Okay, now that I’ve lured you in with “starting a blog”, here’s the real real.
Starting a blog is still hard. Figuring out what to put in it is harder (especially when I’ve already admitted to wanting ALL THE NICHES). And now I’m quickly realizing that maybe this blog will just turn into a commentary on day-to-day life. Who knows, we’re in this leaky boat together.
But really.
In the Beginning
First it started as a desire to make beginner how-to’s, but for actual beginners. Now I love learning new things, but they’re always taught by people who have an established talent (whether it’s god-given or hard-earned) and they always seem to take the “easy” parts for granted. (Looking right at you crocheters…wtf is “turning” your piece over?!) The thought of making a new how-to every week, or even every month, though immediately felt overwhelming. I persevered nonetheless.
The first iteration of this new blog was Nikki Learns All the Things, but I trashed that pretty quickly because learning wasn’t the problem. Okay, well, how about Nikki Does All the Things? Well… then I’d actually have to do all the things. So in classic me fashion, I stuck a pin in the idea, aaaaaand moved on to something else! Are we sensing a pattern here?
Would it be considered poetic irony if yet another “How to Start a Blog for Beginners” blog inspired me to pick this back up?
I choose to think yes, if only to have some kind of poetry in my life.
In the Middle
The hunt began yet again. WTF to blog about? Well, why don’t we work our way backwards with deciding on a name first? Maybe what the blog will be can come after the who the blog is.
As my husband always says, I’m like that romcom character who’s in love with the idea of love. I love a good idea, the excitement of something new, the thrill of a project started….and abandoned. What can I say, it’s one of my vices.
Lightbulb moment.
Where does a person go to engage in their vices? A den…of sin? Dum dum DUUUUUUM. **Here’s where the intrepid reader realizes that Nikki’s blog will not be entirely family-friendly. You will see curse words, I will talk about adult topics, and probably make an inappropriate joke or two. Proceed with enthusiastic caution.** On the slightly more wholesome side, my husband calls me his foxy lady, and foxes have dens, hence Den of Ideas. 🙂
Now, for the actual decision-making of what the blog was going to be about. looking at my project area, I thought, well, what if I just make a blog about me actually finishing something? A truly novel idea, is it not?, how about all the things? My project area is small, crowded, stuffed to the gills with bits and pieces, and cozy (for the most part). In fact it’s a lot like a den. So what if I shared my journey to finishing these projects? Or for ones that might never end (like my reselling death pile) the process and evolution of the project.
No End in Sight…
So here’s my mushy part. I understand that it can be hard to reach out and engage, that something silent holds you back, that unknown thing that just makes it scary to be around new people, learn new things, go new places. I’m introverted too. But I also like to have community.
I don’t want this to be just MY den, just MY ideas. It should be a community den. So please, share your ideas, share your triumphs, share your failures, share your journey. The great power of internet anonymity is not always used with great responsibility, but I promise I do MY best in that case. I’m hoping my weirdness can attract and inspire other people to share their weirdness.
I will do my absolute best to keep up on this. Sometimes, having so many ideas looming over you can become overwhelming, but I intend to approach it with a light heart, a dash of amusement, a modicum of humility, maybe some appropriately placed curse words, and a sincere wish that you enjoy yourself.
Welcome to our Den 🙂
Nikki