Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Blogging Milestones in My Blogging Life

Dear Diary:

My first blog was posted June 13th, 2010.  I believe it was a Sunday.  So for the Monday Meme, I tried to recreate the picture on that memorable day.

From my first post, I no longer have the tee; I've deleted the hair; and I have a new computer.  I've acquired nicer hands, flashier makeup and better fitting clothing.  I now own a lovely house in a tropical sim so I can always have warm sunny weather even if the snow is piled up around me in my first world.

I came into this world on March 12th, 2008 but I didn't start blogging until two years after.  I went through various milestones, while blogging, none of which were earth shattering, but changed me as a blogger.  So here are my top 5:

1. The Start: I always wanted to blog.  Early on, I wanted to be a journalist so I thought this would be a great way for me to use my desire to put something in print while using my limited creative talent.  It was hard to start.  Lack of confidence? No skill? Terrified of failure? Or all of the above?  I told myself I should try it and if I didn't like it, I could stop.  The first milestone was a go.

2. The First Post:  I made it simple.  The photo was basic.  I published.  No Photoshop or other touch-up programs.  No additional posting to other feeds.  I checked the number of viewings constantly.  The thrill I felt when I saw that 3 people had read my post was overwhelming!  I was on my way with another milestone under my belt. 

3.  The Revelation:  I started out posting as a "fashion" writer.  I bought the clothes and accessories, and put them together as best I could.  I soon discovered that there were so many other bloggers out there that were much better at it than I was.  I loved the items, I admired the creators but I didn't have the words or phrases to adequately describe what they were like.  I wasn't doing well in the world of fashion. So I decided to abandon the styling posts and lean toward things I like to write / talk about, things that were interesting to me.  I started my "Thinking" posts which melded both of my worlds together.  That way I could write about my cares or problems.  It is very cathartic.  This was a momentous third milestone, one of my biggest.

4. The Learning Curve: At this point in my blogging, I had passed and accepted 3 plateaus of my milestones.  I was feeling more secure with my writing and still working on the quality of my photographs at this point but I needed to know more of how to produce better pictures.  I read tutorials.  Berry's tutorials were informative, helpful and written in words I could understand.  I tried out Windlight, thanks to Chic Aeon, Luna Jubilee and Annan Adored to name only a few who have provided downloads of their settings.  I used photo aids such as Animare or AnyPose.  All of these helpful suggestions came from reading blogs written by people who had started out like me and were now helping others due to their expertise.  This was the most mind expanding milestone.

5.  The Acceptance: My final milestone up to this point, came about almost 2 years ago.  I joined a Challenge and finally knew that I loved doing this blog, for whatever reason.  I was confident knowing that I could write a post for total enjoyment, adding a picture that I termed worthy, and have other readers like it too. 

It seems I've covered all the big milestones in my blogging life.  I no longer worry about how many people read my blog.  I like what I write for myself.  I want to continue to learn new things about photography or settings and appreciate what all the other posts are teaching me.  It will be a continual learning experience.

Another milestone is just around the corner.  I know it.

Good Night for now.

I'm wearing:
Hands: Slink AvEnhanced (casual)
Nail polish: Izzie's Classic nails
Lipstick: Oceane Glammy Lipstick (orange2)
Hair: Truth Hair Saffron

Dress: TuTy's Sweater dress (orange)
Ring: LaGyo Siroune ring (gold)

Desk: MMG work desk and chair
Laptop: Shared Media Loaded Laptop (no longer available)

Location: My home La Galleria Palo Alto Home