Last year I attended a bloggers conference in Melbourne which left me thinking about what it really takes to become a successful creative blogger.
Whilst listening to all of the expert speakers, it dawned on me that those making a living from blogging were nothing like me at all. Those that were in creative fields like fashion and design were yet to be parents, and those that were parents were blogging about parenting. The rest were men.
So it left me wondering if it’s really possible to be a mum and a successful creative blogger?
The first big question I asked myself is why blog in the creative genre? And by creative I mean, actually creating something original, physical or digital, photographing it, and then writing a blog content about it.
The simple answer is because I like it.
But there are lots of challenges:
The biggest challenge we all face as mothers is finding time. Time to parent, time for ourselves, time to create then time to blog about it. Being a parent is a full time endeavour, we just can’t give up our day job to be a blogger. Finding the time and creative energy is a real balancing act.
Being an artist, maker or crafter and a blogger has it’s own unique challenges in the blogging sphere. Our readers come to us for inspiration and want something new and creative. There is often not enough energy to go around, so what are you prepared to sacrifice?
For me my sacrifices have been, a clean home, a reliable income (from a job out of home), and the real biggie, reading other blogs.
Often there is little financial reward for creative blogs as they are not always very attractive to marketers and advertisers. Don’t plan to get rich as a creative blogger, do it for the love!
So what are the answers:
Define or re-define your idea of success. Don’t make it financial or you will be bitterly disappointed.
I love blogging because it has opened up a whole new world for me, amazing friendships and opportunities, inspiration and motivation.
Be original and push yourself creatively to create the best content you can.
Have realistic expectations of yourself and the time you can give to your blogging.
Collaborate with other creative people, you will create great connections, friendships and ideas.
At the end of the day, a successful blog is something that you feel good about and is representative of you.
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This post was bought to you by Cinti ~ My Poppet
Cintia Gonzalez is a blogger, crafter and online store owner. She started her first handmade business Cinti does Vintage in 2005 and then went on to open her retail store My Poppet in 2007. Both the My Poppet blog ( http://www.mypoppet.blogspot.com) and the online store (http://www.mypoppet.com.au) are constantly evolving as family commitments change, and that’s a good thing!
I too have just been to a blogger meet & starting to wonder why as a creative blogger, I am know where near the “popularity” of other forms of bloggers. I am thinking about expanding to involve more of my own life into blogging but I am also worried that I will lose the faithful followers who read my blog for inspiration to make creative things.
It is a fine line and a balancing act. But you can do both. You can still post crafty things and have a page set up with direct links to the posts on your blog and then have general bloggy posts in between.
Having a page linking all the crafty posts is a great idea, as those that are only interested in the craft can visit and see what you have been up to without having to trawl through pages of other posts to find them.
Good luck finding the balance, its all trial and error, you will find what works best for you. Maryanne x
Thanks Cinti. You’ve helped to answer some of the questions that I have had lately, being in the same shoes as you – a mum and trying to be slightly creative. In my head, everything works out beautifully. Making, blogging, parenting, I have it all. In reality, one often out weighs the other. And this is fine, but I have to learn to live with the frustration and be OK with it.
A great post and I only WISH I had some creativity to add that type of content to my blog. You are awesome Cinti and your blog is one of my favourite places to stop by xxx
[…] Handmade Kids has links to lots of handmade goodness and this great post about creative blogging. […]
Good thoughts – I struggle with this concept and am interested to hear feedback from conferences like these. I do feel though that there must exist some way of being a parent and doing something creative and enjoyable and making something of a success of it! Just don’t know what that way is yet!