Back when this year was still in its infancy, I wrote two detailed post on the topic of blogging (30 tips that will help you succeed as a new blogger & 10 harsh truths that will make you a better blogger, respectively), which based on the number of page views they received have proven to not only be some of the most popular of this year, but of all time here on Chronically Vintage.
As 2014 winds down, I thought it would be fun to shine the spotlight on the act of blogging again. However, in this case we’ll be chatting about the history of my blog itself and some of the elements that go into running it via a series of eleven questions that I discovered on my friend Bonita's absolutely lovely blog, Lavender & Twill, also back in January of this year.
1. When did you first start blogging and why? Chronically Vintage sprang to life on April 17, 2009. As I've recounted from time-to-time in various posts and interviews over the years, the main reason behind why I started my blog was because I needed a creative outlet in my life that wasn't focused on my health, which had been going through an especially hellish period at the time.
The name of my blog, Chronically Vintage, stems from the fact that I didn't want to simply be seen/defined as being chronically ill (or thinking of myself as such, for that matter), but rather for the focus in my world to be on something significantly more positive, my lifelong passion for vintage. I'd always loved writing and had already run some other (non-vintage related) websites and blogs before then, so one evening in April when I was feeling rather rough on the health front, I decided to start this site and doing so has turned out to be one of the best and most life changing decisions I've ever made.
{From the very earliest days, I've had a clear vision for my blog and desire to see it flourish. I'm happy to put in the long hours and hard work required to make that happen and couldn't imagine my life without vintage blogging in it at this point. Image source.}
2. Have you had any past online presence? Oh, let me count the ways... :D I have, yes, and each was very important to me unto itself at the time, but I haven't been involved with most of them for a few years now. The most substantial would be that from 2004 to 2014, I ran a peer-to-peer website that I founded for folks who shared one of my chronic illnesses (interstitial cystitis/PBS). I made the difficult choice to shut it down after it was hacked again (by completely random cyber hackers from Eastern Europe), because rebuilding it was not something I could work into my life and work schedule at that point in time. I wrote hundreds of articles and recipes for that site, which was an incredibly important part of my early years battling multiple chronic illnesses and it will always hold a deeply special place in my heart.
3. When did you become serious about your blog? I've never been the type to do things halfway, so I'd honestly say that I was serious about my blog from the very first post onward. Because I was coming from a website and professional freelance/ghost writing background, I hit the ground running, often penning lengthy, informative, highly researched posts and burning the candle at both ends to get my blog off the ground and well established in the vintage community early on.
4. What was your first blog post? It was called First Day of Life and was a simple, heartfelt introductory post (the image from which I would reuse in 2013 to celebrate my blog's 4th birthday).
5. What have been your biggest challenges blogging? From day one, my biggest challenge has been keeping my blog afloat in the face of life with more than a dozen different severe, complex chronic illnesses. Though there have been times (chiefly in 2010 and '11), when I thought I might be forced to throw in the towel, but thankfully, I held on and though that possibility is a constant in my life, I'm immensely happy to say that I've been able to weather each and every storm on that front, stick with it, and create a blog that has become not only a passionate pastime, but also in recent years, a full-time income generating career.
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{Though I may have substantially less energy and "good days" (health wise) than most folks, I don't let that stop me from putting my all into my blog, day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year. I just grab a nap, take the occasional vacation, try to pace myself and start fresh again the next day, spurred on my an endless passion for what I do and the fantastic support of my online friends and readers. Image source.}
6. What is the most rewarding thing about blogging? This list could go on for miles, but I would that three top entries on it for me are: the friendships I've made with other vintage lovers around the world (an especially important point since I'm the only such person that I know in my own town), the perpetual inspiration and knowledge that I glean from my fellow bloggers (and social media friends), and the amazing feeling that comes from turning a blog on what is arguably a rather niche subject in the scope of society as a whole, and parlaying it into not just my honest to goodness job, as mentioned above, but the also catalyst for for my Etsy vintage shop (which opened its doors in May of this year).
7. What is the most discouraging thing about blogging? I'm not the type to get discouraged easily ("tenacious" might as well be my middle name) and I love to learn and thrive from what different kinds of obstacles and challenges present me with, eking out the silver lining from any situation. That said, I think that one of the most discouraging things about blogging is that when push comes to shove, you'll often quickly learn that you have quite a few fair-weather fans and friends out there. For someone like me, for whom loyalty, honesty and sincerity are exceedingly important, this point will always have the sting of a scorpion's tail.
8. What is your lasting inspiration or motivation (of blogging)? For me it has been showing my chronic illnesses that they don't have complete control of my life (try as they may!), that despite having countless more than legitimate reasons not to blog - to spare myself from the work, stress, and physical demands of running both a popular website and thriving Etsy shop - I can do just that and succeed with it. Each time I post a new entry (or list a new item in my shop), I'm reconfirming to myself that I'm still able to be a productive member of society, despite the endless challenges, crippling chronic pain, and near debilitating fatigue that comes with my medical situation.
9. What is your blogging dirty secret? I honestly don't think I have one. Definitely one of my best (positive) blogging secrets - which isn't actually all that hush-hush, given that I've written posts about it before - is that I am an ardent devotee of using a blogging schedule.
10. What is your current goal as a blogger? To continue to grow my blog's reach. The vintage blogging world has dwindled somewhat in the past two-three years, in part because of the explosion in popularity of various social media sites, such as Pinterest and Instagram, and there are only so many folks in our wonderful community that I can reach. I would like to see Chronically Vintage gain wider traction in the mainstream fashion and lifestyle blogging worlds. I'd also absolutely love to pen a book on vintage fashion (or another vintage related topic) one day, and perhaps either create my own or collaborate with an existing vintage reproduction company to produce line of clothing.
{It's a joy and an honour to be a well known part of the online vintage community. As we head towards 2015 and beyond, I would absolutely love to continue to connect with an even broader array of readers and new friends out there in the larger scope of the web and help spread the vintage lifestyle goodness near and far. Image source.}
11. Have you learned or become passionate about anything through blogging that caught you by surprise? I'd say that through blogging, my passion for earlier and later decades - not just my beloved 1940s and 50s - has deepened significantly. I've learned that you never know what amazing opportunity is coming around the corner (for example, collaborations with fantastic companies, being interviewed by print and online magazines, and getting to meet fellow vintage bloggers in person), that patience does indeed pay off, that you can never be too prepared (but that by the same token, spontaneity has its perks, too), that when you do what you truly love, it rarely feels like work, and that there is always, without a doubt, more to learn - amongst countless other things that have come about and bettered by life thanks to the act and love of blogging.
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If you're a blogger yourself, why not have a go at these questions? They're a great way to record where you're at in your blogging journey at this point and to reflect on how far you've already come. In little more than four months, Chronically Vintage will turn six years old and I'm very grateful that throughout that time, at various points, I've intentionally written about how things were going with my own site. Looking back on these posts - just as I'm sure I will with this one down the road - I see how far I've come, where I hope to go next, and am reminded of some of the many reasons why blogging is so phenomenally near and dear to me.
Thank you very much, Bonita, for posting about this enjoyable blogging Q&A several months ago now. I knew the moment that I saw it, I wanted to give these questions a spin myself, I just didn't know that this year would prove to be so wildly busy that I wouldn't get a chance to do so until three weeks from the very end of it. No time like the present though, especially since the holiday season itself isn't exactly famous for being the least hectic time of the year. :)
