Ladies,

   You all knew this day would come. The moaning and groaning has begun because we are talking about blogging! Looking back, when I would talk to other mentors/photographers about my blog I was almost scared to commit. Exposing who I really was, allowing my clients to see my inner quarks….was scary! It still is. I often wonder if I post something, how it will changes people’s opinions of me but I have learned that so many people respect what I have to say. That was a “WOW” statement from me. If you know me personally, you know that I can talk to ANYONE…about anything. I talk with my hands and the more passionate I get, the bigger the hand gestures become. I felt constricted at a keyboard and that I wasn’t being genuine. You couldn’t hear my voice…so how could I be heard through a blog! Boy, was I WRONG!

I decided that in 2015 blogging was essential. I have made a pact to blog 5 days a week for a year and if I didn’t get the outcome I was looking for that I would still continue blogging but that I would move on to my next adventure. I started my blog at the end of 2013 and got a whopping 246 views. That’s a pretty sad number. I always used the excuse that I was too busy or didn’t know what to talk about. It’s true! It’s hard to talk about something new 5 days a week.

What I did learn was that blogging has kept me motivated. I pre-blog on Sundays by writing 3 to 4 of my blogs out for the week. Some weeks it’s more difficult to get them finished but I try my best. It also keeps my social life going! It’s made me more aware of the fun activities I am involved in and more so, the amazing people I meet.

2014 went better! I was actually very surprised at my end total, 6,320 views. My goal is 24,000 views by the end of 2015. I want to TRIPLE my results and I know it’s a big endeavor BUT I have already hit a milestone. I need to get 2,000 views a month in order to accomplish this and by the end of last week I did!! I am at 2,252 views and growing. I have to thank ALL of you for reading and continuing to share my “voice”!

Here are some helpful blogging tips that have worked for ME.

-Speak with your voice! I blog as if I am talking to someone in the room. Sometimes there may be a better way to compose a sentence and I am not always grammatically correct. But, I feel the true and genuine side of me comes out when I blog the way I do.

-Pre blog, pre blog, pre blog. It’s hard! Sitting down for hours and writing multiple blog posts does not excite me at ALL but if I can find a way to write more than half of my blogs then I have given myself time to “fill in the missing links” that I haven’t come up with OR I get to go enjoy my free time!

-Don’t be afraid to write personal posts. I had a few posts I was afraid to open up and share my experiences. One of those was introducing my boyfriend, Ben. I wanted to share that part of my life but I wasn’t sure how people would react. Well, I took a deep breath and blogged. Ben’s post was the highest read post this year! I had multiple people contact me telling me how happy they were that I had found my lobster. It was an amazing experience to have such a positive reaction.

-Plan out your blogs! I have a blog calendar that keeps me accountable Monday through Friday. I will sit with a pen and paper and write out a list of things that are going on in my life, fun ideas, pinterest blogs, ect… I will have a good 25 to 30 ideas. You can’t imagine how many silly ideas I come up with. Thankfully, some of those don’t make the blog BUT giving yourself options and ideas helps you realize that you have SO MUCH to blog about!

Ladies, you all have an amazing voice! I know I have a few blogs I read on a consistent basis and I am so glad that I am a full time blogger!

Here are my blog stats for 2014/2015.

WOOHOO, I am kicking 2014’s butt so far!