I have been blogging since 2007 as an artist. Wow! Five years! I have moved my blog several times. I have had multiple blogs. Now I have combined everything into one blog. My path has meandered through just blogging about creating lampworked beads, to creating jewelry, exploring various mediums of jewelry including chain maille, seed beading, wire-wrapping, polymer clay, metal clay. Then I started taking my business a little more seriously and started a newsletter and included little business observations. I included my Resident Adventures in Hong Kong (favorite!).
I was getting serious about expanding my offerings as an artist have taken some online classes this year that have radically changed how I am approaching my business. I am more serious about including specific business practices (in my case, time and project management for artists). I have defined an editorial schedule. But, I have been struggling with just starting. I don’t know how to effectively combine my artistic voice with my business voice.
That dilemma goes to the very heart of one of the things I have been thinking about lately. While we can use templates and guidelines for things like “a business plan,” what others do to run their online business, it’s really more about adapting these tools to fit the needs of our individual business at this point in time. What worked for you 5 years ago may need to be adjusted. What worked for someone last year may not work at all for you. The key is to learn, try, apply, and adjust as needed.
Just get started.
My voice is probably going to be different when I compare this year to next year. How I combine and follow my editorial schedule will probably change. What I am planning to offer and write about will probably change. I’m glad I have five years of blogging under my belt to have figured a few things out: what I like, don’t like, my online policies, how I chose to interact online, etc. Now I am just making the conscious decision to start even though I don’t have all the details figured out just yet. I’m still taking classes. I’m still learning. But, I’m happy to share what I’m learning and how I’m using it.
And now. I’m starting.
Hi Jennifer, I enjoyed reading your comments. Would have to agree with all you had to say. I hear your back on track to a.goal of pioneering. That’s great. Hope you’re feeling good.
That goal has been at the back of my mind ever since I’ve been off the list. (15 years!) I’m really excited about being able to focus on it single-mindedly like I did when I was 17.