 12. In fact, I know just what you need to hear.
Three words.
No, it’s not I love you.
But I do. I do love you.
It’s:
Start a blog.
I’m serious. I promise you that doing that will increase your mood by 100%. I am here to take you through why you should start a blog if you are feeling meh and to talk you out of all the excuses to not start one.
I have given this advice to a few of my friends recently who have called me up and said that they weren’t feeling their best lately, whether it be something about school or friends or just themselves in general.
I truly believe that having something to not only distract you, but something to make you feel proud, productive and BOSS-like is just the best medicine around.
Now, I asked my lovely followers on Instagram for reasons why they didn’t start their own website / blog even though they wanted to. Here’s what we got.
Megan that sounds great! But….
I have no clue how to do that.
It sounds really time-consuming / it’s a lot of work.
It seems like I will get really stressed trying to make it perfect.
I don’t know how to make it aesthetically pleasing.
I don’t know what I would write about.
It sounds expensive.
I don’t want anybody to see it, though.
HAVE NO FEAR YOUNG CREATORS.
For starters, it is not as hard as it looks. If you are someone who can’t even figure out how to turn subtitles on on Netflix, fear not. You are all much smarter than you think. I designed and made mine all by myself with no help (go me) just from messing around with the different features and buttons. If you need a little guidance, there are also so many how-tos and guides for whatever platform you use along with site help centers. I also know someone who is willing to help...her name is Megan and she has this awesome blog called Operation Happiness. Ever heard of her?
Next. Nobody is telling you that you need to work on it every single day and post three blogs a week. A lot of us are in school or have jobs and spending more hours than we already do at the computer is just not in our cards. So, if you want to spend one day every week for 20 minutes updating it and maybe writing something quick, do it. If you want to spend an hour every single day fidgeting with layout and punching out some blog posts, do it. It is YOUR blog. YOUR rules.
The thing about designing your own website is that you are the one who can make changes whenever you fricking want to. If you set it up and then look at it a week later and hate everything about it, change it. Hate the colors? Switch it up. Hate the photo you used? Byeee. No need to get stressed out about this. This is supposed to be fun and mood BOOSTING! I know that for me personally, the blog that I made two years ago is NOT the same blog I have today. My tagline changed, my content changed, my tabs changed. Change is a (sometimes scary) beautiful thing. It is YOUR blog. YOUR rules.
Again, nobody is saying that your blog needs to look like *insert your favorite website or blog here.* I trust that by now you all know what colors go together and what is pleasing to the eye, but if you don’t, who cares! Just remember, less is more. Start with simple colors, simple pages, simple everything. Make it easy to navigate and easy to read. People like pictures, so put some pictures in there. People like interactive things, so maybe include some links or a video or a poll or your Instagram feed for people to see and click on. Or if you don’t want to include any of that stuff and just want a clean, simple sheet, do that. It is YOUR blog. YOUR rules.
Having writer’s block about what you want to write about on your blog? Don’t. Stop that right now. Who says you need to know? Whether it’s niche and is all about movies or fashion or its net is a little wider like culture or lifestyle or it serves as simply a collection of your thoughts and writing, nothing is ever set in stone. I know so many bloggers who were once totally and only fashion bloggers, but are now putting out more personal and other content. We change. We grow. And our ideas come with us as we do that. So don’t stress about that. Nobody is going to get mad at you for changing your mind. It is YOUR blog. YOUR rules.
As for the Benjamin Franklins...it depends. A lot of websites offer a range of free templates and layouts and options to choose from and then block off certain features that require you to cough up some cash. For example, if you want to own your own domain, that might cost you a few dollars (literally, only a few, depending on the name.) If you want to have an unlimited amount of emails to send out, that might cost you a few dollars. But all in all, you can absolutely make a blog without spending a fortune. *This is what is true for the platform I make my blog on which is Squarespace. It might be different for other ones.*
In terms of an audience...When I first started my blog, it was for my eyes and my eyes only. Well, and maybe my mom and dad every now and then, but I really didn’t advertise it or show it to anyone. Eventually, I changed my mind and wanted the WORLD to see it, but if you want to keep it to yourself, no problemo. It’s kind of nice to have something just for you! Like an elevated diary... ALSO, if you want it to be public but only to some people, I know Squarespace has a feature where you could require a password in order for people to get to the page. Either way, whether you show it to everyone or show it to one person or show it to no one, you will and still can be super proud of what you made.
The night I started my blog I stayed up late after my roommate went to sleep, in the dark, sitting on my bed uploading different photos and starting to configure the website. I was so excited I didn’t want to put my computer down and go to sleep! Now, that also could be the part of me that is impatient and likes to get things done ASAP - SO, don’t worry about getting it all done in one day or a week. Take your time. Plan it out. Play around with it. No rush.
It’s just about you creating something and working on something that is your own. I promise you, that having a creative outlet like your own website is the best thing to have by your side. I work on my website a lot. It’s something I really am proud of and it is a really, really good feeling.
If you were waiting for a sign to fall out of the sky telling you to stop what you are doing right now and start planning out your blog, do it. And then tell me about it because I am so excited for you.