Thursday, April 14, 2011

Stifled by Freedom - choosing my blog theme.


Choose a hosting site, check. Select a color template, check.  Add gadgets, photos, and  fonts, check, check, check.  After all the finishing touches were complete, I stared at my bright, shiny, new blog and… had no idea what to write.  I thought, “Wow! I can write anything…about anything!” Absolute freedom! Hmm…that’s a little terrifying, actually. Concepts rolled through my mind, highlighting my eclectic interests. Once I started I couldn't stop: “I should make my blog about…motherhood…..mmm, or art?  Projects! Tutorials! Hmm…what about my art studio? Free advertising. Whoohoo! And my Etsy shop. My notecards… ooh, what about baking? Recipes and…. or planting and caring for a garden….Oooh, teaching! As a teacher and a mother, I have lots of thoughts on….what about nature? Or crafts? Or nature crafts?  My family?…lots of fun stories there. ”  It was more turrets than brainstorming, but either way it wasn’t helping. 

Overwhelmed by my ever-growing list, I challenged myself to narrow it down to one all-important topic. What was I most passionate about? What did I most want the world to know? What could I make interesting week after week? I was quickly defeated by my inability to play favorites.  Why can’t I write about teaching my daughter ASL one week and have a drawing tutorial or a muffin recipe the next?  I knew if I chose just one theme I would feel the burden of responsibility to be an authority on the subject.  And since I am more of a renaissance woman than an expert in any one area, I knew I would just have to have to embrace the diversity and hope my readers will too. 
No longer stifled by the freedom to write anything I want, I sat down and wrote about nothing in particular. Hope you enjoyed it. =)

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