I can't tell you the exact date that I started scrapbooking because it's something I've been doing for as long as I can remember, however I can tell you the date that I started blogging -
March 22, 2010. For me, these two activities go hand in hand. Scrapbooking is a way for me to preserve our memories, a place for photos and journaling and memorabilia (and pretty paper and embellishments, too, of course!).
Similarly, I started my blog with this introduction:
Hi! I'm Melissa and I've created this blog as a place where I can share
what's happening in my life, post photos (including my latest
scrapbooking pages), and ramble about books I'm reading, stuff I'm
organizing, and fun classes I'm taking. In essence, blogging and scrapbooking are both activities that allow me to share and preserve our stories.
Last week as I was reviewing the materials in
Shimelle's Blogging for Scrapbookers class (as part of
my goal to review all paid for scrapbook classes), I was also thinking about this recent comment from
Ann:
I started blogging shortly after I discovered online classes and realized that it would be a great way to share my scrapbook layouts as well as a place I could share about the things going on in my life. I had missed the initial live run of Shimelle's class, but I signed up and worked through the materials on my own and discovered similar blogs through the message boards in that class as well as classes I was taking at
BPC.
My best tip for getting started is to simply start. Write a post, publish it, then write another one . . . and have
FUN! I wrote 17 posts before I received my first comment, but it didn't matter to me because I was already enjoying the writing and planning and learning (how to upload & format photos, schedule posts, include links, etc) so much that I was hooked. Of course, the social aspect of blogging has been a huge part of why I continue to blog - the relationships and friendships I've developed have enriched my life and enhanced my enjoyment of scrapbooking.
Occasionally, my motivation to blog wanes, sometimes because life gets busy, sometimes because I'm not inspired to write or don't feel like I have anything to share. In fact, last year I took the entire month of July off from blogging . . . and was ready to jump back in after that break. Sometimes, I pre-plan posts for a little while ahead because I know life is going to be busy, and other times (like this month) I blog every day because there's just so much I want to record and share.
As I contemplated all these things, I came up with a list of reasons why I continue to blog:
(1) I like having a place to record what's happening in my life, share scrapbook pages, review books and online classes, etc . . . the same reasons I set out when I first started blogging!
(2) The friendships formed with other bloggers around the world & the comments left on my blog totally make my day. As an added bonus, I've actually met some of my blog friends in person! The built in interaction between bloggers (writers, readers, comments, emails, etc) is like going to a crop to scrap together with friends.
(3) I enjoy the writing and editing.
(4) I'm a huge proponent of lifelong learning, and with blogging I'm continually learning new things when there are changes to the Blogger platform or I have to set everything up in a new blog reader, for example. I also learn new things from the blogs I read and have a place to share new things I learn.
(5) The blog is a record of my life. At the end of each year,
I print my blog posts and bind them into a book.
(6) It's
FUN!
Now after almost 4 1/2 years and close to 1000 posts, I still blog for the same reasons as when I started . . . and after almost 40 years of scrapbooking, I still enjoy adhering pictures and memorabilia onto paper! There have been changes to the way I scrapbook and preserve my memories (no more acidic scrapbooks and lots more patterned paper!), however I'm happy and willing to adapt and try new things because my motivation remains the same.
I'd appreciate it if you'd share in the comments about when you started blogging and/or scrapbooking and what motivates you to continue. And if you have an extra minute, stop by and read
Ann's first blog post as she joins the world of blogging!