Lend me your ears
17 Dec
In my mind, at any given moment, I have an idea for at least one book, a couple of professional websites, several clothing and accessory brands and at least one retail store. I don’t know why, but even since I was little I have always wanted to start businesses and create brands. When I was maybe seven I dig up some of the plants from our garden and tried to set up a road side stall. When a car slowed down to see what I was selling, I ran away because I was too shy to actually speak to anyone. Thankfully, my social skills have improved slightly since then and I would like to think I have more sucessful ideas than selling plant clippings on a footpath.
I had a lunch marathon with my twin in Tokyo today, and over the course of our lady date we covered the topic of blogging, making money from blogs and the fad of “positivity/lifestyle” blogging (amongst other things). It’s not a huge secret that I love blogging, love everything about blogging and would happily do whatever it takes to have blogging as my main source of income. Having said that, I would not feel comofortable having this blog being the one to do that for me purely because this is simply a place for me to come, dump whatever is running through my head, and move on. I don’t make any real attempt to construct my writing in any pleasing way, it’s usually stream of consciousness blogging with the occasional thought out post mixed in.
I would really like to start a blog, like an educational type blog. A little like Gala’s*, I guess, but less fashion ( and god knows I am not nearly cool enough to be giving fashion advice). Maybe some articles on how to be more positive/grateful in your daily life, but written for people who aren’t already living in a super happy bubble. I was talking with the Twin today about how, when you are kind of stuck in a bubble of negativity or depression and you want to start to claw your way out, it’s not always just as easy as deciding to be all sunshine, puppies and rainbows and it just happening. Sometimes you just need to start working on little stuff and that in turn will bring about bigger change. I guess if you’ve never been in that yucky, dark place then you can’t really imagine how difficult things become but when the simple act of physically getting out of bed seems insurmountable it can be really difficult to write a list of all the wonderful things in your life.
I guess I kind of want to create a site for people who are looking to make some positive changes in their life and the way they think, but just in little bite sized chunks. Over the course of the last couple of years I have spent an amazing amount of time working on myself and the way my brain works because I realized that the way I was thinking and the way I was talking to myself were incredibly destructive and I think I am finally at a place where it is working for me the way I want it to. It’s not perfect, I have shit days like everyone else and I can be mean and bitchy and jealous but I can also release that negative energy and replace it with something more beneficial. I have people email and comment on how I have a positive outlook on things and I think it’s something I could help other people to achieve.
What do you think? Does the internetz need another advice-esque site? Would you like to read a website that showed you some cool stuff to buy or to do or to see and also helped you to improve the way you think about things, if you wanted help to do that? It wouldn’t be all “Go and buy this $2984 handbag now, it will make your life that much better” or “Go and write a list of 15 things that are amazing about a rainbow”, more like “Go buy this bag because it’s made by a design student and it’s unique and well made and it supports a small business” or “Think about one thing that wasn’t shit today. Awesome, now tomorrow try and see if you can find two things”. I know I’d really like a website like that, I like to know where to buy cool shit that isn’t insanely expensive, or little things I can do to focus on the better stuff and not dwell on the crap bits or just movies that are out and that make you feel happy. I’m truly curious as to any feedback you might have on this. I am motivated primarily by the love of blogging and writing and wanting to help people feel a bit less shit about things, but I would like to make some sort of income from it so I would consider advertisments and product placements and all of that, but I would be comitted to supporting as many “little” people as I can through stuff like that. Advertising indie businesses, promoting films made by people on a shoestring budget with nothing more than a video camera and a head full of magical ideas, showing off bands and artists who are not household names but who are awesome and really should be in record stores.
So, what say you? Total pipe dream? Nice idea but no one will care? Shit idea, you are totally just ripping off …. (if this is the case, please tell me who, I don’t know anyone doing what I want to do)? Awesome idea, sign me up yesterday now let me email all my friends and tell them this second?? It’s not something that will happen overnight, or next month, but it will be early in the new year. I will have the time to invest in such a project and it’s something I would dearly love to do so it would be very much my baby.
* Don’t get me wrong, I have much love for Gala and her site. She has done so incredibly well and worked very hard for the fame and fortune she is now reaping. I really admire her spirit and energy but as someone who does not have pink hair, and does not go to cool parties and own wonderfully fantastic clothes and accessories or live my absolute ideal life every single day, I find it a little hard to take all of her advice – I would sometimes just like some advice or articles from the average Josephine for other everyday girls.
Is there any possibility that lifestyle magazines would have website only content like an advice-esque blog? I think you’d definitely be good at it, you like finding things and you like sharing the things you’ve found. I’m sure most of the newspapers have weekend sections with similar stuff to what you’d like to write about, so maybe all these magazines and newspapers have capacity for this type online content, and the capacity to pay for it.
