Question for the bloggers in the audience: How often do you change your blog?
I have been blogging for just shy of 2 years, and I am feeling the itch to change my blog’s focus.
I started blogging as part of a new year’s resolution to be more environmentally sustainable. I’ve been pleasantly satisfied with the new habits I have adopted because of that first blogging project (shopping organics section first, buying used clothing instead of new, being more careful about food waste, etc.). Over time, however, this theme has come to feel overly repetitive and too open ended at the same time. I kept trying to interject “sustainable” blog posts, and I remain very concerned about our planet’s environmental future, but at the end of the day it isn’t exciting to tell you about how I turned off the lights when I left a room. Sustainability is a lifestyle that impacts my decisions and actions, but as a blogger it is the actions (like my sewing hobby) that provide me with more engaging stories.
I embraced sewing and knitting in 2010 as alternatives to buying mass produced ready-to-wear clothing. Now these creative outlets are a major part of my life. And I think that by discovering my ability to sew, I also opened the door to a phase of self-discovery as a gaming, cosplaying geek.
Sewing ==> “I can make my own costumes” ==> Attending conventions in costume ==> Meeting new friends ==> Feeling connected to the geek/gamer communities ==> Realizing I haven’t felt this self-assured and comfortable in…ever(?)
I was always a geek, but that aspect of my background has…um…leveled up over the past couple years.
Our guest room is home to hundreds of Dungeons & Dragons miniatures, dungeon tiles, and maps. Our closet’s “Costume Section” continues to grow with every passing convention. When I am on hikes I may or may not be silently writing a D&D adventure in my head as I scramble over rocks and keep a watchful eye out for traps or monsters. In addition to costumes, increasingly I find that my craft ideas have been geek-inspired (an ipad case decorated with dragons, a shoe accessory tied to Dungeons & Dragons, or greeting cards with fantasy or sci-fi images).
I think this blog is heading in a direction of crafts, costuming, and thoughts on geek culture. Sewing will remain a big part of that, and I will keep refashioning used clothing instead of buying new clothes.
Thank you for following me this far. I hope you will continue to find enjoyment in my future blog posts.
The Fabric Alchemist 
I’ve been blogging about two and a half years and I’ve always thought that a blog will evolve into it’s own thing as you go. It’s always a bit of trial and error when you first start and then people start commenting and that can influence your direction too. Lots of my favorite blogs to follow started out a little differently than they became – it takes a while to hit your stride and find your writing style.
My blog started as a “website” substitute for my home business, but sort of became a sewing knowledge/costumer’s life when I learned how much people like the behind-the-scenes from my professional life (I’m still amazed that stuff is interesting to people because it’s just “work” to me). My blog is still part of my home business but it’s really more of a community to me now – and I love it!
Don’t try to force your blog to be something it doesn’t want to be – just enjoy the ride and see what happens along the way. =)