how to – Between the Lens

Before

I’ve always been super interested looking at before and after photos of refurbished furniture. I thought it would be a fun thing to get into, but I just didn’t know where to start or how to begin the process.

So I set out to find some cheap wooden furniture at the local resale shop. Luckily for me, I found THREE things to start my DIY obsession with! I found a small rocking chair that I’m soooo excited to paint for my daughter. The theme in her nursery is adventure, so we’ve got hot air balloons hanging from the ceiling and maps all over the walls. I want to paint this tiny wooden rocking chair to go along with that theme. I can’t wait to work on that and share it with all of you!

I also found a nice wooden jewelry box and a wooden side table that I am going to paint for my sister. She just got her own apartment and doesn’t have much, so I’m going to modern up the side table with some new paint and hand paint some elephants on the jewelry box for her. Can’t wait to share those with you guys, too!

But for today… I want to share my first attempt at freshening up some old furniture that we already had at our house! We keep a small dresser with two drawers next to our bed. Unfortunately, the paint had been rubbed off the top exposing the wood, so it was all bumpy and rugged from the moisture of the drinks we sat on top of it. So when I started this, I first had to sand down the top of the dresser the best I could to try and even out the top. I put some fresh chalk paint on it, giving it a cute modern look. I painted the handles black, and let me tell you what!! It turned out AWESOME!! It looks so fresh and completely different. We practically have a brand new dresser! Not too bad for my first try! We have a taller matching dresser that I plan on doing next, but it has like six drawers in it, so that may take quite awhile for me to get around to finishing!

I have sat at this computer nearly all day reading other peoples’ blogs trying to find inspiration on what to write about. Still, as I sit here typing this, I have nothing. As a beginner at this whole “blogging” thing, (as I’m sure you all have) I’m struggling with trying to come up with something that other people will want to read. I just came to the conclusion that I DON’T CARE about what everyone else thinks a blog should be. I’ve watched YouTube videos from famous bloggers giving their advice on how to be successful at blogging and I’ve also looked through countless websites on issues that could be appealing to readers. Screw that. This website is mine, and I can write about whatever I please!

I’m still relatively new to this, but before I become obsessed with trying to write about what I think others want to hear, I want to remind myself and others that a blog belongs to the writer. We all started the blogging process for different reasons. For me, I wanted an outlet that I could express my thoughts and share my story with people from around the world. And what an amazing concept that is! We have the power at the tip of our fingers to put our thoughts onto a canvas for anyone and everyone that wants to read it. I have always considered myself to be a naturally eloquent writer, and now I have the perfect opportunity to share what I love to do with people that have the same interest. Maybe I’m a nerd, but I think that is absolutely incredible!

I graduated high school in 2015 and from there I did a semester at Eastern Illinois University before I enlisted in the Army National Guard. I did my military training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina from May to October of 2016. I returned back home to Illinois and decided to continue my education. Currently, I’m attending John Wood Community College and I will graduate this May with an Associate of the Arts. From there? I have absolutely no idea! I still have two more years of school before I achieve my goal of a Bachelor’s degree. College is a long, expensive investment in the United States, so I want to make sure I don’t waste any time in studying something that I won’t be happy doing. That’s part of the reason I decided to try out blogging in a more consistent way. I think blogging can teach anyone more about themselves, especially if you just sit down and put your feelings and thoughts onto the page.

As part of my blogging experience, my goal is to talk to new people from all over the world. I’ve always had a fascination with learning about new cultures and how people live their everyday lives in other countries. That being said, I’d love to hear from some of you fellow bloggers out there in the WordPress world! Feel free to leave a comment introducing yourself in the comment section of this post. I can’t wait to hear from some of you and learn along the way!

My advice:

Don’t try too hard. Everyone’s pace is different. If you aren’t comfortable feeling like you have to post something everyday, don’t. Wait until you have something worthwhile and meaningful to you before you try to force words onto the screen. However, sometimes it’s fun to just sit down with no leads, type whatever pops into your head, and see what it turns into. Everyone’s style is different, so we shouldn’t feel like we have to conform to what our idea of a “good blog” is. Let your personality and style be revealed through your work!

Don’t be afraid to try something new! I think some bloggers feel as if they have to stick to one topic. I think that’s crazy! We all evolve throughout life and our interests change! Write about the things that you care about most, regardless of if you think others will like it. Having passion is hard to come by. Like I said before, you’re the writer, so own it!