Good Day! I hope you are all having/did have a fabulous Sunday!
Today I feel like sharing a few of my thoughts and views about blogging with you. This comes about as a result of the approaching third birthday of the “Crochet On The Brain” blog. When I first began writing here I really didn’t think that it would work as well as it has, I only had hope. Three years later I am happy to share that this blog is quickly approaching 25,000 views!
As most bloggers do, I regularly check my page’s statistics. Some days show amazing numbers, other days not so good. My blog receives views from all over the world, from countries I didn’t even know existed, as well as from clicks on websites where I didn’t even know my work was shared! To have my work and blog acknowledged in such a way really encourages me to continue sharing content here. Honestly, there have been some days when I began thinking negatively and considered putting the brakes on the blog, to just let my subscription to WordPress run out and call it quits. But as I think about these circumstances I come to the realization that it’s not the “not so good” statistics that make me feel this way, but rather just my mood of the day. As with most people, my current real-life environment and circumstances influence my mood. I also consider the fact that should I ever give it up and not renew my WordPress subscription, all of the links directing traffic to crochetonthebrain.com would cease to work, which would probably annoy or upset readers who come here regularly (the web address would be different, therefore links to this site wouldn’t work). Therefore, you will be happy to know (I hope!) that I’ve just renewed my subscription to WordPress and we are good to go for another year 😁. And while I created this blog, first and foremost for my own enjoyment, I also created it as a means to share my own designs, vision, and passion with others in the crochet world. It is my own little corner of the internet.
Keeping an eye on the statistics does not mean that I’m blogging to become popular. The numbers simply let me know that out there in the big wide world, there are people just like me who enjoy reading what I have to say, and people who are interested in making one of my designs for themselves!
I know that some bloggers are out to monetize. Me, I am not. I don’t earn a single penny from this blog or any of my designs. All money spent on keeping this blog running, as well as money spent on the supplies to make the designs that I do, all come out of my pocket. I don’t have adverts cluttering up my page (to be honest, I find it’s really annoying waiting for a page to load because it’s so full of advertising!). This is a hobby, plain and simple. So when I see that others are monetizing, and some are rushing around bending over backwards for it’s readers, I can’t help but wonder if the blogger is truly happy! Maybe this isn’t the right way to think. I mean, the basic points of a blog are to reach out to people who share your interests, and to express your views and opinions. Which I am doing. BUT, this is my blog, and you either like what I’m doing, or you don’t. And the numbers show me that a few people do like what I’m doing here 😁
Despite having said all this, I truly admire those individuals who are profiting from their passion! I think that it’s wonderful that people are actually loving their job and getting paid for it! Too many people, most people I think, dread their job and long for something better.
And to be honest, yes, I do regularly envision what my life would be like if I were to profit from my passion. But I always come to the conclusion that I’m just not energetic enough, both mentally and physically, to turn this hobby into a business. Nor do I really have the time. Between caring for a mischievous toddler and a physically disabled husband, and doing everything else in between, I am tired. (Hence why some weeks or months you rarely hear from me). In the past I have sold my finished items, but not regularly and not recently. Plus, I am not really a fan of making customized orders, nor am I really a trend follower or even a trendsetter; I much rather just make what I like to make. However, this doesn’t mean that if the opportunity arises to make some money from my hobby I’ll turn it down, lol. Maybe one day I’ll, at the very least, sell PDF versions of my patterns. In the meantime my family and my friends have some nice handmade items to enjoy!
So, to everyone reading and visiting this blog, I say “thankyou”! I hope that you’ll continue to stop by and read my posts and try out my original patterns. And should I not post something for awhile, please know that sooner or later I will. Currently I am working on a new amigurumi doll pattern; it’s just a matter of being able to sit down for more than a few minutes at a time to get it done! With the nice weather here I find that I’m spending a lot more time outdoors. And I’m not one of those multi-taskers who can crochet and run after a three-and-a-half year old at the same time, lol. (I wish!)
Because I can’t always write fresh, regular content (ie. Patterns), I’ve been turning to alternate means of entertaining my readers…round ups! Whoever came up with this idea is brilliant, lol. Last week I created a new round up: 10 Free Baby Bonnet Patterns, and I also added a new page to the blog: Pattern Roundups, where I’ve listed (and will continue to add to the list) all of the pattern round ups I’ve created to date.
Well, it’s been about 9 hours since I began writing this post for today, lol. I’ve sat down about a thousand times today and typed a few words each time. I do hope that you’ve enjoyed this Weekly Update; it’s a bit different, I think, than my normal posts.
Until next time, Happy hookin!
~Amanda~
