Well, hello.
It is currently 3 o'clock in da morning , I wish I was asleep... But since I am not... I am here. Starting my, "How I Got Started" post. Which is somewhat ironic, because I probably started my blog sometime during the crazy hours of the night.
I get lots of emails asking about tips and how I grew so fast... so here's some of my story...
Now, to understand how this blog came to be... you will need to know this...
(you may already know part of this story... but if you're new... you may not...)
January 4, 2010 I was in a crazy go nuts sledding accident. I pretty much broke everything. ('cept my pretty little head) Oh wait, this story has a twist. I had to have surgery, and during surgery the doc accidentally cut my sciatic nerve, aka Nichelle's ankle is broke-y. I don't have full function of the lower half of my leg, mainly my ankle, but if you ask me to twitch my foot for you, I totally will. Took months, but I can do it, cause I rock. If you're still confused, my ankle is paralyzed. I just don't like putting it that bluntly, but yeah. I have some sense, but no motor control.
(Don't worry, I have a handy dandy brace that makes me pretty much normal. You can hardly tell. GO TECHNOLOGY!)
So, you needed to know that because months and months, after my accident, I slept horribly. Like... 2 hours during the night, and since I was bedridden for awhile, I would take naps during the day... but yes... Nights got lonely. And the Home Shopping Network got boring... (that's the only thing to watch late at night, by the way... and let me tell you, those deals sound incredible at 5 in the morning.)
So I started a blog... called, "The Peg Leg Diaries" {<--- I'm super funny}.
I wrote about how scared I was, how blessed I felt, how I was doing... etc. That was fun. It was a great way to get my feelings out. But, I needed more. I felt so limited, so I started a "Picture A Day Blog". Because, I may not be able to do cool things as much, but I could take pictures of people doing cool things.
THEN... I started THIS BLOG.
Why? Well... because I would craft all the time, and I found as I had my other blogs, there were tons of cool blogs, crafty blogs, lifestyle blogs... I seriously I had no idea before!!!
So, yes. That's how it started.
HOW IT GOT BIG???
Remember how I said I could never sleep... well... when you are up all night, that leaves you plently of time to blog. I LINKED UP LIKE CRAZY. If I was bored... I linked up... If I couldn't sleep... I linked up. I could have EASILY spent HOURS a DAY linking up.
That, I promise, is the main reason my blog grew so fast.
Since, that's not really an option for normal people starting out... Here are my suggestions.
*LINK UP. Big parties are great, you know, the ones that get 20 million link ups, but I also suggest going to smaller blogs. {Of course, link up to my linky party} You're not exposed to as many readers, but you have devoted followers that will read more and want to meet new bloggers [YOU}, and with a smaller blog, you're more likely to get noticed.
*GET PEEPS INTEREST. One of the first things I did on my blog was a "Disney Princess Inspired Collection." I made a headband, representing a different Disney Princess. Readers would find me, via linky parties, and get excited and would check back for the newest Disney Tutorials.
*GET FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES. Become part of a community. Talk to bloggers. BEE friendly. I LOVE when people remember that I'm a legit real person. Talk to bloggers, help each other out, guest post, sponsor. ANYTHING. (Don't be afraid to email "famous" bloggers. Seriously. Just do it. Want to guest post, ask. It never hurts.)
*FIND YOUR VOICE. Have you noticed my horrible grammar? Have you noticed how often I say rad, dude, awesome, peeps. That's how I talk. This blog is ALL NICHELLE. I'm me. That's pretty much the sum of what I mean. Don't be afraid to let people in, we all have a story, struggles, and wisdom to share. I'm not saying share everything, that would be awkward, but do be REAL.
*DON'T COPY. Be original. I mean, if you're being yourself, it shouldn't be that hard. Also, while we're on this... don't take things from blogs without asking. There's nothing as frustrating as seeing your tutorials, your pictures, and your ideas on someone else's blog. We are all here to inspire one another, remember that.
*SOCIAL NETWORK. Don't be afraid to use facebook, twitter, pinterest, etc to expand your blog. Get your name out there. Get people coming back!!!
*If you don't want to spend hours and hours of time, stress, tears, worry... don't do it. But, keep in mind, that's what it takes to become "big". Only blog if you're going to enjoy it. It's totally fine if you don't have 1000 followers in a year, or two years, or ten years. Blogging isn't about becoming famous, or rich. It's about sharing your story, and making the world a better place. At least, that's my opinion.
I started my shop after about 2 months of starting Vintage Wanna Bee.
I just started slowly, wasn't planning on making bank.
The shop, is now kinda picking up... so that's a whole other post. And, I'm still a newbie when it comes to that side of things. :)
Did that help?
Did that answer some questions?
Feel free to always ask questions! PLEASE DO!!!!
P.S. There will be more "parts" to this post later...
So...
TO BE CONTINUED...
xoxo
-Nichelle
