There are hundreds of reasons that people start blogs. With so many blogs out there, I’ve often asked myself, “what makes me different than everyone else?” Honestly, what makes anyone different from anyone else? Most writers like to read, write, talk, give advice, or a combination of those elements, so what is it that makes us different from one another?
The answer?? Our stories. Everyone has a different story behind theirs, a different magical potion of ideas and creativity and talent unique to the individual that creates their blog. Every person in the world has a story, and today I thought I would share my story about what led me to start this blog. I have always loved to talk, and I have always loved to write…I know, big surprise, right? Trust me when I say however, that I had no idea that my love for talking and writing would bring me here.
Growing up I had a lot of ideas for just about anything that could be imagined, but that led to a big problem for me… my dreams went in a million different, completely opposite directions (anyone else experience that?) I just had so many ideas and interests that it was hard to find one that I was the most passionate about. Eventually I found myself in college and after 1 or 2 (or 9) major changes, I found myself pursuing a degree in Communication, where I found a little slice of everything I loved (fistpump!), including marketing, branding, public relations, writing, reading, psychology (yes, really), lots and lots of talking (thank goodness, because I’m good at that), and room for creativity and art. SCORE.
With a passion for all of these things, you would have thought that I would have started a blog years ago, but no, it actually took a string of events to break (yes, BREAK) me to a point where I could find that a blog is a perfect creative outlet for me. Let’s rewind for a second to share some backstory… In high school, I had a friend. We’d been friends for a few years, he was pretty cute, and our senior year he asked me on a date. Three and a half years later we got married. Then I got the biggest surprise (understatement) of my life when less than a year later we welcomed our little lady to the world.
Everything was perfect….except that it wasn’t. I didn’t exactly leap into motherhood with grace and beauty… it was more like a wild slip’n’slide going through a tornado for which I was completely unprepared. In honestly, Sydney was a dream baby. She slept great. She ate like a champ. She rarely cried. She was happy and smiley. She didn’t get sick or act fussy. And her daddy was a perfect fit for fatherhood.The two of them were about as good as it can get. I know, lucky me, right? At least, that is how people told me I should have felt. For a reason I couldn’t understand though, I just felt like I was slipping into a darker and darker place. I felt guilty because I didn’t know what was happening to me, or why I couldn’t be “normal,” and I was terrified that these feelings were going to be the new “normal.” I was self-destructive, I gained weight, I had no energy and no drive to wake up every morning to barely survive another day. I lived in a blur of days that was the seemingly endless dark tunnel that is Postpartum Depression. (Read more on that here.)
Over the next year and a half I battled with depression. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. As I started recovering and building up my energy, I noticed that I was starting to be interested in creative ideas again, something that had been completely vacant from my life through that time of mental illness. I knew that I needed something that I could do to just practice getting creative again, something that I liked doing to make me feel happy and relaxed. I needed a creative outlet to help me heal (any other creatives out there been in that place?) And with my experience, I knew that whatever I did, I wanted a place where I could share my story. I was a person who didn’t fit the typical “mold” for mental illness, I “shouldn’t” have suffered with depression, but I did. And I know there are other women out there, suffering trials that they shouldn’t have to or don’t deserve to, because that is just how life is. Sometimes, it is hard. But it is also beautiful. So I knew that I needed to do something that would have the potential of inspiring others, empowering them, something that provides a reminder that life is happy and beautiful. I wanted a place for my own creative outlet, but also a project I could share with others.Thus, this blog was born!
Now, I don’t really know if anything I have to say is inspiring or empowering, mostly this blog is just where I ramble and share ideas that I like, but it is a place that makes me happy, and I’ll keep posting in hopes that maybe just one other person might find it a happy place to land once in a while, too 🙂
So there you have it, there is my little story for why I started this blog. Any of you other bloggers or writers out there, I would love to hear your story too, or if you have written a post like this, send me the link! 🙂 A few of you might have seen on instagram that I am re-branding my blog this week! I am really excited about this new chapter for my blog, so I hope you all enjoy some of the changes you’ll see!
