MY 10 FAB NOTES FROM 10 YEARS OF BLOGGING
I've been wracking my brain for weeks on what to write about for Eating Fabulously's 10th birthday. I'd start and stop and go back and fourth but nothing was coming out. Honestly, I don't even want to write this right now, which in actuality, is a great introduction to my 10 years of blogging.
I celebrate Eating Fabulously's 10th birthday today. 10 years ago, I decided to start something that would fit who I was as a person at that time. Something to help me share my love of food, cooking and dining and also something that I didn't see out there, so of course the only child in me created my own.
I started Eating Fabulously because there were no visible food blogs written by black women, who also had the upper hand of working in the restaurant industry every single day like I was. I wanted to show that you could be gorgeous, feminine, super smart and know where your food comes from, how to talk about food and know how to cook really well.
Eating Fabulously (noun) - the epitome of a well rounded individual. One who loves fabulously prepared food and experiences. A person who is educated, loving, giving & dripping in swag”
Like anything, with time Eating Fabulously has changed. Now, Eating Fabulously is a complete website, no longer just a blog. Eating Fabulously is the motto … a lifestyle and a mood. To say it has been easy would be a lie. It has however been a great lesson of being consistently consistent . That’s the hard thing about blogging, doing it when you don’t want to, posting even when you think no one is watching, creating when you don’t feel like creating. I’m at 10 years of consistency, and I couldn’t be more proud.
And of course along the way, I picked up a few things…
My 10 Fab Notes From 10 Years Of Blogging:
Create What Interest You - I created Eating Fabulously because I didn’t see anything out there like it. Create what you want to see, be consistent & eventually people will notice it and realize they needed it too.
Put It Down & Pick It Back Up - Like this post, I had to put it down and pick it back up several times. Any creator will tell you, if you’re forcing a project put it down.. go live life ... and when you pick it back up again, your project will be even better. Being consistently consistent is the hardest part of blogging, even in my 10th year. You have to do it even when you don’t want to and when you come out on the other side, your blog will thank you.
Do Not Quit Your Day Job (Yet) - Your fav’s wont tell you this but I will. Everyone has a job including me, it’s just not on their beautiful feed. Your day job washes your blogging hand and can also teach you how to plan and prioritize time.
Utilize What’s In Your Hand, Your CellPhone - Your cellphone is your best blog investment. Photos, jotting down notes for content, drafting content, shooting out tweets and more, I've been running my blog on my iPhone for 10 years!
Be Cohesive - If you are serious about blogging, everything you do should be cohesive to your message. People should never have to look for you in the day time with a flashlight. Your blog voice should be the same everywhere, which is how you gain the trust of your audience over time.
Allow Change To Change You & Your Blog - When life started happening to me, Eating Fabulously changed with it. In the beginning you may start out with one notion for your blog but be flexible and incorporate the eb's and flows in your life to develop great content along the way. You would be surprised at how your readers begin to relate to you when you express the changes you’ve been going through.
Pick Everyone’s Brain - You are allowed to ask questions. No one knows exactly what they are doing in the blogging world and it is ok to reach out and ask questions to some of your favorite bloggers. If they answer you, perfect and if they don’t, thats ok too. You can always find inspiration from everything, even in a no.
If It’s Not For You, Drop It - A lot of people think blogging is easy until they start and realize it’s actually a lot of time consuming work. If you have to force yourself to put out content, take pics or even draft a single post, blogging might not be for you and that is totally ok! Everyone doesn’t need to be a blogger.
It’s Ok To Not Have Everything In The Beginning - When I first started blogging I didn’t really have all my ducks in a row. It took me YEARS to get a quick verbal mission statement, a Google approved “functioning” website and Instagram numbers. But I kept going anyway and now I’m 10 years in with a merch store to match! Don’t not start because you feel you don’t have everything you need. Simply start and everything you need will come together in time.
Don’t Let Anyone Tell You To Stop Doing What You Are Doing - I will never forget the day a popular influencer told me to stop blogging because at the time I couldn’t answer a question about my blog the way she thought I should. I always kept this with me, not out of anger but out of motivation to never let anyone to tell me to stop doing something, because look at me now 10 years strong and better than ever!
They say it takes 10 years to become an overnight success. As I am on my 10 year mark I am so proud of what Eating Fabulously has become. Thank you for reading , thank you for engaging, and thank you for eating fabulously with me. I can’t wait to keep going, keep sharing and keep blogging, all the while doing it fabulously!