Back to the basics of blogging

 Hey guys, long time no see.

I've decided today to put pen to paper fingers to keyboard and type up another blog post. I've written a number of blog posts about blogging in an agonising fashion, so I want to be done after this one. 

But this time, I'm writing to say that I want to approach blogging with erased expectations and start anew. To wipe out the 8+ years of what the internet told me about blogging, mostly negative, and just innocently start (continue) a blog the way people launched blogs in the 2000s and early 10's, that is, with zero expectations and as a hobby.

I want to come back in with zero expectations to make money. That's a biggie. No expectations for fame. Or even double digit view counts. I don't want to do this for the money. Money comes from working a job, studying to advance your career, and investing in stocks. That's how you become wealthy.

 I've already heard the dire statistics of how few bloggers actually make money, let alone a full time wage, and I've always found it depressing, but now I want to find it liberating. To realise you don't have to make money off of this; you can make good money at a J-O-B and use your blog as a creative outlet without feeling tied to results. Why do a vast majority of bloggers, including myself, give up so soon? I don't know either, but every case is different. Some are in it for the wrong reasons (money$), some just don't feel like doing it anymore (me) or waste time binge watching Netflix (me again). 

I've dreamed of blogging since 2013, and in that time, everything has changed. Blogging is slowly becoming obsolete while social media is advancing at such a dizzying pace. I've noticed professional bloggers who seldom post on their blogs anymore, but now create the bulk of their content and make the bulk of their income on Instagram as influencers. On social media, it's all about numbers. I'd better get used to the way things operate now and embrace social media.

But let's go back 10 years for a minute. The heyday of blogging, the dawn of Instagram, and before the notoriously addictive Tik Tok. That's when my all time fave blogger, The Londoner, who inspired me to start blogging in the first place, started. (her first post is here, posted on the 5th of April 2011, I just missed her 10-year blogiversary! #stalker) She is a rare exception of a blogger who ended up making a living from it, but it started as a hobby. Now I want to restart blogging purely as a hobby, with ZERO expectations to ever make a buck from it. Ever. 

I still believe there is a space for blogging, even with attention spans diminishing and the top bloggers blogging less and influencing more. I let go of everything I've been told about blogging, like that it has to take over your life, and want to start doing it purely for the fun of it again. It's not about the money-money-money (cue Jessie J's price tag). I'm not really sure how to conclude this, except stay tuned for hopefully another post soon, with a new mindset of blogging with pure motives. 

*disclaimer* I'm not saying to reject any opportunity to monetize, but to realise the chances of such opportunity are extremely low and to do this without $$$ in mind.