10 Lessons I Learned in my First year of Blogging

I have officially been blogging for over a year now. What a rollercoaster of a year it has been. I have learned so much about the world of blogging. And needless to say I love it. There is so much freedom in writing that gets my imagination flowing. I love having an outlet to unleash my creativeness. As a registered nurse, creativity is not a useful skill in the hospital. I find that having a side hobby that allows me to invent new recipes and generate DIYs keep me sane. Both sides of my family are very arty. My mom’s side of the family are all incredible musicians. My great grandma was playing the piano with incredible ease until her late 90s. My dad’s side of the family are all astonishing artists. My Gido (grandfather in Ukranian), was a portrait painter. My dad is a remarkable sketch artist. When I was younger I would beg my dad to draw me pictures of horses. As you can see, creating and crafting beautiful things is in my blood. Blogging has given me a creative outlet. There are quite a few things I have learned while blogging this year. I am hoping these things help new bloggers grow their blog, as well as show non-bloggers why I love blogging. So lets get right into it 1.I am horrible at spelling… and grammer gammar. Yes the struggle is real. I have serious issues. I have to write each of my posts in my wordperfect just to try and make sure I void making errors… and I still consistently catch myself writing in a different language nowhere close to English. I have learned to always use spell check! … because spelling matters. 2.Blogging takes time. The first time I hit “publish”, I thought I was able to classify myself with the bloggers. I thought that people would be flooding in to read my post… but the truth is… I didn’t start getting followers until 6 months in. If you start a blog to gain a following, become popular or to even make money.. I hate to break it to you but you are in it for the wrong reasons. Don’t get discouraged, you will see results if you stick with it! 3.Social media is your friend. I am constantly using social media to promote my posts and attract visitors to my site. Social media is an easy outlet to help connect with people who have similar interests and hobbies as you. Social media creates friendships! 4.Quality over quantity. It is more beneficial for you to blog less with better content then vice versa. Many people think you need to constantly be posting to attract people to your blog but that is far from true. In my experience, I was reciprocated for the time and effort I put into my posts. When you put out bad content, not only do you not draw in visitors, but you also loose some of your following. 5.Get creative, and be original. Don’t copy what all the popular blogs are posting about. No one wants to read the same old thing over and over again. Publish content that is fresh and innovative. Be original in your posts. Don’t be a copy cat. 6.Don’t read “How To Be A Successful Blogger” posts. Everyone has his or her opinions on how to be a successful blogger. But what exactly is a successful blogger? Someone who has has a million visitors a month? Someone who signs a book deal? Someone who makes a living blogging? Someone who is just content with publishing their thoughts? First you have to identify why you want to blog… then don’t loose sight of that. I write what I want to. When I first started blogging I read that you had to have a “niche” to be a successful blogger. A niche in the blogging world is like putting your blog in a cage, and only writing on one specific topic. I was happier blogging when I was able to post about what ever I wanted rather then on a specific topic. 7.Blog for yourself, not for others. It’s so easy to get caught up in the world of blogging. Don’t ever let anyone make you feel obligated to promote his or her product or brand. Your blog is your baby. Keep your values and only blog things that you believe in. 8.Be yourself. I found that I started to enjoy blogging more when I let go of all the rules. I started typing like I talk and took pictures that I found beautiful. I stopped caring what the comments were or if my photos were going to get accepted on certain platforms. 9.Enjoy the journey. Blogging is a journey. Stop focusing on the destination of your blog. Enjoy the evolution of your blog. 10.Have fun! Blogging is supposed to be fun! If publishing posts starts to become stressful for you or make you unhappier, it is time to step back and reevaluate things. Look back at why you started blogging, and try to find that passion again. I am so thankful for the opportunities writing on Nikki’s Plate has given me.. and I am so thankful for the joy it has brought me. Here is to many more years of publishing content on this little hobby of mine. CHEERS ☺