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Happy New Year, everyone! I hope your holidays were wonderful! I sure enjoyed the time off!
There was travel involved. The Happiest Place on Earth was sure kind to my family.
There were presents- for Christmas, and for birthdays!
There were great times with my husband and children-- all were home for the past two weeks!
There wasn't a whole lot of crafting, and not a whole lot of blogging either.
To be honest, I really enjoyed it. I didn't miss the pressures of not only creating a new project, but photographing it, editing it, and creating a post for each day.
I love crafting, and I love blogging- but I'm not happy with how my hobby has taken over my life. I have three young children. My husband is the bishop of our church, and is gone A LOT. I try to cook and clean, exercise, run errands. I want to play with my children, teach my piano lessons, prepare my Sunday School lessons. Read my scriptures. Grow spiritually. Cultivate friendships.
As a wife and mother, I'm falling short. I'm finding it hard to do everything I want to do, because I get sucked into the computer every day. I honestly don't know how you all balance your lives. It's just not working for me. I don't want my blog to be a business, or a full-time job. It was started as a hobby, and I feel, for me, it should stay that way.
I like the gratification of other people enjoying my work, or being inspired by it. However, the time I have to put into each project vs. the amount of feedback I get is sometimes very disheartening. It's frustrating to watch a new blogger skyrocket to 1000 followers when I've struggled for almost 2 years to get 600! There are thousands of craft blogs- and I'm sure no one would miss me too much if I went away.
I don't want to go away- I just want to ease up a little. I'm going to be changing a few things around here. First of all, I am going to back away from being sponsored. While I appreciate the small amount of revenue sponsors bring in, and I enjoy spotlighting talented ladies and their shops, I just don't have the time to promote them responsibly. If I can't make it worth their money, it's not something I want to do. After each of my sponsors finishes their contract, I won't be renewing them. So that will gradually go away.
Second, I'm deleting my Twitter account. I hardly ever use it. I just can't keep up with it. I'm not sure I even "get" Twitter :) I plan on keeping my Facebook account, at least for now- if for nothing else than to let you know what's going on over here.
Third, my blogging schedule will change. I'm going to try to continue to blog three days a week. It might not always happen. I know it's easier to read my blog if you know what to expect, but if life gets in the way, I might miss a post here or there. What I post is going to be a little different too. Here's my plan:
Monday- Made It Mondays- showcasing a project I created- tutorials often included.
Wednesday- Mouth-Watering Wednesdays- a new recipe I tried this week (most often sweets!)
Friday- Feature Friday- I love showing off projects each week that catch my eye. I'm going to continue this- just move it to a new day.
I'll still be open to fee-free product reviews and giveaways, and of course I love to guest post on other blogs. But I want to get back to what this blog was meant to be in the first place: a place for me to keep track of the projects I make, and share them with others who might be inspired by them.
Thank you for your support over the last year and a half. I truly appreciate every comment, every pin, every email, and every kind thought you've had about my blog and my projects. I hope you'll stay with me as I get back to who I really am: "Occasionally Crafty" Valerie.
I'll see you here on Wednesday with a delicious cookie recipe you have to try.
Love you Val! This is just another reason you are such a great example to me! My favorite thing you do is 3 things Thursday, but you are moving it to Friday now so that is good! And as always I have been feeling a few of these myself. Glad I am not the only one.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to how you feel. When I started blogging it was for fun, and sometimes now it feels like a job, and I have to have something to post! I used to try to post everyday, but that only lasted for a couple of weeks before I realized it was TOO much, so I only (usually) post 2 or 3 times a week. It just isn't worth putting family second for blogging. So, you are not alone in feeling this way, I think a lot of people feel the way you do, but just don't say anything. :)
ReplyDeleteI love your honesty. I just started and it seems so overwhelming when I see the big blogs out there, with their sponsors and ads, and 20K followers and making the same money as a full time job. I'm glad there are others who appreciate the joys of blogging...slowed down a bit :-) Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI think it's important to realize that you can't do everything. I wish you the best with your new goals. :) You know I'll still be following
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