The other way to go about it is to set up your own website and then work on an advertising stream. If you’re offering opinions on bags, etc then surely smaller businesses would want a piece of that advertising pie. The plus is that you wouldn’t only talk about products, so that actually might be more appealing to both your potential readership and advertisers.
Honestly, just create something that you yourself would have liked to read, then let everyone else know about it and go from there. If you want to build your own website, try Drupal.
P.S) All the things you’re talking about, small designers, cool indie bands, etc, are exactly the things that everyone is always looking for so they can be cool and trendsettery to get in on the action before it’s popular, which in turn actually makes it popular. I’m sure Virgin Inflight magazine is all about finding cool stuff before it’s cool. Or, what about http://www.fashionising.com?
i think this is a great idea! plus you said it yourself “i know i would really like a site like this” which means that there would absolutely be someone else out there that would also enjoy a site like that.
and dont beat yourself up about coming home in March! its just the start of another adventure!
I like the idea of advertising in your blog. I have lost count of the times I’ve bought something based on the review and recommendation of a person’s blog that I read. Whatever you think will work, is worth giving it a go. One word of caution, though, turning your hobby into a business, isnt’ as appealing as it sounds. Suddenly what you always loved doing, becomes much more difficult because it is now work. I was involved in the setting up of a scrapbooking business. I left the partnership after 12 months, when the business needed to expand and I didn’t have the capital it needed. I remained teaching the craft for another couple of years, but was very very happy when I returned to teaching primary school kids, because my hobby was now my work and I just wasn’t enjoying it anymore. God, that was awfully long winded……. sorry!!
I love the idea of this, as you know I suffer from the issues of shopping too much and depression so I’m your target reader
The amount of times i’ve read about something on a blog, be it music, events, websites, books or shopping stuff, and then gone and bought/seen/loved it I’ve lost count of. Because to me it’s the same as if a friend recommended it.
The only thing I’d be wary of is what you’ve already pointed out, being too preachy or too perky. But, somehow I think you’ll avoid that part.
Oh, actually, have you thought of making it a collaborative thing? I mean there are a lot of cool people around here who could add other stuff too?
Adam x 2, I suppose I should have been a bit more..specific with my plans. The stuff I think is “cool” is not stuff you’d get in a lifestyle lift out or in an in flight mag, it’s stuff that would be still “unknown” in the mainstream sense but known to the people around me. So I guess things that are awesome that you wouldn’t know about unless you tripped across it, or knew someone involved.
The advertising stream is something I’m def keen to introduce. I think I need to make a bit of a plan in terms of how I want this to grow and which direction it will go in because it has the potential to explode and I want to make sure I grow it positively and in the direction I want it to go.
Mex, thanks so much. I know if no one else likes the blog, I will totally love it. But the wave of support so far has been incredible and far more than I imagined so I think it might do ok
Jenny, I know what you mean about making a hobby into a business. I’ve done it before (on a very micro level) and I understand what it feels like to not want to have anything to do with the thing that used to bring you so much joy. I guess this just sort of combines so many of my interests and because I’ve been doing writing “professionally” (but unpaid) for a little while now that I see it more as a work project than a fun thing. Thanks for the advice!
Lucy, thank you!! Exactly, it’s that kind of vibe I want to go for, just a chilled, friendly thing. I don’t want to uncover the next newest, greatest thing but just kind of share the stuff I’ve noticed and think is cool, you know? I totally understand the preachy thing, I know that when I was not feeling tip top the thing that would make me turn off from something so quickly was the feeling of being patronized. I just want to offer some help/articles/advice/information in a open, non judgemental sense and people can apply it however they want. I would never, ever claim to know everything or say my way is perfect so I am very wary about projecting that vibe.
Collaborations are absolutely something I’d work on, being based where ever I am based means that I only get a tiny drop of all the coolness that is out there, so I’d love to know what else is going on and share it with others. Plus, my expertise only go so far, so I’d love to work with others to share the skills and all that. It’s absolutely in the plan
I agree the things you think are cool would not at all be mainstream and would be just ace things from student designers and stuff, but the point I was trying to make was that a few things that are indie cool do make it to mainstream, and there is a lot of mainstream media that are constantly looking for a cool little thing that no one else knows about and is made in someone’s garage. All the ’5 years ago I was making these in my living room, now I’m bigger than Coke’ start with reviews from the D’Jens.
Anyways, whatever, it sounds like it’s all starting to take form and I’m excited for you!
What the hell is a Stunti? From Adam.