I Want to Make the Way I Blog Feel Authentic Again

A painting of an orange cat with green eyes lying down with its paws folded under it.

I want to start blogging more again.

I’ve thought about this for the past few weeks, mostly in terms of what sort of content I’d actually like to post. For a LONG time in the past, I tried to model my style of blogging, & the content of what I wrote about around other blogs I enjoyed reading at the time. Which isn’t inherently a BAD thing, it’s just that now when I read those same blogs, I’m put off by how salesy & oftentimes contrived they were?

If it works for those people, it works & I’m not demonizing them as a group, but I will say I’ve started to find those sorts of blogs off-putting. Ones which are overly-optimized, & whether or not they preach “authenticity”, they usually end up being a VERY carefully curated look at someone’s life. The type where the blogger becomes some sort of guru & starts having “retreats” & charging $1000 for an online course?

Ehhhhhhh, gonna pass.

I honesty used to look up to that sort of blogger & aspired to be like them, & be able to sell expensive courses, & perhaps some things can still be learned from them as far as marketing, but that’s just not the direction I want to head in, I think that’s boring & is of no interest to me now.

You know what blog I really still hold in high regard, even though it’s no longer being updated & is now an archive?

Rookie Mag.

I have VERY fond memories of reading Rookie as a teen & in my early 20’s. They had so many things I liked, without ever being phony or salesy. They sold stuff, but they never came off as a greasy used car salesman trying to manipulate people into buying their expensive online course with a VERY long sales page filled with 33 testimonials about why they course was gonna ~ChAnGe YoUr LiFe~.

They had fashion photos, & poetry, & stories about peoples’ lives that were interesting or that I could relate to. There were photoshoots with such unique aesthetics, & very creative & awesome tutorials, & opinions about things that mattered a lot to me. They had super good art & illustrations, evocative & talented writing, & a sort of inherent authenticity & celebration of the joy of self-exploration that filled me with such hope & excitement.

Rookie Mag was FUN.

Will my blog be that level of amazing? Maybe not, but rather than looking up to people I just don’t respect as much anymore, I’m going to take inspiration for my blog, & my definition of what “blogging” should be, from something I still consider to be unique & magical instead of sleek & phony.

– Ashlee 🐸

2018 WEEK 17: ACCOUNTABILITY UPDATE

What I did the week of April 22 thru 28 to make my life AMAZING.

Schwoaze / Pixabay

  1. Worked a lot on revamping & expanding my Shopify store. Shoutout to the Shopify plugin Buddha MegaMenu for allowing me to make sub-sub-categories for my menu!
  2. Came up with a great idea for a new sticker app, which you’ll hear about soon! Drew all the stickers for it!
  3. Drew more illustrations for one of my upcoming books!
  4. Drew 1 new design & numerous illustrations.
  5. Made 5 Instagram posts.
  6. Practiced being more sociable, opening up to people more, & not over-monitoring what I’m doing when interacting with people (that’s been a big problem of mine for a long time).
  7. Helped my mom harvest vegetables from our yard. They were so good!
  8. Cleaned & organized all my craft supply bins to make it easier for me to find them.
  9. Had fun running around inside Life.
  10. Saw Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy & Alan Parsons Project in concert at Ruth Eckerd Hall!

2018 WEEK 16 :: ACCOUNTABILITY UPDATE

artyangel / Pixabay

  1. Thought a lot about how to make life more fun & how to live by fun as a principle.
  2. Worked a lot on revamping my Shopify store by doing a MAJOR redesign & expansion of the categories to prepare for TONS OF NEW PRODUCTS we’re adding soon!
  3. Published 2 YouTube videos (Episode 043 of The Ashlee Craft Show & a video about my first time at the skatepark).
  4. Made 5 Instagram posts.
  5. Wrote 3 poems.
  6. Published 1 blog post.
  7. Made list of marketing ideas.
  8. Researched some new cool things I’d like to get more into & add to my repertoire.
  9. Researched “shadowbanned” Instagram hashtags so I can avoid them.
  10. Went to a skatepark for the first time & got awesome footage for a video!

2018 WEEK 12: ACCOUNTABILITY UPDATE

What I did March 18 – 25 to make 2018 amazing.

