Hey Pennies & Pens,
Lately, the question “where do I go from here?” has been on my mind all day everyday. Some of you may remember that I recently launched a crowdfunding campaign called Give LoudPen Ink. Unfortunately, I didn’t meet my goal in time and the campaign failed. Since then, I’ve been brainstorming what my next move is. I have some new projects I’d like to pursue but I don’t know to be honest.
Sometimes it feels like what you want to do is so simple but the road to get there is so complicated. I want to write, make music, throw events, do social media, PR, write a screenplay & produce the film, and what about creating my fashion line? These things are all so different and take so much time, energy, and money. Did I mention I want to do Creative Direction/Styling and create original photos shoots? I also love to travel so I want to travel more. What I want to do is produce all these projects and publish them here on this blog.
That said, I have realized that people don’t understand what blogging is. They don’t understand that a blogger combines every interest and skill that I just named. de la Pen…All Pen Everything contains a Fashion, Beauty, Travel, Art, Music, Events section. Do you think if I didn’t understand fashion that I could write about it? If I didn’t know the difference between a good & bad beauty product that I could shoot YouTube review videos or write review posts? Same thing for the art, music, and events posts.
As a blogger, I’ve had to develop an eye for the best of a best across a variety of industries. I also had to produce content about these things in different ways. I can’t just write posts, I also have to take photos, and shoot videos. Why? Because readers and followers will get bored if I always do the same thing in the same way. People claim to want consistency and say they only want one thing from you but they don’t realize that even if you only write, make music, do photography, or shoot videos you have to find different ways to produce this content or you’ll bore your audience. And as a blogger, you usually combine multiple skills at once.
The very nature of a blogger is a multi-talented, multi-faceted person. Even if a blogger has a specific niche like fashion, beauty, travel, art, sports, social media, or writing, they have so many different skills that they are using at the same time. Bloggers write posts, take photos, shoot videos, publish e-books, promote brands, use technology, market themselves and their content across social media. And they do it all at the same time!
When I create posts I don’t just write. I have to do research, fact-check, find or take photos to include in the post. Then I have to do technical things like make sure the photos aren’t too large and make sure the paragraphs aren’t too long. I also have to edit for spelling and grammar. Next, I have to make sure links open in a different webpage, that the post is optimized for SEO, and tagged properly. Once all these tasks are done, I hit the “Publish” button, the real work begins, aka the marketing. I have promote posts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Tumblr, etc.
And what if I took photos for the post? After taking photos of myself, the product, or brand I’m promoting, I now have to edit those before they are published. Videos are the same way, I have to write a script or at least key points so I don’t get off topic, shoot the video, edit it, and then publish it. And like written posts, photos & videos have to be optimized for SEO as well. They also have to be promoted across social media.
Now let’s talk about the use of technology. I know how to use a PC, Mac, iPhone, Android, and social networks like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Foursquare. After I finish creating written posts, taking photos, and shooting videos, I then have to use technology to share that content across social media.
Basically, I’m saying I have multiple different skills and I know how to create dope content. I’m saying all this to say if I say I want to make music, create art, do photo shoots, launch a fashion line, create social media marketing campaigns, and travel the world, I can do that. I’m already doing 50-11 million things what’s 2 or 3 more creative projects to add to this mix?
Plus I have a master plan. It all centers on the blog & my business. Every project I plan to pursue will always be found here and on my website. It’s all about creating content that will be shared across online platforms. But don’t mistake the platform (the blog & business) for the skills, the talents, and the drive necessary to make the platform what it is.
Blogging is a way to share my writing and a way to combine my skills/talents (writing, marketing, photography, videography), with my interests fashion, music, art, travel, and events to be delivered via a blog.
Like I said on my about page: I’m not just a blogger, I am the blog, and it’s a lifestyle.
And there it is…de la Pen…All Pen Everything.
P.S. For All Pen Everything…All the Time —
Twitter: @LoudPen Foursquare: @LoudPen Instagram: @LoudPen Tumblr: The Blogging PR Girl Google+: +LoudPen Pinterest: LoudPen
