creative conversations 05

for this month’s creative conversations, holly and i decided to switch things up and ask a guest to come join us over coffee! we were delighted when bethany of love grows design joined in our email discussion! we discussed a really great topic this month: how blogging changed our lives. i was so interested to hear what holly and bethany had to say about their journey and i was excited to reflect on mine. so grab your coffees folks!

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Tara: Oh let me count the ways! There are a ton of ways that blogging has influenced my creative journey and changed my life, but I’d have to say the biggest one was giving me a huge creative outlet at a time when I didn’t really have one. I felt a need for creative freedom and a place where I could try new things, experiment with my style and share my journey. I really didn’t expect it to become anything more than a playful place to get my ideas out in different ways and share what inspires me most. Turns out, it is so much more than a place to play, it’s become a community, friendships, a creative outlet, and a place to grow.

Holly: Aw, if I could have told my younger, designer self to start blogging sooner, I would have! I use my space as an outward extension of myself as well as a place to experiment, learn, grow and share as a designer. It serves as a place where I get to have fun and put no limits on what I do. As a designer, sometimes it’s tough to go your own way with projects because you are following the lead of your client. As a blogger, I have the opportunity to create projects for myself and post material that am passionate about. I have learned to not take blogging too seriously and to have fun with the process and journey. I enjoy looking back to when I first started blogging and it’s such a rewarding feeling to see how far I’ve come and how much I have accomplished!
 

Bethany: I feel like blogging has really helped shape my adult life! I started blogging when I graduated high school as a way to try something new and have an outlet for creative writing. Then when I got married it evolved into sharing my experiences and deeper thoughts to connect with other women in similar situations. That’s when I really started to love the blogging community and made some real friends! But then the time of that blog seemed to naturally end as I started my design business and now I use blogging as a tool for marketing my business. It’s been a HUGE help as it brings in most of my clients and it’s so fun to be able to share some advice and inside scoops with readers, and like Holly I can have some fun doing things for myself! Over the last few years blogging has really helped to shape my life as I’ve met so many new amazing people, expanded my business, and learned about writing and sharing in the online world. As cheesy as it sounds, I can’t imagine where I would be right now if I hadn’t started blogging! At the very least, I wouldn’t know awesome fellow designers like you!
 

 
Tara: I think like Bethany, one thing that blogging has really given me is a way to not only track my journey as a creative and personally, but a way to look back and see how far I’ve come and what experiences I’ve had. One of the best parts about blogging for me is the freedom to share your life and define what you want to write about. I love the ability to share trips and inspiration alongside design work I’ve done or experiences I’ve had growing a business and being in the industry. I recently just watched the American Blogger, and though it talks a lot about mama bloggers and I’m not really at that stage in my life yet, one of the things I really took away from it was the ability we each have to leave a mark (however different each of our blogs and content are) for future generations to look back on. I just think that’s so profound and I think blogging has changed my perception of what I want to leave behind.
 
Holly: I couldn’t agree more! I have really started to use my blog as more of a journal to document the things that are currently going on with my life – whether that be current things I’m loving, what I wore, projects I’m working on, stories and experiences, it’s a wonderful way to show where you’ve been and the path that you’re currently paving for yourself. I choose to blog not only for myself, but I also use my blog as a way to help encourage creativity, inspire, and share what I’ve learned as a way to help others. Each connection, comment, email, Facebook message, or tweet I receive is as equally rewarding as the next and makes me absolutely love what I do!!
 
Bethany: Yes! While I don’t necessarily use my blog to journal my life (since I’ve chosen not to get too personal or share things unrelated to my business), it’s almost a journal of my business- the steps I’m making and what I’ve learned and the work I’m creating and who is influencing me, etc. And I love having a way to make a small impact on the world. While my readership might not be big and I’m certainly not blog famous, those comments and emails from readers letting me know that I’ve helped them out means the world to me! If I’m able to help one person find success in their blog or business through the advice I give on my blog, it’s all worth it. But hey, there’s quite a few things that make it all worth it so it looks like I won’t be quitting any time soon!
 
Tara: That totally leads into another thing I was going to say, through blogging I’ve found a huge potential to help others through my experiences. One of my main goals with my blog has become to inspire and help my readers in any way that I can. Whether your readership is huge or small, blogging gives you that voice. Some of the most powerful things to me are the abilities to change one person or many people’s outlook, connect with how their feeling or be vulnerable and show you can relate to your readers. I think sometimes the reason we feel compelled to write a blog post is because we’ve had a certain experience and want to put it out there to help in any way we can. Seeing the same thing on other people’s blog is just amazing to me, the bravery and courage it takes to put your story out there makes bloggers sort of heroes in my eyes.
 

 
Holly: Blogging certainly has given me the voice I’ve been searching for and has really helped me to become a more confident person. I used to be the girl that was sometimes shy and didn’t share much of her opinion because she feared what the response could be. Blogging has helped me take the steps to become more self-assured and willing to take the lead; which has made sharing and connecting so much easier. It was a slow process in the beginning, but once I developed my writing style things started to flow a lot easier and everything started to fall into place. You first get going you may hit a few bumps, but try not to get discouraged and enjoy the journey, because the potential outcomes could be oh so good!
 
Bethany: Oh man, I think back to when I first started blogging and how I wasn’t very confident, unsure of how to navigate these new waters in the online world. I was scared to say anything even mildly opinionated and when I got my first negative comment, oh how I cried. And now here I am teaching others and establishing myself as an expert! I’ve learned how to write in a way that is inclusive of others differing opinions but also shares my point of view in a way that people can understand. Two years ago I never could’ve done that! It’s amazing how much I’ve grown, not only as a blogger but also as a person. It’s helped me to be much better at my job as I teach and help my clients and I think that’s one of the things my clients appreciate most about my work. Pretty crazy how blogging has changed my life!

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we hope you guys enjoyed our little discussion! now we want to know – whether you write your own or just read your favourites: how has blogging changed your lives?