Gentle reader;
This is one of those posts I’ve been struggling with for a while. One of those ones you feel bubbling up inside you, but you don’t know if you have the guts to actually put fingers to keyboard and let it out.
There are always reasons for this, and those reasons are always rooted in fear. Fear of being judged. Fear of being thought a failure. Fear of criticism.
But here’s the long and the short of it: it’s time to make some changes.
I’ve been bloggidy-blogging here in some form or another since October of 2008, and before that I blogged in other places. This has been a huge part of my life.
I started this blog for two reasons; one was I need a marketing tool for my newly-launched freelance PR/social media marketing biz. And the other was that I needed to write. Starting at the age of 18, I had a 20-year-long love affair with the theatre. I still love the theatre, but we’re on a break while I raise my son. Still, that creative energy doesn’t just go away. It needs an outlet. And for me, that outlet has been writing over the last (nearly) 8 years. At current count, there are 3 blogs: this one, Cooking by Laptop, and Brunchcouver. I also still occasionally contribute to VancityBuzz, and I am a paid writer for another Vancouver blog.
On top of all that, I have 4 part-time teaching contracts, and a handful of social media & PR clients. Plus, the kid.
So, yeah, I’m busy.
But I was busy before, too. What’s changed? Well, for starters, I’m teaching more than I ever have before (and I don’t want to say no to teaching–I really love it, and the onslaught of work now means I can take July and August off to just hang with my son). As well, one of my clients recently has needed more this month than they have in the past, as we are into a really busy season with them. So, basically what’s happening is, I have tons of paid work. Not a bad problem to have, right?? Exactly. But it leaves little time for (directly) unpaid work, like blogging.
For me, blogging has always been an investment in the future. This blog has been my main source of marketing for new clients and my book(s), and it’s been a highly successful one. My cooking blog allows me to have some amazing food and travel experiences, and I’m grateful for that. But the time I sink into these, in terms of what it pays back in directly billable hours, is negligible.
So, I have to focus on paid work.
But this brings up all kinds of things for me. You see, I’m an all-or-nothing kinda gal. I create a schedule and stick to it. At this time, I’m writing between 6-7 blog posts a week. It’s a big commitment, and when I commit to something, I really commit to it. So not doing it feels like failure to me.
But on the other hand, I’m also aware that some of my blog posts over the last few months have been… less than stellar. There have been times when I’ve put something up because I needed content, not necessarily because I was deeply inspired to write. And the quality may not have been as high.
I feel like it’s time to take a break, and take a step back. I’ve already had one coaching session, and I need some more time to chat with some other friends and bloggers about what the next step needs to be.
One thing I’m considering is combining the two blogs–if I can only figure out how to make food and social media work together?
I feel muddy. I need clarity. And I need a little time to hopefully get that.
So, gentle reader, I’m taking a bit of a break. I’m not sure how long it will be. Maybe just a couple of weeks, maybe a month. My classes all wrap up at the end of June, so I will be getting back a big chunk of time then.
In the mean time, please continue to follow and interact with me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And I’d love to hear your thoughts or ideas on how I might move forward. You, after all, are a big reason why I do this–so you opinion is incredibly important to me. Please feel free to comment below or on my Facebook page.
Until soon,
~Rebecca