Blogs: How To Find Them & All The Blogs I Subscribe To

Diary: Poop, Reading Challenge & ... Weekending Notes

Blogs: How To Find Them & All The Blogs I Subscribe To

Pookybears,

Since I’ve left social media, I’ve returned to just reading blogs. And holy moley, the benefits are SO huge.

I feel so inspired from reading blogs. I learn things. I feel connected to other people’s stories. I feel honoured by the glimpses I get to see into their lives. It makes me itch to create.

I never felt this way when I read social media.

I fell in love with blogging in 2004. And it’s stayed a deep love… and now feels like even more of a rekindling of that romance.

Many of you have asked for blogs that I read and how I keep up with them… so this post is for you!

How To Read Blogs:

The two best options for reading blogs is either by:

subscribing to their mailing list (so you get new blog posts emailed to your inbox)using a reader app like Bloglovin and Feedly.

I subscribe to some, and use the Feedly app to read the rest. There are lots of reader apps that are free. I used Bloglovin for years, which is completely free. Now I have the paid Feedly option (it does have a free version as well). I only upgraded to the paid Feedly one because I figured it’s my prime source of online entertainment now, so I like some of the extra features it has. They’re definitely not necessary though… I could have just kept going with Bloglovin for decades!

How To Find Blogs

There’s lots of ways to find blogs:

Google your favourite topic + “blog”Blog reader apps like Bloglovin and Feedly offer lots of recommendations for your next readBlogs often have either weekly link roundups or a blogroll where they recommend other blogsThere’s a shit tonne of top blog lists around like this one and this oneAsk friends what their favourites are! I regularly like to do this. And of course I like to recommend specific blogs to friends that I think will like them too. Share the blog love around!

In the spirit of this, here’s a mahooosive list of blogs I read!

The (Somewhat) Complete List of Blogs I Currently Subscribe To:

(Somewhat because I add to this list every week as I discover more blog treasures!)

DesignMom: a mom of 6 who is currently renovating an centuries-old home in France. I especially appreciate her thoughtful takes on feminism, racism, religion & social justice. A Beautiful Mess : two sisters who bake, craft & decorate.Audrey Kawasaki: stunning artist. 6512 and Growing : parenting, sustainability & non violent communication.A Cup of Jo: daily essays on parenting, design, social justice. Healthy ADHD : helpful posts on ADHD.CollectiveGen: DIY projects. A VC : a venture capitalist talks life & investing. Alexandra Franzen : blue-haired writer talks marketing (especially without social media) & more. Alisa Burke : artist being wildly artistic. Just gorgeous! Amy Tangerine : designer with planner & scrapbook products. Attic24 : an English crafter takes us on her daily idyllic walks, gardening & creative projects. Austin Kleon : author & artist talks about his creative process & inspirations. Balzer Designs : craft & art tutorials Leigh Viner : artissssst Rebecca Green : illustrator shares her creative process & life CJ Chilvers : talks tech, music & productivity Katie Chappell : my friend & adopted English niece also happens to be a brilliant illustrator Penelope Dullaghan : I’m a long term lover of Penelope. She’s a glorious illustrator as well! Camilla Engman : another illustrator & creative. Sense a pattern here? Carissa Paige : creative being… creative. HO HO HO. Look at my excellent descriptive powers! Cassie Stephens : an art teacher shares adorable creative projects & ideas Chookooloonks : on creativity, parenting & a whole-hearted life Chris Loves Julia : a thorough daily blog about a family’s home redesign projects Confessions of an Aspergers Mom : does what it says on the box Craig Mod : a writer walks through Japan, making stuff as he goes Jane Davies : collage artist David Perell : writer on writing and business Deep Space Sparkle : art teacher sharing creative projects Decor8 : interior design Derek Sivers : founder of CD Baby, author & all round thoughtful dude writes intermittent blogs on entrepreneurship, creativity & an intentional life Elizabeth Goddard : British online entrepreneur. I dig her brain AND her giraffe onesie! Elisa Blaha : creative does creative things! Elements of Style : interior design & DIY Effy Wild : artist shares her creative process & inner soul work vulnerably Frugalwoods : financial independence & simple living iHanna : swedish artist shares her journals & creative projects Kelle Hampton : parenting, interior design & Down’s Syndrome advocacy Susanna Barkataki : thoughtful essays on cultural appropriation in yoga Girl and Duck : my kid’s favourite author talks about writing kid literature & living a creative life Jamie Thingelstad : American dad shares mini-posts on his travels, thoughts & projects Jason Fried : founder of Basecamp & Hey talks life, business, entrepreneurship John Saddington : tech bro shares posts on life, family & Autism Joshua Kennon : I like reading this dude’s investment strategies & thoughts… and just how he does life, really! Lucy Bellwood : comic artist makes stuff! Has thoughts! Is an all round thoughtful & glorious human! MacSparky : detailed thoughts on Apple features & productivity. I’m not a full blown Mac head, but I like subscribing to people who teach me something new! Mattias Inks : Swedish illustrator’s creations… they are wild and adorable! Meet Me At Mike’s : Aussie crafter and writer Modern Mrs Darcy : talks books books books because that’s important Mr Money Mustache : money, investing & early retirement Oh Joy : interior design blog Our Fifth House : MORE interior design! Pony Gold Studio : me & my kid’s shared favourite illustrator Robin Rendle : typography & the future of the web Sarah Wilson : best-selling author shares life-changing ideas Sea of Shoes : old school fashion blogger Cal Newport : my current author obsession Swiss Miss : always a brilliant finder of good things The Art of Doing Stuff : chick does stuff! And shows you how! The Autistic Advocate : longer essays on Autism The Handmade Home : interior design and DIY… but COLOURFUL! WOO! The Oatmeal : comics The Vivienne Files : how to put together a capsule wardrobe based on an artwork The Bloggess : the author, the wonder, the irreverent miracle Work Made For Hire : creative advice for creative business peeps Young House Love : a family renovates and DIYs their house Zen Habits : Leo Babauta has been one of the world’s biggest bloggers… and he’s still creating. Zita Norton : my assistant!Are blogs dying?

LOLZ no! It’s actually a brilliant time to start a blog & read a blog. There is a thriving world of blogs out there… my recommendation is to spend some time reading them instead of social media. See if they make you feel better than social media does! (I can pretty much bet that they can… science actually backs it up too!)

Hope this has been useful!

And of course… please do email me with your favourite blogs so I can add them to my reading list!

Big hugs & love,