New Direction

So, after taking the Design*Sponge "Blogging Your Way" course, I've finally found the direction I need for this blog. The course encourages you to ask yourself what interests you're passionate about and then take those passions and craft them into aesthetically pleasing, informative and engaging blog posts.

I am passionate about my business, social media, art, design, cultural events, traveling, music events, outdoor activities, eating anything and everything, artisinal crafts and foods and, of course, the IE. How do I take my passions and the guidelines I learned from my course and translate them to a blog about building an online destination for the IE? Then what started as a small ray of an idea grew into a "whole spread the clouds apart" enlightenment (almost heard angels sing). It just clicked and the ideas just kept flowing after that.

My previous blog posts focused on how I was trying to build my business (social media tips and such) and that direction kept bumping me up against a wall. The wall was the fact that I wasn't confident enough to make recommendations and share how I was doing things. I'm learning as I go and flying by the seat of my pants here. That lack of confidence kept preventing me from blogging...I felt what I had to say wasn't as informative as some of the business blogs out in the blogosphere. But how do I take all my passions and build my online brand? *LIGHTNING*

I currently reside in Los Angeles because of my "9-5" digital brand marketing career. It's a career I've been building for almost ten years, plus it pays my bills and most importantly for the development of my business. So in order to attend cultural events, research and visit my family and friends I need to commute to the IE. I schedule weekend trips (because I can't do anything if it's not in my calendar). I try to catch as many things as possible - car shows, festivals, concerts, local school events, theater productions, art walks, etc. I force some friends to come along and I take field notes, tweet about it, take lots of pictures and observe EVERYTHING. *LIGHTNING TURN INTO CLOUDS ROLLING BACK*

I need to document my adventures in the IE! I like to have a good time and my passions reflect that. The boring, "try to be professional" blog I was shooting for just wasn't a good fit. This way I can write what I know - having a good time - while being reflective of my brand and lending a voice to the site I'm developing. With tips I learned from the Design*Sponge course I finally have something to say and the right way to say it.

Keep your fingers crossed and let's hope this new direction brings even more inspiration!