  1. Sorted a lot more of my garage & got rid of a lot more things I no longer needed, as part of my goal of becoming a minimalist this year. Found a ton of stuff to donate!
  2. Recorded a new song, called “I Will Find You”, & mixed it! Soon I’ll be ready to release it! Mixed two other songs I’ve previously recorded, including my cover of Crowded House’s Archers Arrows.
  3. Posted first Fiverr gig EVER! It’s for doing illustrations in my unique style. Set up Fiver profile & added 3 additional gigs (illustrated banner logo, pet portraits, & proofreading). Made a lot of illustrations to be samples for these gigs to show people what they’re getting & to promote the gigs.
  4. Published 1 YouTube videos (Episode 039 of The Ashlee Craft Show)
  5. Made 4 Instagram posts.
  6. Published 3 new products to my online store!
  7. Looked up how to pick a good monologue for acting auditions.
  8. Signed up for Backstage.com. Took new headshots & updated acting resume.
  9. Started editing more of the slideshow images for my Udemy course!
  10. Took another photo for my film photography book.
  11. Considered & brainstormed ways to get acting jobs after I realized how much I wanted to do this.
  12. Applied for 5 acting jobs! Got scheduled for one audition, which I did.
  13. Reconsidered & got further clarity about what kind of LIFESTYLE I want to have, as a whole, instead of just focusing on things that will provide one thing at the expense of others (i.e. making more money at the expense of freedom).
  14. Donated one illustration to a charity with the hopes they’ll want to use it. If they agree, I will link to their website on my website & help promote their charity, & I’ll add the illustration to my portfolio.
  15. Looked up more money making ideas online. Looked into proofreading, part-time, virtual assistant, & entertainment jobs.
  16. Worked on signing up to be a Groupon Merchant.
  17. Colored in five of my illustrations.
  18. Saw Foreigner in concert with the Rock Symphony Orchestra!
  19. Saw Al Stewart, Three Dog Night, Lords of 52nd Street, & Firefall in concert at Ruth Eckerd Hall!
  20. Began reading The Courage to Be Rich by Suze Orman & Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz. Bought a copy of Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers from the library so now I can finally read it!
  21. Made more strides in owning a home.
  22. Gave my mom a life coaching session to help her level up her life this year too.
  23. Signed up for Zazzle & added 9 products made from 1 design. Signed up for Society6 & added a bunch of products made from 2 designs.
  24. Wrote 1 blog post.
  25. Improved environment by cleaning up clutter in my house & putting items back in their places.
  26. Learned about investing in ETFs & low-cost index funds.

2018 WEEK 11: ACCOUNTABILITY UPDATE

What I did in Week 11 (March 11–17) to make 2018 AWESOME.

Week 11 turned out to be a great week! I did a lot of awesome things, made a TON of art, & got a huge number of things done. I’m proud of how productive I was this week!

  1. Made & published 3 YouTube videos (Episode 038 of The Ashlee Craft Show, How to Grow Wheatgrass, Bearded Dragons). Launched a new YouTube show called “The Feel-Good Life with Ashlee Craft”. Finally published my video about how to grow wheatgrass, which I’ve been working on off & on for the past few months!
  2. Spent a LOT of time cleaning & getting rid of unneeded things in my garage to become more of a minimalist. Found a ton of stuff to donate to the Veterans Administration.
  3. Wrote 13 poems.
  4. Edited 15 slideshows that I’ll use for my Udemy course based on my 101 Ways to Love Yourself book. Done with Round 2 edits!
  5. Followed Tony Robbins on LinkedIn so I can fill my feed with even more good insights.
  6. Edited 3 blog articles for future publication.
  7. Drew 2 illustrations & 7 designs (including one I’m donating to a local charity if they choose to use it).
  8. Took a TON of photos for the film photography book I’m working on about buildings in my area.
  9. Wrote 4 blog articles.
  10. Published 1 blog post.
  11. Made 3 Instagram posts.
  12. Finished reading Be Obsessed or Be Average by Grant Cardone & The Biology of Belief by Dr. Bruce Lipton. Started reading a book about bears.
  13. Bought three copies of one of my books to give to a local store for free so they can test the market & then order more copies. I will deliver the copies to them in the next week or two!
  14. Sent blog interview questions to one more person & wrote a review for someone’s book.
  15. Bought shorts to make demo version of fashion design I’m working on so I can send it to my favorite brand!
  16. Added 3 new designs of posters & t-shirts to shop.ashleecraft.com. Posted 2 more additional products. Renewed eBay listings!
  17. Sent out an email newsletter.

