Today is the one month (give or take) anniversary since I’ve started blogging and it’s been euphoric! Honestly, this is one of the best decisions I’ve made. Blogging lets me express my frustrations about a skin condition I’ve known all my life, in fun creative ways. I’ve connected with people from different parts of the world and it doesn’t get any better than that. Most importantly, I’m extremely passionate about finding a cure and preventing eczema all together. How am I going to do this? I’m not exactly sure, but I know that you have to start somewhere.
Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. – Steve Jobs
I’ve always enjoyed writing and knew I wanted to blog. But when it came to the topic I was stuck on what exactly to talk about. As an avid reader of blogs, I always felt like something was missing. It seems as if the market was oversaturated in topics such as; fashion, food, decor, travel, fitness, sports, etc. Which there’s nothing wrong with. Personally, I happen to love each of these topics. However, I wanted to contribute something new.
So I decided to blog about the thing I’m extremely familiar with. Skin. Skin conditions. In particular, eczema. I wanted my blog to be a no bs, no fluff, down and dirty depiction of what eczema is really like. I didn’t want to package it up. I want readers to know that this is a serious skin condition. People suffer. Its chronic pain. There are embarrassing and traumatizing situations we deal with. Times you want to hide, because of other peoples stares. Overall, general frustration.
Itchin Since ’87 is my calling. If I can help people in any way, shape or form then I will. Somewhere inside of me, there is this gut feeling that a breakthrough will occur in curing eczema. Not sure when, but I have faith.
With that being said, starting a blog comes with many challenges. Late nights, junk food, writers block and more. So because of this, I’ve decided share what I’ve learned so far. Here goes…
The Good
- Accomplishing my goal of just starting a blog
- I LOVE diversity, so seeing people from all over the world view my blog is a dream come true!! Hopefully I’ll be able to visit some of these countries. HUGE THANK YOU to these countries – US, Germany, Brazil, Japan, Italy, Australia, Russia, South Korea, UK, Netherlands, South Africa, India, China, Canada, Iran, Portugal, Spain, Colombia, France, Indonesia, Malaysia, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, Argentina, Belgium, Costa Rica, Egypt, Georgia, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Panama, Poland, Romania, Taiwan, UAE, Uruguay
- No need for therapy session a la Tony Soprano, writing/typing is extremely therapeutic!
- Laughter – I hope I’m bringing laughter to those who read this
- Knowledge – I’ve learned a wealth of knowledge by covering stories on people, technology, events, medicine and more
- Slowly becoming a better writer as well as checking my work. This is something I struggle with as editing is hard for me. Blogging has forced me to check my grammar/spelling and overall flow
- Connecting with people that struggle with skin conditions and exchanging tips for managing eczema
- Knowing that I’m working towards a goal of pursuing the cure for eczema (very slowly, but still working on it everyday)
- Talking to strangers – I love saying that I’m a blogger and explainig what I do
- Feedback! Love hearing from people
- Having amazing support from family and friends!!
- Its fun!
The Bad
- Writer’s Block – I tend to get this a lot
- Adult ADD – I’m pretty sure I have this
- Overanalyzing
- Signing up for a PO box – technically this is really easy, but paying for the year was not money I intended on spending
- I’ve definitely starting talking to myself out loud more – this is because I’m so inspired and when I think of something to write about, I talk. I’m pretty sure drivers and people around me think I’m nuts!!
The Ugly
- Reading over the legality of blogging. *If you are planning to start a blog, this is a must. Here are some websites – https://litreactor.com/columns/blogging-and-the-law-five-issues-you-need-to-know , https://www.eff.org/issues/bloggers/legal , http://www.idiotsguides.com/technology/blogging/blogging-rules-and-etiquette/ , http://kevin.lexblog.com/legal-marketing/ethics-blogging-law/
- At one point I had my home address listed for the news letter subscription – NOT GOOD!
- Confession – Sometimes I binge eat while thinking of stories, as if I’m back in college and need to hand in a 20 page paper the next morning.
- When you first set up a website…things go wrong. Very very wrong! I got about 80 percent of the way done and realized I needed help as I’m not an expert in coding. Ansley Fones! She is the best of the best. Her website – http://ansleyfones.com/
If you’re reading this and thinking wow I should start a blog. DO IT. Don’t even hesitate, you’re already thinking about it, so go for it. You can always ask me or anyone else questions. I’m still learning as I go. But like I said, this is the BEST decision I’ve made in 2015.
Source for quote – Source-http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/steve_jobs.html
Happy Blogging!!
A