This month I celebrated one year of B Superb! It’s crazy to think the blog has already been around for an entire year. If you are a returning viewer you might notice the blog recently got a little facelift. When I launched my blog I didn’t spend much time on the website design and first wanted to give myself a year to see if it was even something I wanted to continue. Now that I’ve pass the one-year blogiversary I was ready to upgrade the look. I also spent time redoing the website navigation; I now have a section for each holiday where all the free printables and crafts can go. It will be so much easier for readers to find ideas for upcoming holidays.
I’ve learned a lot my first year blogging, and I thought I’d take the time to share the best outcomes of the first year of B Superb.
Creative Outlet
You might think it sounds crazy that a girl who works a day job as a graphic designer would need any type of creative outlet. But even though I get to use creativity at my job the work I do isn’t always 100% my ideas. When working with clients and other people designs transform from my original idea into someone else’s wants and needs. And even though that is a good thing that the client gets what they want, sometimes I just want to design and write my own ideas without anyone else’s approval and input. That in itself has been the biggest success of this blog. I started feeling a renewed sense of creativity after blogging.
Photography Skills
The blog has made me take a lot more pictures. Anytime I’m working on a craft, cooking a great recipe, or doing a home project my camera is the first thing I grab. I’ve found it very fun to document these projects through photos, and it has helped me develop stronger photography skills. Before I had the blog I would only use the Auto setting on my Canon DSLR camera. But as I would post pictures I would notice how the lighting might not have been the greatest or wondered how to make the photo less grainy. Earlier this year I flipped the switch over to Manual mode and even though it takes me a lot longer to get the initial settings where they need to be, the pictures end up being so much better. In my first months blogging I was using the camera’s flash (gasp!), but since have learned that is a big no-no for picture quality. I’m definitely not where I need to be with photography, but I feel like I’m moving in the right direction.
Learned Skills
The most shocking thing I found out in my first year of blogging is how much there is to learn. I had the naive idea that blogging was just snapping some photos, writing a little, publishing the post, and walking away. But I quickly realized blogging included things such as setting up the website, social media pages, social media strategies, studying google analytics, backing up work, connecting with other bloggers, figuring out what plugins the website needs, and the list literally goes on and on. And that isn’t even mentioning writing/photographing the blog posts! I feel like I still have so much to learn, but I’m truly enjoying all the new skills I’ve picked up along the way.
Time Management Skills
When I learned how much time it takes to blog I questioned if I’d have time to do it with my full-time job, husband, and two little boys to look after. But I found that because I am passionate about it and enjoy it, I find time to squeeze it in. Often times I photograph a new post during my lunch, write a little in the evening when the boys were in bed, or listen to blogging podcasts while working out. This past year I’ve really learned how to squeeze out as much time from my day as possible. But don’t get me wrong, there are days or weeks where life happens and the blog has to take a back seat. But because I’m enjoying it I keep coming back.
And now I want to take a second to thank YOU! Even if this is your first time visiting B Superb or if you’ve been following since the beginning, having readers is what keeps this fun. I love being creative and sharing new ideas with you has been absolutely awesome.