How does one wrap their head around ten years of commitment to such a hobby like blogging? . . . I can’t haha
10th January 2015 the blog was born.
What Has This Blog Given Me
Ten years where the hell did you go? But it’s bad of me not to acknowledge the commitment I’ve made to this blog and to myself. Hobbies I have taken over the years I have a good track record of sticking with, I’m not someone who is half hearted going into things. Telling yourself “I’m going to start a blog” nothing hits until you can’t fathom what this is exactly going to involve. Do you think I did?
Nope.
I was using G blogger at the time before wordpress and don’t use that useless garbage haha. Honestly don’t know how I discovered wordpress just a random google search but researching others came first before committing. The game plan then was create the thing and put out my first post which is then research others anime blogs. You have to be set on what you want your blog to about, its fine to change your mind later on adding and subtracting you’re focal point, give your readers a heads up. It took a few posts before I started getting noticed and feeling connection to other bloggers but. . . before I knew it fellow anime bloggers started following and interacting with me. If you are someone starting out or few months in blog it pays to explore other blogs and comment. I wouldn’t know anyone if I hadn’t had that game plan otherwise this hobby seems like a lonely venture. I will compile a list after this post for other active anime bloggers that are still active to help anyone out.
Fellow anime bloggers like Takuto’s Anime Cafe, Blerdy Otome were the first among who I met and everything blew up. You should definitely check them out top people and top blogs. To address one of the things my blog has given me is friendship. No matter what happened from here on out, I know I’ve met some amazing fellow anime folk and gained new aspects to anime that I would never have just from real life, that’s a big for me. Scott from Mechanical Anime Reviews I have learnt the majority of Mecha and retro anime, Lyn from Just Something About Lyn Lyn taught me all things asian dramas and english literature. This is where we can say the internet is a positive the connections I’ve made through blogging, that is something I would never trade.
What Else?
Free expression and confidence
Punching out 800 + blogs over this time has let me explore different ways to express my love of anime, one example joining the conjoined group known as OWLS. A group of us got to together to explore different world topics and views, each month we would do a blog tour compiled of different posts and bloggers choosing a media to express said chosen topic. This was such a fun to do with other like minded individuals, I don’t think I would have met others in real life with the same mindset. Reading other fellows thoughts of said topics was so inspiring for me rekindling some of my blogger love. Become apart of a movement like this or start your own if you are starting out your blog journey, you’ll gain connections.
Being apart of OWLS allowed me to become even more expressive to the point of I have reached with my blogging style where the odd swear word will be in. This was something I was hesitate with over the years but now the comfort has set in. Try many different blogging styles, don’t be shy honestly you’ll gain different ways to write to suit whatever you want to write. Whether short posts, long posts, poetic pieces, use music lyrics to express, the options are endless. Talking about topics your hesitant to cover is one the biggest blogger hurdles and you are within your right to not cover those topics, but just dabbing into a few you will gain newfound confidence for me one of my own pieces on Rurouni Kenshin at a time the creator was charged for Pedophilia which meant this work got glanced over and support from fans dropped. I don’t blame anyone in this regard but I was so angry about it all and wrote my side of things. I couldn’t believe I’d put these raw thoughts out there but writing this particular piece started my change in mindset towards writing topics like this confidently.
I feel like I have covered the main two things this blog has given me but there are so many more things it has. I don’t feel like for one second I was wasting my life doing this hobby even if there had been many times I had wanted to press the delete button and throw in the towel. It’s a committing hobby, I could never do as a job the joy would be washed out. You can’t do this half hearted, you have to be all in but you set your own pace for things something to always remember. I don’t regret creating this blog and doing any of this for what it has given me.
Some Favourite Posts Of 10 Years
Why Through The Fails, The Passion, The Like Is Still Strong? – Sound Euphonium touched my core when it comes to passion and likes.
Spirit Is Belief – Kyo Ani Tribute | “Belief” Owls August Blog Tour – I got to splurge my first Kyoto Animation Love
This Isn’t One Of Those Benefits Of Watching Older Anime.– Maybe this did turn into the benefits of watching older anime now that I look at it haha
Burden Of One’s Self And A Hand That Reached Out – This was a personal piece I quite enjoyed writing and expressed a part of me that felt constant all the time
Anime Lists That Caters To Exist Because: Jealously Sucks, It Dominates and It’s Ugly – A fun list series I still want to continue actually but this was a fav to write
The Female Appeal Of Gundam Collaboration – a fun Gundam collaboration
Blogger Tips Collab With A Wild Irina Part 1 + 2 – Need some bloggers tips you can look here haha
After Rain Comes Sunshine – Fun expertimentation with using song lyrics
What Would Be Offered On Anime Rental Market? – I loved testing out random ideas
5 Blushing Shoujo With The Sparkles And Twinkles – Love me some good shojo talk hehe
Jupiter All The Way (oops.)
Don’t name your blog after your favourite female character or any character because once I had put that out in the word. There was no turning back after people started calling me Lita. I got use to the persona and it grew on me and still doesn’t feel weird being called that even now. People poo poo online personas but it adds a level of privacy which I see as an important thing so doing podcast episodes with other online folk came handy and speaking of lead to running my own solo podcast. Adding the podcast felt the missing piece to my blog and doing both brings me a renewed joy that I didn’t have for a long time to experience.
I don’t know for the future but were still here
At this point people will be wondering where does the future hold for my blog and I don’t know. . . haha. All I know I don’t feel the urge to end this creative journey. I haven’t achieved what I want with the podcast but the blog I still desire to have around. I could never delete this place I’ve figured out that much honestly. Too much history is here and I have lots of screenshots to take of memories for me, I’d like to look back on. Fellow bloggers I know some have moved on, others still here is another reason I could never not be here either. Haha. . so there is your personal confirmation that I am here to stay. It was just so important to do some reflection of the past ten years, even though it would be a bigger post than this guys.
There is always a reason to create and long as that reason is there, it’s worth it. Maybe at some point I will truly slow down with this blog but I’d say for the next two years things will be as they are. So I hope you continue to stick around and enjoy the random nature of this blog I love to run. I also humbly THANKYOU to all those who have supported this blog and myself, it has never gone unnoticed. This blog has become much more than my love of anime but a place for others which is more than I had envisioned.
Happy Ten Years Blog!
Stay sexy followers and as usual we will see you in the next post!
Lita Always xx
