My Blogging Journey So Far
Hey there, thanks for dropping by. I appreciate you clicking on this post. For today’s entry, I’m going to share about my blogging journey: from the fears I had to the things that inspired me, as well as a few stories.
Early years
I was in high school when I first started blogging. This was around 2007. I wrote about the bracelets I made, my classmates, my dog, the satisfying feeling of climbing the roof in our backyard to get tiny cherries, the retreats we attended (which I found so reflective), and the fun parts. Like when I’d go out with friends during the weekends, or when I first performed at Embassy Superclub when I was 16 for a QTV show called Events Incorporated hosted by Tim Yap. I also recall sharing about high school summers, family events, and everyday moments (including the boring ones). Pati nga yung baha samin kinwento ko sa lumang blog haha pero sayang nawala na yung mga pictures na kinuha ni papa. Epic yun, kasi yung mga aso namin lumangoy sa baha lol. Nahirapan kami maghanap kasi syempre brownout and Black sila. Nahanap din naman, nag enjoy lang sila mag swimming 😂
L-R: Me in my room, preparing for the gig | Me with the other performers, and kuya Jan Nieto, the singer assigned to have a duet with me.
The early years were all about creating diary-style entries. I guess that's how most teenagers did it during that time. I also enjoyed writing blog posts with a drink on my side. Hot Milo with condensed milk worked wonders for me before. And now, coffee. I love how it puts me in a relaxed state. It kept me going and kept me typing. How about you? What's your drink?
L-R: With my classmates from Playshop at The Podium | With some relatives in Mactan, Cebu | Food and social events were my favorite things to write about as a teen
Going back...
Years later, I stopped and deleted my account because I got busy with other things, like music and moving to a different region to attend university. A few years after working, though, I decided to do it again, so I signed up for a free plan on a cloud-based website builder. I wrote about random things. I didn’t have a set of categories yet. It was not as organized.
Fast forward to today, that old blog is now this website. The only difference is that I now have a proper domain, and it’s more systematic.
Blogging is like life; it isn’t perfect and is an ongoing journey. There is always something to learn along the way, and we’ll all have our fair share of smooth routes and bumpy roads. That’s how we stretch further and discover what more we can do.
Now, let’s get to what this post is about.
Fears I had before blogging
As mentioned earlier, I was in high school when I entered the blogosphere. As a teenager who was new to everything about writing stuff online, I had some fears like having grammatical errors, not having the best photos, being judged by peers, and endangering my online safety, among others.
I was a kid, after all, and it made sense to feel conscious, have worries, or be wary because there are hateful creatures on the internet, and predators were also starting to creep into blogs and chat rooms at that time. It doesn’t hurt to be careful.
It took a while to get rid of those fears, but they eventually went away.
My parents also gave me lots of warnings; something I didn’t like as a teen but now appreciate as an adult. I would’ve been preyed on, cyberbullied, manipulated, or even catfished. You just never know. Internet safety and parental guidance are a must, especially for young girls out there.
Sources of inspiration
Back when I was still writing songs, I remember getting inspiration from my friends' experiences, then sometimes from mine. With blogging, it comes more from the desire to express and inform. It gives me a sense of purpose. During days when I feel uninspired, I go out, look at plants, have a hot drink, or do not do anything at all. I do not force myself to write; I doodle on my journal, then see where it goes. Other things that inspire me include beautiful views and funny jokes.
A continuous learning process
As with anything, mistakes are inevitable. When I was still starting, I made all sorts of blunders. I used funny font styles, added a lot of stickers on photos, and published silly posts, like gushing about elementary crushes or fretting about lost glitter pens lol.
I still commit some booboos up to this day, but well, I guess it’s like that with any undertaking because that’s how we know which things to change and which areas to improve. Learning is a lifelong process.
That’s about it! Thanks for reading and stay safe always.
