Wow! Where has the time gone? It has been a year (on April 4th) since the River Road Sisters launched in the world of blogging and social media, and let me tell you...it has been an interesting ride. I wanted to take a moment and share with you what I have learned in the last year, but first I wanted to recap why we (me and my sisters) started this blog in the first place.
The main reason we started the blog was to have a project to work on together, as sisters, and as a way to share our talents with our friends, family, and the virtual world. Here is a link to our first post EVER: Dear Future Readers. I remember our initial setup “phone conferences” with each other, where we would video chat and talk about website design, what we wanted to write about, and what our goals were for the future. I also remember sitting with Rachel at my computer in North Dakota where we learned how to develop our website with Wix- through many trials and errors- until we found a design that we all agreed on. Then there was writing our first posts- and being nervous about how they would be received and wondering if anyone would even read them. And, about a month into the venture, Elisa told us she was pregnant and how she wasn’t sure how much she would be able to do with our new adventure, as she was going to be a first time mom. The past year has taught me many things- there were ups and downs, but overall I wouldn’t change the experience for anything! So, what did I learn?
I HAVE MISSED WRITING. All throughout my school days, I enjoyed writing- whether it was short stories, in my journal (or diary), or notes to my friends. I like being a storyteller and I like having my voice come through in my writing. It is an outlet for me and I have been able to get out my feelings about certain things that I haven’t wanted to TALK about. In my post about my Grandmother, I was able to talk about how much I miss her and the feeling I get every time I make something crafty (especially sewing or crocheting)- I feel like she is looking down on me and is proud of what I have accomplished. Here is a link to that post: Our Grandmother- An Original Maker.
ON THE FLIP SIDE- IT IS HARD TO WRITE. Even though I enjoy writing, it can be hard to come up with a writing topic- especially one that I think readers will be interested in. Writing blog posts can be time consuming- there are pictures to take, sources to cite, research to be done, proof-reading (at least two times), scheduling the post and then publishing on the different formats of social media. Sometimes it is exhausting and the thought of writing a post can be daunting. (At this point you might be thinking to yourself- ok, if it is THAT hard for her, why is she still doing it?? My answer, see #1 above.) While writing can be frustrating, I still enjoy doing it- just not when there is a time constraint. When I started this venture I planned to knock out one blog post a week! Let’s just say I was naive. I do have a full-time job, and a boyfriend, and other hobbies- I quickly learned that this just wasn’t going to work with my life. When I stopped putting pressure on myself I started to have better, more meaningful posts and that made me happier about the whole situation. One of my favorite posts to date is more recent: Nourishing Your Creative Outlet.
BLOGGING HAS OPENED THE DOOR. Since blogging I had done some things I NEVER thought I would do:I am posting on social media multiple times a day- and people actually like it AND I interact with other people with similar interests and with similar blogs.I opened an Etsy Shop and I’m making sales!! I still get giddy when I hear that “cha-ching” sound on my phone (signaling that I made a sale), because that means that someone likes something I made with my own hands- and they are supporting one of my passions. It is a great feeling!I was a seller at a local craft show and I got to interact with members of the community and show off my talents- again, it was a great pick-me-up.I made a tutorial video AND posted it on YouTube. What?? As I was creating it I kept thinking, “who are you?”, and I LOVED it. It was so fun- and weird- to film myself and watch the video online. I can’t wait to make another some day! {Tutorial} Coffee Filter Wreath.
I HAVE BUILT A STRONGER RELATIONSHOP WITH MY SISTERS. As I described earlier, I remember the fun we had setting up our blog, coming up with a name, and designing the site. We were talking on the phone or video chatting every other day- and it was awesome! I can’t remember the last time we had that much constant contact, except for when we we growing up and living together (and then it wasn’t always fun because we fought like cats and dogs!). This whole experience has brought out a new level of trust in our relationship, too, because without my sisters I don’t think I would have been brave enough to put myself out there and find this hobby (blogging, creating, social media, etc.) that I so love now. They were my support- and they still support me- even though everyone isn’t as involved as they were in the beginning (they are welcome to share whenever they want!). In the future I hope our youngest sister, Maria, will get involved and bring her talents to the table- and who knows, maybe our children will be involved one day!
I am proud that we were able to create something TOGETHER and is something that will keep our sisterly bond going strong for years to come- no matter how far apart we are and I am excited to see what the next year brings (and the years after that) ❤️. I am sure there will be plenty more to learn along the way, and I am excited about that, too!
Thank you to everyone who reads and keeps up with the River Road Sisters!
