When I first started blogging, I didn’t know I would come to love it as much as I do now. Nowadays, when I don’t update my blog every week, I feel like something is missing and more often than not, I feel like I have disappointed a group of online friends who look forward to my little fantasies. Oh yes, when you are tired of waiting for your prince charming, you create one in a world of your own. That aside though, I have come to revel in it. For me, blogging is one of those things I do that make me feel content.
I realize that I am not the only one who feels this. My Friend Victoria who blogs at nyikasilika.org feels the same way although blogging for her is a passion rather than a hobby. She eats and breathes environmental issues and there is nowhere else she would rather channel her inner conservationist rather than her blog.
When I started, I used to write about all things under the sun. At one point, I wrote about mshenes, life experiences, I tried my hand at advice, but I quickly realized I wasn’t making much impact as I would have hoped. I liked the fact that I didn’t have any rules and regulations governing what I wrote, and for a while, it worked…until it didn’t. I found my drive and I can say for sure I am satisfied with where am headed.
You might ask why I love blogging so much. Well, I have gained a lot in the short five months I have been doing it.
Improves my creativity
As a creative blogger, my creativity has improved exponentially. I have learned to think outside the box and imagine a scenario that people would not easily come up with. I have learned to use words to evoke emotions like anger, happiness, empathy and the like. For this blogging thing to work, you have to appeal to your audience on a deeper and personal level. Write something that people will find useful and entertaining. If you can’t do that, then you have nothing to show for your blogging. Once you start writing online, your blog ceases to be yours and becomes your readers’.
Provides additional income
Many people are now proud owners of blogs that earn them thousands of shillings every month depending on the content they produce. They are called pro-bloggers. So, what is the difference between a hobby blog and a professional blog?
A hobby blog is a blog that is maintained as a creative outlet. It rarely generates income, but it has the potential of earning some with time, although not enough for you to quit your day job.
A professional blog is one that people maintain for economic purposes. People who run these types of blogs do it fulltime as it is their livelihood.
People have quit their daytime jobs in favor of blogging, which also started as a hobby. You never know where your hobby will take you or what doors it can open for you. Many bloggers have landed top jobs just because of their writing. Besides, money earned from blogging can be used to supplement the one’s other income and as a result, you will be able to afford some stuff you couldn’t before you started blogging.
Reduces stress
Blogging reduces stress in that it provides an outlet to channel your thoughts. Giving yourself a chance to engage in positive breaks allows you to distress while keeping your mind positively active. Having to blog as a hobby can help reduce depression and high blood pressure, and improves your mood as you look forward to unwinding after a rather stressful day.
Offers a new challenge
Blogging breaks you from your comfort zone and keeps you on your toes, helping you to also see the world differently. When you read other people stories and how they have conquered their challenges, it gives you a rare opportunity to also inspire others in a way that you never thought possible. You don’t have to do it using words but with pictures too. blogging helps people see the world through you. If that is not a challenge in itself, I don’t know what is.
Meet new people
With blogging comes interactions with many different people, both known and unknown. It is a way to network and make contact with many professionals in your chosen field. It also gives you the exposure you need to excel in that chosen field because it is not the first time we have heard blogs fizzle out.
What does blogging do for you?