Good morning friends! I just want to start out by saying that I really don’t exactly what inspired this, but I’m going to do a 5-part series over the next few weeks on the fact that YES, blogging is my real job. It’s part proclamation, part explanation, and hopefully somewhere along the way it will be used to help and inspire others as well. Even if you’re not a blogger I’m hoping that some of these words will be something you can use in your own life! My heart behind this is simply to share the truth, as I see it, of blogging. This job is a blessing beyond belief, and I want y’all to know that’s exactly how I see it! Just a quick disclaimer: this little series is ONLY from my point of view. It does not represent the heart of every blogger out there, and I don’t claim that it does. Please keep discussion healthy and kind-hearted 🙂
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I guess the beginning is as good a place as any to start, right? I always feel like I should explain that I didn’t technically start blogging with Heather’s Dish; I actually had quite a few other blogging “projects” before (a person marriage blog, a photography blog for Nate, and the beginning stages of Heather’s Dish). I guess that’s mainly to show and tell that I’ve experienced several different types of blogging before deciding that food-centric was the way I wanted to go. It hasn’t been easy, but it truly has brought out tenacity in me that I didn’t know I had. So let’s start, shall we?
When Nate and I moved to Colorado to help start a church plant we were basically taking a huge leap of faith in doing so. We didn’t have jobs, we found a place on Craigslist to live and just hoped it would be good (it was), and we were essentially going out there with people we had only met a few times before. The economy was in the process of tanking, and I was starting to wonder what in the world I was going to do with my degree in Restaurant and Hotel Management without actually working for a restaurant or hotel. When we first got there Nate got a temp job and I basically spent 60+ hours a week scouring the internet for job openings, sending in applications, and trying to figure out if I had actually sent the right cover letter addressed to the right person or not. A lot of self-doubt from both our ends was starting to take a toll on our relationship at times, and coupled with big financial needs looming in the future, it made life really really hard at times. Two months went by until I found an opening at a company in Boulder, applied, interviewed, and was offered the job.
The job started off great – I loved the company, loved my co-workers, loved the product, and loved the lifestyle we were able to live. After Nate’s temp job ended he was able to get a permanent position at the same company, and we were just blown away by how the Lord was taking care of us. The church was going great, we were having a blast, and our marriage was improving daily. About 3/4 into my year at that company they ended up having to lay off 25% of the company. Luckily Nate and I were two of the ones who stayed, but that change put a big strain on everyone’s jobs and work duties. We were about to go into our really busy season and it just got harder and harder.
One day I was browsing the magazines at Whole Foods when I randomly decided to buy one. While I was answering phones and slaving away on the computer I saw a section where bloggers were giving some of their favorite healthy eating tips and I immediately started to follow two of them – Jenna from Eat, Live, Run and Angela from Oh She Glows. They were both blogging full-time and seemed to just lead the MOST amazing lives, and I immediately started thinking about starting a new blog. I told one of my best friends that we should start one together, and when she said she couldn’t commit to it then I went ahead and started one anyway. In June of 2009 I started a healthy living blog until I finally switched to WordPress and bought the Heather’s Dish domain name in December 2009.
As I was blogging and growing from 10 readers to 100 to 1,000 and so on I started to make some fantastic blogging friends, women that I love and admire still to this day. It feels like we’ve been with one another through the thick of it all – coveting readerships of bigger bloggers, finding our niches and figuring out this whole blogging business one trial and error at a time. We Google chatted all day since I was on the computer with work all day (which, by the way, I don’t condone. I could have lost my job several times!) and talked about how we wished we could work from home, blog from home, go on amazing trips and run the show ourselves. In a moment of transparency, it can be hard for me to make and keep really close friends at times. It’s so easy for me to share my heart and wear it on my sleeve, but when it comes to really and truly trusting others I tend to hold back. These online relationships were different, though, and I felt like I was really starting to find something I loved in a supportive and loving community.
