I think we can all collectively agree that the last thing on our minds is a New Year’s Resolution. Although I’ve already caught glimpses of morning news broadcasts talking about losing quarantine weight, I like to think most of us are fully aware that COVID-19 doesn’t expire at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Though it is exciting to have almost-certainty that an effective vaccine is coming our way in 2021, I know I’ve learned my lesson about great expectations. I certainly don’t think there’s anything wrong with goal-setting as I have been making vision boards for the past two years and may even do one next month; however, I don’t have to be the one to discuss the harmful effects of setting overly ambitious goals at the beginning of the year and falling into a pit of self-pity three weeks later.
Hi, everyone!! If you are following my Instagram or the official Lex in the City Facebook page, you will have seen that I reached 100 follows on my blog on Monday!! It’s not ground-breaking per se, but that’s not going to stop me from celebrating this win. 🙂
Last week, I wrote a post about how I have felt stuck creatively and more specifically on the blog. It has of course prompted me to confront the ever-looming question of “Should I keep doing this,” or “Am I wasting my time? Who even reads blogs anymore?” But seeing that there are at least 100 of you with WordPress accounts that officially follow me, and at least a couple more that take the time to visit my page to read my new posts, these are reminders that I DO have an audience and I SHOULD keep posting.
Since getting back on a regular posting schedule in July of one to two posts per week, I have gained roughly 30 followers, so that shows me consistency definitely makes a difference. I would love to maintain the biweekly (twice per week) posts which is why I am so eager to claw my way out of this creative rut. My insights also show that the majority of my readers come from Facebook and Internet searches. Since recently learning a little more about SEO, I have definitely been trying to optimize my posts, and now I have my sights set on reaching even more people. I figure, “Why limit myself?”
I really just want to reiterate that you all have no idea how much it means to me when I receive messages or comments complimenting my writing. When I say, “thank you,” I mean it with every fiber of my being. Though I have been doing this for nearly six years, it really doesn’t feel like it has been that long. I still feel strange accepting these compliments as though I don’t consider myself a real writer. As if I am a fraud. But if I learned anything from my own video about overcoming impostor syndrome, I am a writer. Accolades, degree, portfolio or not, I have had a pen to paper (or cursor to document) since I was eight years old and I don’t intend on stopping. So, this one is for all of you. Thank you, thank you, and if I haven’t said it enough, thank you! ♥️ xx, AE
Serious question for my readers: what do you all do when you hit a wall? More specifically, a wall with creativity.
I feel I have hit a bit of a plateau on the writing front. I can’t tell if it’s because I have genuinely run out of things to write about or if there’s a voice telling me not to waste time because people don’t read blogs anymore. My gut reaction is that I am just struggling to find compelling things to write about during this time. Although, it certainly doesn’t help that blogging isn’t that *hot* anymore. It is obviously a stagnant time, but even the content I am filming on my YouTube channel–ideas which seem to be continuously flowing–don’t seem to translate here. While before I was struggling with finding travel-related content, I am now at a stand-still with all content! I guess considering I have had this blog for over five and a half years, this lull is a natural state. So I turn to you: as readers of my blog, what do you want to read?
This isn’t the first time I have prompted this question to my audience, but I am asking for a genuine response. As much as I write for my own enjoyment, the momentum comes from what you enjoy as well. Please, please let me know what you would like me to write about! It doesn’t have to be travel-related necessarily, just topics that you think are relevant and are reflective of the person you have come to know on this site for the last five and a half years. If you don’t have specific topic suggestions, I’m open to suggestions on how to rekindle creativity when you feel stuck. You can also DM me on my Instagram or my Facebook page. I look forward to reading your comments! xx, AE
content creation: the contribution of information to any media and most especially to digital media for an end-user/audience in specific contexts
Ever since my return to YouTube, I have started to step fully into defining myself as a content creator. While I consider myself a blogger first, as it is something I have been doing for five and a half years now, I also realized that I have been consistently creating and editing YouTube videos for a year and a half now. It only makes sense that I widen the umbrella as I continue to learn new skills on different platforms. Let’s also not forget the innate Millennial skill of being able to adapt to new social media as they arrive. But when it comes to compiling all of these skills and turning that into a career, the world of creating content isn’t as simply boiled down as the two-word title. What’s the difference between an influencer and a content creator, for example? Is it the age-old conundrum that an influencer can be a content creator, but a content creator is not necessarily an influencer? Should people who work in social media be expected to also know graphic design, video editing, animation, etc.? If I do apply for a video editing job, am I expected to take over social media as well? This is all part of the confusion that I can personally say I am witnessing in job descriptions, advice webinars, and panel discussions about media. When I Google “What is a content creator,” the first page of results stem from personal blogs rather than major publications. The definition I pulled at the beginning of this post was one I found on Wikipedia which goes to show how new this realm really is, even to people who are considered to be a part of it. Continue reading “Content Creation–What Is It?”→
Lex in the City 