Three Year Blogiversary + A Few Thoughts

{Better off Wed via Etsy}

Today, May Richer Fuller Be turns three! When I started writing here three years ago, I had no idea I would still be writing today and how much of an impact blogging would have on my life. It's been a fun ride with lots of opportunities to grow, be a part of a community of wonderful people, and hone in on where my interests lie in the creative world, but it's also been challenging on many levels. Whether you've been with me since the beginning or are just tuning in, I want to say THANK YOU. Thanks for stopping by and giving me a few minutes of your time. Time is such a precious thing and I want to make sure that what I'm posting here is worth that time.

Along those lines, I have a few thoughts I'd love to share with you as I reflect on my blogging journey and where I'm headed. Recently, I read two blog posts (from Emily A. Clark and IHeart Organizing) and listened to a podcast (The Lively Show featuring Young House Love) that really made me stop and think, reflect on where I've been, and given me some clarity on where May Richer Fuller Be may be going.

Blogging has changed a ton in the past couple of years. I feel like I "got in" on the tail end of the glory days of blogging and had a blast being a part of that. It felt authentic, wildly creative and was interactive - the community was incredible. Then, over the next year or so I started feeling this shift from a focus on authentic content creation and community to a focus on how to turn a profit and make anything and everything "Pinterest-worthy." Sure, making money was always a part of blogging (there's nothing wrong with that!), as were pretty pictures and projects, but it started to feel like some of the authenticity had faded away and there was a shift towards do-whatever-it-takes to make a profit. I, as a lover of blogs and blogger, was saddened and sort of turned off by this shift. Also, the explosion of new social media platforms dramatically changed how people interacted with blogs and it became more and more difficult to keep up and stake your claim in the blog world.

On a personal level, I've certainly struggled with how to balance those things. May Richer Fuller Be has had a chance to work with some wonderful people and companies over the years and I've thought a lot about what it might look like for this blog to be a viable source of income for my family. Ultimately, I've come to the conclusion that for me, blogging probably can't and won't be that. I'm always open to opportunities to work with companies, try products, make a few bucks, etc...IF it's a good fit for this audience. I want May Richer Fuller Be to be a place where I share authentically about our home, projects, life and the new e-design business on my terms, not someone else's. This is just as much a reminder to myself as anything else!

(On a side note, I should say that I'm not making any judgments on the way any else writes, their motivations or how they make an income from blogging. I'm actually a tiny bit jealous of bloggers who have "made it" and who make enough income for it to be a full-time job, but I also have to stay true to what my heart and mind are telling me about I want my blog to look like. I truly believe there's a place for every kind of blogger!)

As I move into my fourth year of blogging, first and foremost, I want to post great content. Lately, for a whole host of reasons, including launching Mix & Match Design Company, I haven't been doing that. I think I've posted one good DIY post and maybe a couple of posts about our home in the past two months? Agh! That's not my best work. It's not fair to y'all or me, and I'm sorry about that.

In order to focus on posting great content, I've decided that for now, I'm only going to write when I'm feeling inspired and passionate about what I want to post. And you know what? I'm not going to let myself feel guilty about that. I'm a total people pleaser, and sometimes that gets the best of me and I end up writing fluffy filler that isn't worth my time or yours. I also want to give myself a break when it comes to "keeping up" with social media trends. If I'm not Instagramming every day or publicizing my posts like crazy, it's ok. I want reading this blog to be worth your time. When I've got something great to share, I'll try and make sure it gets out there for y'all to read about, but I probably won't go crazy with the publicity ;). Something very exciting - that's still a secret for now - is in the works and I have a feeling I'll have plenty to share that's worth your time soon :).

Bottom line, I love sharing a part of my life and love for all-things-creative here, but I want to make I'm only sharing things that make me really excited because if they make me excited, I'm sure they'll be exciting to (at least some of) you! That's a lot of excitement in one sentence {insert cry-laughing emoticon here}.

Whew. That was a lot of words. If you made it to the end, congratulations! I hope this "state of the union" gives you some context for my less frequent posting and that you'll stick around for the good stuff that's to come. :) Cheers to year four!

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