2018 WEEK 10: ACCOUNTABILITY UPDATE

Pink beverage

Week 10 was pretty good! There was a lot of stuff I didn’t get to do this week that I wanted to get done, but I still felt like I was a productive week. Looking back, I realized I actually did A LOT.
  1. Drew 1 illustration.
  2. Wrote 3 blog posts which are currently drafts until I get the photos put into them.
  3. Made 1 Facebook post.
  4. Made 3 Instagram posts.
  5. Published 1 podcast.
  6. Uploaded more files to my Google Drive so I can sort them. Sorted more of Google Drive & more of my email account.
  7. Spent a lot of time cleaning in my garage & throwing out stuff that no longer adds value to my life.
  8. Published 1 YouTube video (Episode 037 of The Ashlee Craft Show).
  9. Defined & solidified some of my new marketing & money making ideas.
  10. Wrote 9 poems.
  11. Worked a lot on my How to Grow Wheatgrass video! I started on it around three months ago & it’s totally time it was done.
  12. Networked with 1 new person
  13. Sent blog interview questions to 1 person
  14. Edited & made images for 36 slideshows that I’ll use in my 101 Ways to Love Yourself Udemy course
  15. Practiced guitar on three days. I slacked off big time towards the end of the week but I had other things I prioritized higher.
  16. Bought some more enamel pins for my pin collection from NatelleDrawsStuff, one of my favorite pin designers!
  17. Figured out more of who I want to be.
  18. Made list of important ideas to me right now.
  19. Sent illustration/comic to Campbell’s Soup regarding my idea for them & to get more exposure for my illustrations.
  20. Decided to pursue illustrating more & make more money from it. Came up with a lot of good marketing ideas to not only become a craftsman at it but also get people interested in them.
  21. Watched some good movies, made lemon balm tea for the first time from the lemon balm plant on my porch, weighed my pet geckos for the first time (harder than it sounds!).
  22. Signed up for Fiverr as part of my marketing plan for my illustrations! I still need to get my profile set up, but the first step is done.
  23. Looked into becoming a vendor & getting my art on products from one of my favorite online stores. I will pick some samples to email them soon!
  24. Slacked on the exercise big time. Actually, I didn’t do very well with any of the health-related goals. This will DEFINITELY change in the upcoming week & I will get back on track.

2018 WEEK 8: ACCOUNTABILITY UPDATE

Week 8 was a super-great week! I feel like I had TONS of momentum. I made a lot of big strides towards my goals, did some awesome things, & was very productive. Most of all, I started retraining my behavior & habits to reflect the kind of person I want to become.
  1. Filmed a ton of video clips for upcoming videos so I’ll be able to finish & publish those videos soon!
  2. Published 2 YouTube video (Episode 035 of my show, & a poetry book review).
  3. Finished sorting my Google Drive the first time around. This means everything in there already is sorted, so now I can upload more stuff from my computer & my phone so all my files are sorted appropriately.
  4. Drew SO MANY THINGS! Created 8 new designs that I can use for posters, t-shirts, & more in my shop.
  5. Finished the remaining 4 coloring pages for my farm animal coloring book, so now I can publish the book as soon as I scan & edit the images!
  6. Wrote & sent blog interview questions to two more people.
  7. Published 3 blog posts, including 1 blog interview.
  8. Spent multiple hours reading & watching motivational & educational videos. This week was probably the most so far this year that I’ve invested time in personal development.
  9. Practiced guitar 6 days this week. Looked into an online course about surf-style guitar.
  10. Made 3 posts on Instagram.
  11. Wrote 1 poem.
  12. Actually began making exercise a daily habit. I walked multiple miles on the treadmill & rode a few miles on the exercise bike throughout the week, as well as doing yard work & active chores & doing some walking in the neighborhood. Therefore, I rate myself highly in the exercise category! Also worked on eating olives instead when I feel an urge to passively eat sugar to retrain my habits. I did slack on the veggies, but I’m going to set up my environment for success in this area.
  13. Finally launched one of the websites I’ve owned for a long time but never did anything with – Life is My Playground (www.lifeismyplayground.com). This also is the kick-off to a website challenge where every week I launch a new site from the variety of domains that I own but have never launched!
  14. Got serious about my fashion design idea & even wrote a draft version of the email I will send to one of my favorite online stores (that I’d like to carry my design) once I’ve sent them a sample of it.
  15. Studied Spanish every night this week.
  16. Did various other promotional things, product research, research on various ideas, etc. Reevaluated what things will actually provide me with the most value.
  17. Finished editing comic & sent promotional idea to Campbell’s Soup regarding idea I have for them.
  18. Was happy & felt good all week. I feel like I’m made a lot of progress this past week.
  19. Devised & actually started doing the morning routine I wanted to do! Admittedly I’ve been slacking in this area ever since about halfway through January. So I came up with a better morning routine & it’s been great so far. I got myself a small notebook & I’ve been writing my top 5 goals every morning when I wake up after I meditate. I also listen to one song in the morning, & I want to incorporate dancing into my morning routine too.
  20. Went to a reptile expo (Tampa Repticon) for the first time & got three pet Crested Geckos, which are so adorable! I got to see & pet a lot of awesome animals while I was there, but most awesomely I got to HOLD AN OWL. Owls are my favorite animal EVER so I was so excited.
  21. Finished reading Willpower Doesn’t Work. Started reading The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton.
  22. Did a lot of cleaning & organizing in my house & garage.
  23. Decided every Friday I’ll do a weekly planning session & set goals for what I’d like to put on next week’s Accountability Update