I’ve Figured It Out!

Since returning home from the Bloggers Conference, I’ve struggled to develop something to share.  I was reminded of so much, but I had trouble pin pointing that one, big “ahah!” moment.  It just wasn’t coming to me.

You see, I’ve been blogging since 2001.  I started things off with ‘Ramblings of a Generic Female’ and I’d be hard pressed to remember which platform I used to build it, but I learned a bit of HTML with it so I could play with the theme colors and fonts.  It wasn’t quite a plug and play as it is today… at least, it wasn’t in my world.  I very quickly purchased Ehwin.com as my domain name and kept that for many, many years.

My blog changed throughout the years and as I grew older and wiser, I left Ramblings behind and started IdyllHands.  Before you cringe upon hearing that, I did print ALL of my posts from Ramblings and put them in a binder.  Those were my college and then some years.  It was my diary.  I posted my ups, my downs, frustrations and celebrations.  I couldn’t let it go away forever but I certainly didn’t need that stuff sitting around the internet for the rest of time.

So along came IdyllHands and for a while it was just a blog about stuff.  A lot of the stuff centered around crafting and gardening but has since evolved and I now include a LOT of professional discussion.  I’m transitioning between young professional and whatever comes after that.  I have a lot to say as I make that step.  It’s a big step.  It’s scarier than anything I’ve done before but it’s oh so rewarding.  So, naturally, that is what I like to talk about.

At the conference, many discussion topics revolved around what it is you want your blog to be.  What is your point?  What are you saying?  Who are you?  What is your gift to the reader?  HECK, I don’t know.  I’ve done a pretty good job maintaining a theme around creatively balancing my professional and creative life.  Is that what my blog is?  I suppose.  I hope it’s good enough for you, if not, you might as well leave now because I doubt I’ll change it anytime soon.

So my take away from the conference wasn’t about content.  So many of the attendees are talking about content, but I can’t find it in me to do so.  Maybe that is why I haven’t blogged since then.  I thought I needed to live up to something and I just couldn’t do it.

Then it hit me.

This weekend, while cleaning up my creative space, I glanced at my DSLR camera that my dear, sweet brother sent me a couple of years ago.  He had moved up in the camera world and this guy needed a home.  I’ve used it all of once.  I know, I know!  I’m a terrible camera owner.  I just don’t know how to use it.

And no, I didn’t read the manual.

Leave me alone.

I like to figure things out on my own.

But I can’t figure this one out.  Because of this small, tiny detail, I went to a 1 hour talk about photography basics.  In that one hour I learned EXACTLY what I have been needing to know in regards to that camera.  Every day since the conference I’ve thought about pulling out the camera and reviewing my notes and taking world class pictures!  This weekend, I finally started playing with it.  No, I don’t have anything to post just yet.  I’m honest but not that honest.  I will say this, had I known reading the manual or a few online tutorials would have sparked this camera interest in me, I would have done so 2 years ago.

As it is, that is my take away from the conference.  Photography.

Hi, my name is Erin.  I went to a blogging conference and fell in love with my DSLR Camera.