My Business

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How I feel after writing an e-course

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a bookish baker

Today, this morning - about ten minutes ago in fact - something amazing happened to me.

I sent out the first lesson of my e-course.

To anyone else this will not feel like a big event. But I cannot tell you how delighted I am with myself and I want to take a moment to pause and reflect. 

It's not about the pounds. It's about completing something.

Something I created from a blank page. From nothing.

This e-course was an idea I initially conceived during the Christmas 2017 holidays. I was looking forward to a quiet Christmas. I needed a quiet Christmas. We had no family coming to stay with us and illness prior to the big day meant we all needed the chance to rest and recharge. 

Then, whilst in the shower, I got my idea. I've had ideas for an e-course before but nothing came from it. When this one popped into my head it just made so much sense to me. It felt right.

So I started making a few notes. I did some customer research i.e I asked two Instagram friends, my two lovely guinea pigs, what they were struggling with as they created their own blogs. I traded my answers and help for their questions.

Then I sat at my desk and wrote. Then wrote some more. Then I recorded some videos. Then wrote and wrote. You get the idea.

I was daunted by the selling side. Would anyone buy? How do I share the information with the course students? But research, patience (with myself) and perseverance all paid off and everything started to fall into place.

And now I have a four week e-course with actual real life students. People who are interested in what I have to teach.

The first lesson went out this morning and it felt like such a massive achievement. Because this is the first time in a long time that I've conceived a project, started it and saw it through, right until the end. 

For a long time I thought I was one of those people who didn't finish a project. I've had my novel hanging over my head for such a long time it has made me think I would never finish anything. I've had my blog, of course I have, but a blog is constantly evolving. It's a hungry beast and one that you have to keep feeding. 

But now I have this. And I've worked out a few things about myself as I wrote it:

  • I am not one of those people who can have multiple projects on the go at the same time. 
  • I don't work well to deadlines that I keep to myself. i.e I cannot write 1000 words a day that I quietly get on with.
  • I can, however, work towards a realistic deadline if I have publicised it. 
  • I love writing about blogging and the creative process.
  • If I want to write a novel or memoir I have to write it in the same way as my e-course. As a project where I block off everything else and concentrate on that one thing.
  • I like lists but then tend to forget about them and hold everything, frustratingly, in my head.
  • I stop everything else going on in my life when I'm concentrating on a project. No getting my nails done, no dog walks with my friend, not coffees. I cannot organise things when my head is full.
  • I know more than I think I do.
  • I can do more than I think I can.
  • Keep it simple should be my mantra for everything. And has kept me sane during this entire process.

I've still go a few loose ends to tie up. And I have a Facebook group for the course so will be supporting everyone as they go through the lessons. 

But now I'm wondering what to do next. Write another course? (I have an idea brewing.) Or something else. Which brings me to the final thing I've learnt:

  • When one project is completed I have to fill my 'creative well' before starting a new one.

I didn't write this post to publicise my course, but if you are interested in joining it's not too late and you can find out more here.

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An honest post about my creative year & my ideas for 2018

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a bookish baker ducks

Due to nobody's fault but my own 2017 didn't quite go to plan for me. 

It started off well. Then I hit 10k on Instagram and my focus evaporated. I got sidetracked by other things. I was like a social media magpie picking my way excitedly through the shiny online advice.

I created another brand, another website, I started a coaching business. Oh my goodness this took up a lot of time and effort. But I was missing using my own creativity. And subsequently lost my appetite for work. I was beginning to flounder and flail.

It wasn't until a summer holiday when my mind had the chance to breathe that I realised I'd become side-tracked. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't, metaphorically speaking, kick myself long and hard for losing focus. 

But, as I said when I was being interviewed for a podcast last week, this is my journey. Just as I haven't yet finished my novel, just as my blog posts and Instagram account has yet to go viral (insert wink emoji) there is, I think, a reason for many of the decisions I make. And, even if there isn't a reason and it is a stupid mistake, I can still learn from it.

And what I've learned this year, in a looong roundabout way, is that I really want to focus on storytelling. I want to create a beautiful body of work on my blog where I tell my seasonal stories all mixed in with the other blog posts I enjoy writing on books, Instagram, food, beauty, writing, chickens, ducks  - whatever takes my fancy.

And I know I love sharing my stories on Instagram, too, but I don't want to put all my chickens' eggs in one social media basket.

So, what come's next? Well, I'm going to have a proper think over the Christmas break but I do have a few ideas now.

Even though I won't be doing one-to-one coaching anymore I have been answering DMs and emails from people who've reached out to me and who are interested in setting up their own blog and sharing their own stories but don't know where to start.

