Blog Tip Tuesday

If you’re serious about blogging you need to have focus. For me….Who am I and what do I have to offer in the blogosphere are the questions I’ve been asking myself lately.

In January, I had my blog redesigned and combined all my blogs into one. It was an improvement and honestly I thought it was the answer to the who/what question, but it wasn’t entirely mainly because I was holding back and not being transparent and authentic. Wanting to take my blog up another notch I started down the path of having it redesigned again in June, and the new version will launch December 1st, 2014. I must say it is gorgeous and will be an amazing showcase to my content that is why the last couple months I have been trying to really nail down my focus. What my blog is about, what makes me interesting, what I have to offer readers, and why people would want to read it.

I have spent a long agonizing time thinking about this because it is my passion, and I am making it into my business. I have to get it right.

I realized my mistake was spending more time thinking about what I’m not as a blogger than thinking about what I am.

What I’m not.

I’m not a mommy blogger. Yes, I have kids so by definition I guess I am a mommy blogger but my kids are 8 and 13, not adorable toddlers, who go to public schools. I’m a store bought – not even pretending they were homemade – kind of mom. So cutesy crafting and DIY and most food for that matter is WAY out of the realm of my expertise.

I’m not a photographer. In fact, until a few weeks ago all my pictures were on the iPhone and not very good ones at that. And you can look at my Laina made images on Pic Monkey to see graphically creative is not in my wheel house. I did just purchase a Nikon DSLR 5300 which I know how to turn on and press the button to take a picture, but that is it.

I’m not a fashionista. Don’t get me wrong, I love fashion and worked in fashion retail for years but just have never considered myself as someone others would care to see photographed in outfits.

I’m not an interior designer. I currently live in a rental while we search for the perfect house and so I don’t care.

I’m not a 20 something, recently graduated from college, recently married cute as a button female. I am a 43 year old to be exact, divorced, recently engaged, working mother of 2. I like wine and yoga and sometimes I skip the yoga and suffice with wine in yoga pants.

When you look at lifestyle blogs that’s what seems to be the majority out there. Don’t get me wrong. I love all those things. I read many lifestyle blogs who are written by the 20 something females who own it in terms of taking gorgeous pictures, achieving domesticated bliss, who are homemade all the way, and look awesome while doing it all photographed for the public to see. And ladies you all ROCK! It’s just not me.

So I decided to sit down with a big pumpkin latte and brainstorm about the who/what question along with what it is I like and want to share with people. Just like in real life, some people will like you, and some people want but you need to be the person you want to be. Those that care will stick with you.

Stick around for the results of that introspective coffee meeting with myself and in the meantime tell me how you decided what you wanted to write about if you’re a blogger. If you aren’t a blogger how did you decide the right path for you to follow?

Laina Turner