Why Starting This Blog Was One of the Best Things I Ever Did For Myself
I've been writing in this little internet space for a year now. Reflecting on where I was a year ago, I can't believe how much has changed, and all of it for the better. And crazy as it may sound, I honestly feel like a lot of it comes down to the fact that I have this little space, on the internet, where I can talk about my passions, my interests, and what drives me. So here's a few reasons why starting this blog has been one of the best thing I ever did for myself:
It gave me a platform to talk about things other than fashion and photography.
It made me feel like I had a voice separate to Atlas' voice, which I was starting to feel people were identifying me with. I wanted to be known for Olivia Bossert, photographer and editor, not just as Atlas Magazine which is edited by Olivia Bossert.
Originally, this blog started as a place to talk about my passion for health and fitness. Now I talk about a huge variety of things, but I got the chance to discuss my chronic illness, raise awareness a bit more, and share the things which have helped in order to help others.
My blog forced me to pick my camera up again, which helped to reignite the spark for my photography.
I've made more friends in the past year (and really, really good friends, at that!) thanks to my blog than ever before. Yes, we're all introverts and hate leaving our houses, but when we do, we have the best of times. If anything, I'm most thankful for my blog for that alone!
I've had to write, something I thought I hated, but it turns out I just don't like to write about things which don't interest me. Give me a pen & paper, and a topic I'm passionate about, and I'll write for hours.
I've got a way to look back in time at my life. What an incredible thing to be able to do! I frequently click back, looking at the photos, seeing what I did on certain weeks. It's so nice to have a visual timeline of you own life.
My blog keeps my family in the loop in a more visual way than phone calls could. Being so far away from your loved ones can be tough, and I miss my parents and grandparents loads when I don't see them for long periods of time, but I feel like whenever I write a blog post, it's also a way for them to see that I'm ok, what I'm getting up to, and be far more involved in my day to day life than if I didn't have my blog.
I've grown in confidence. Opening yourself up to the world can feel really intimidating, and there have been times when I've feared pressing the "publish" button, but every time I have, the responses have been incredible.
It's created business opportunities. I'm fully convinced that because I'm so open about who I am, and the life that I leave, leads to people wanting to work with me on a business level far more than if I didn't blog. I've been booked up every week since June!
So there you have it, my blog is probably one of my most treasured possessions now. It's not a tangible thing, but it's there, it's mine, and I can do what I want with it, whenever I want. That means more to me than anything. I love my blog, and I'm so happy that I stopped listening to the evil little voice in my head that told me I couldn't do it. If that little voice is telling you that you can't do something, don't listen to it. You can.
