My first initial experience of blogging
I originally started blogging in 2017 to share my travel stories (and more). But to be perfectly honest, it’s been far from my biggest priority. This may sound crazy, but recently all the signs have been directing me towards blogging again. I’ve found myself starting various journals, using a mix of physical notes and iPhone notes. These journals help me to record small memories, practice gratitude, set small goals, state positive affirmations and note down my achievements.
Writing as my childhood hobby
Before I pursued a career in finance, I wanted to go into journalism. I was a finalist in a young journalism competition in my early teens. I attended a Channel 4 media insight day. I was also a writer for my school’s newspaper ‘Carpe Libellum’ for a year. I think I started to lose interest in writing given the continuous stream of essays throughout my formal education, and a shift in focus towards a career in finance. I have no regrets in this regard. But, I recently realised that I don’t need to practice writing as a career. It’s perfectly fine as a hobby!
Writing under lockdown
Writing journal entries has helped me mentally over the last few weeks. I enjoy writing, and writing is a hobby that is highly compatible with life under lockdown. Writing is also not a new hobby for me, but an unrealised strength of mine. This is according to the Strengths Profile personality test a friend of mine recommended, which was incredibly accurate. An unrealised strength is a strength you don’t use often, but a strength you should look to use more. This lockdown has given me a lot of time to think and reflect. Re-igniting this blog will develop this unrealised strength further. I’m also excited to get in touch with my creative younger self.
Blogging as a side hustle or a hobby?
I know many people are trying to start a side hustle out of content creation. This is not my initial intention and does not need to be either. I’m fully supportive of side hustle culture, but I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself just yet. I also have no intention of quitting my full-time job to become a freelance writer. Instead, I would like to pursue blogging as my own personal passion project. I enjoy reading and reflecting on my past experiences and thoughts. If other people enjoy reading them too, that can only be a bonus. However, this time around, I wanted to ensure my blog had its own home, and therefore I decided to build this website.
This blog is not going to be niche (at least not to start with), as I have many different things that I enjoy writing about. I see myself as a multipotentialite – someone who has multiple interests (see Emilie Wapnick’s Ted talk) – and do not want to constrain my writing. I hope to write more regularly, but am not committing myself to regular posting or monetisation, especially given my job which can be demanding at times.
Blogging for me
This blog is a creative outlet for me and will allow me to share my thoughts and my experiences. Blogging is something I enjoy, and I will try to produce good content, but I’m not aiming for perfection, which is new territory for me, and that is okay.
My name is Ugochi and I have something to say. This blog is me and my thoughts… uninterrupted.