So...

IDEA NUMBER ONE

With social media becoming harder to build a following I firmly believe that creating a blog is important if you want an online presence. A blog is your business card, it's your portfolio. It is also a place to be creative. To experiment with different ways of telling stories: film, photography or writing.

So, I thought it would make sense to put all my knowledge from the past few years into a course focusing on the practical side as well as the creative and storytelling side of building a beautiful blog. A course looking at how to build up to sharing your work and writing (which I know can be so daunting) in addition to finding places to share and promote it.

I know that being confused about the techie aspects of writing and sharing online can be a real stumbling block so I genuinely want to help cut through all the advice so creatives can set up their blog simply and effectively then concentrate on creating.

I've actually already started to write the course and love how it's coming together. If you're interested you can sign up on this page to receive more information  and I'll email you when I have a date and further information.

If you have any questions about the course do send me an email. I'd love to hear from you.

IDEA NUMBER TWO

I'd love to create A Bookish Baker - the Book Club. A place to enjoy cosy reads. Whether this would be via newsletter, on a private area of this blog or on Facebook I'm not sure. What do you think? Is this something you'd be interested in?

a bookish baker book club

IDEA NUMBER THREE

A podcast talking books and stories. Maybe chatting to authors but also chatting to bloggers and creatives to discover the behind-the-scenes stories. 

This seems like a lot of projects I'd like to do when you also consider I have this blog, a novel to write and my Instagram photos and mini-films. 

BUT now I have found the path I want to be on I realise I love doing all of this. All if it. And I am so ready for the next stage of challenges. 

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Why does writing make me feel so guilty?

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Why does writing make me feel so guilty?

Over the summer holidays, during a much needed break, I made a decision. 

But before I tell you my decision let's go back to January 2017.

At the beginning of this year I had a set of goals. This was to create a portfolio business consisting of my blog, Instagram, my newsletter, writing magazine articles, exploring the possibilities with my chicken drawings and writing my non-fiction and novel.

In my notebook I wrote:

In three months I will have a healthy business, writing and drawing, and will be making an income from it.

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No More Niching: The Feedback

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No More Niching: The Feedback

When I wrote the post: Why I'm No Longer Niching My Blog about why I thought I'd made a mistake in my business because I'd followed all the online advice to 'niche' my blog, I was apprehensive.

Firstly, because I was admitting I'd made a mistake and I was worried how my clients/future clients would feel about this.

And secondly because what I was thinking went against the advice of so many other people online.

But despite my concerns I posted it anyway. As I've been sharing my business (and writing) story, I thought it only fair to say when I'd taken a wrong turn.

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Is social media stifling creativity?

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Is social media stifling creativity?

Facebook rather (over)excitedly told me yesterday that it was our ten year anniversary. I had been on Facebook for ten years. Which means I've been blogging for slightly longer, and tweeting for slightly less.

In this decade of social media I've seen many creative endeavors evolve and grow.

There was the rise of the blog becoming a book deal. The film Julie and Julia (one of my favourites) came about because of Julie Powell's blog. Or we have the Belle de Jour blog which became a book and, later, a TV series with Billie Piper. 

Back then social media was used to chat. 'Water cooler' chatting. Writers, working on their own all day, would come together to compare word counts and commiserate or celebrate accordingly.

Blogs were like diaries. A place to share writing. A place to be anonymous or to share projects.

Why I'm Creating a Business to help Passionate & Purposeful Creatives & Writers

Why I'm Creating a Business to help Passionate & Purposeful Creatives & Writers

At the moment I've hundreds of words and ideas swirling around my head. My notebook is being furiously written into. I'm watching Youtube videos on who is the best newsletter provider and creating a project management schedule - of sorts - in Asana (a new to me tool that I'm using to get organised). My head feels like it's going to pop. Every time I think I've learnt something new and that'll be it for the time being, I realise I need to learn something else. Google Drive, Asana, Mailchimp/Convertkit, Squarespace, an accounting spreadsheet - even scheduling posts for my Facebook page - is all taking up headspace.

Do you ever feel like the more you do the less you've achieved?

Do you ever feel like the more you do the less you've achieved?

Do you ever feel like the more you do the less you've achieved? I know, that sounds weird, right?

But I've been working hard on all sorts of things in the last few months.

I've sorted out an online system for working with clients - I've even got clients and worked with them on their social media - that's massive, right? I've launched my new website on a different platform to this one so I had to learn all the tech stuff, I've sorted out the associated mailing lists, updated my computer because the wifi kept dropping, registered a domain, sorted a new email address...the list goes on, but I'm stopping there as I don't want to appear braggy - I'm just giving context ;)