Comparison, though, is a really slippery slope. It felt like there were so many bloggers getting book deals and getting amazing trips and free stuff all the time – and yet here I was, slaving away day after day with posts and recipes and tidbits of my heart floating everywhere and it felt like no one took notice. I wanted to be seen, to be commended, to be loved for what I was doing – the passion for blogging was starting to slowly decrease as I started to let my mind be poisoned with comparison. It felt like weekly someone was able to quit her job and blog from home, and I started to become really obsessed with that. I just KNEW that if only I could get X-number of readers I could make X-number of dollars and quit the job that I had started to hate.
And yet the Lord’s timing is always perfect, and mine is SO not. There were lessons I needed to learn before I started running my own show.
First, I needed to get the love back in blogging again. I literally had to stop following some bloggers – completely cut them out of my life – because I was letting my own comparison issues to them run the show. I’m not proud of that, but it’s what I needed to do to learn my own voice and get some confidence. Second, I had to submit to the fact that I could no longer blog from work. It was unprofessional and NOT COOL. I had to become more intentional with my time, so I started getting ahead with recipes on the weekends and writing posts ahead of time. Finally, I could only let myself write before ever reading other blogs. My voice was getting muffled and lost in the shuffle of this quickly-growing business. If I had any chance of falling in love with blogging again, I had to start doing it for me and ignore what everyone else was doing.
There are a lot of bloggers who will tell you that they only blog because they just love it so dang much. They will say that they only blog to inspire and that if they don’t have anything to say then they will just leave their blog alone. They will say that you can only blog well if you’re doing it for you. This is mostly true. But I will also say that when blogging also becomes a job that is a heavy source of income for a family, there are times that you won’t love it so dang much. There are times that you won’t care if you inspire, and you will probably post something just for the sake of posting it for consistency’s sake. And you will, at times, need to dig deep down in your gut and come up with something to say or do. Like any other job, sometimes it’s not super fun – but you can’t just stop or quit or slack off without consequences. It’s that perseverance – the deep-digging, real-life work that aids in getting the job done, and doing it well. If I were to put numbers on it, I would say that these days I’m about 90% in love with what I do in this chosen career and work from a place of encouragement and inspiration and love. But there are those 10% days where it’s hard, and I have to remind myself that I do really love it and I do really care and I do really need to suck it up and go. You guys? Compared to other jobs that I’ve held, I’ll take that 90-10 ratio because it’s a blessing to have found something that has brought about this love for what I do!
Fast forward a little bit to March 2012. Weston was born and Nate and I had run the numbers several times. Besides the fact that I wanted to stay home with Wes and blog on the side, it also turned out that it was the best thing for our family financially. Summer of 2012, a month before my maternity leave was up, I resigned at my job and started officially doing the blog as my full-time income job. It’s something that took a lot of work, many many many late nights, a lot of stress, blood, sweat and tears to get to do, but there’s no way I could ever want it any other way. Being a wife and mommy is my main job, and blogging is my creative outlet that allows me to do the other two better.
So here’s where we go from here: now that you know how I got here, I am going to take the next 4 weeks to tell you a little more of the day-to-day of blogging, how to work with bloggers (as a company), creating relationships (blogger-to-blogger and business-to-blogger), and the future of blogging from my point of view. I hope that this little series not only encourages you, but also is informative and insightful as well. As always, please feel free to email me with any questions you might have!
***EDITED TO ADD THE OTHER 4 POSTS IN THE SERIES***
Blogger-to-Blogger Relationships
Successfully Working with Brands
Moving Forward with Blogging + Great Blogging Resources
Hi Heather,
I found you through Tasty Kitchen and just started reading your “This is my real job” posts (albeit out of order!) This very first one really resonated with me and i felt compelled to comment. I found myself nodding along while reading your thoughts and they honestly COULD NOT BE MORE TRUE. I am a little baby in this big, broad blog world and have gotten myself stuck in the comparison trap more times than i can possibly count. I have lost all passion and then regained it with a kitchen success story and back to passionless again. It’s a vicious cycle and it truly warms my heart that i am not alone in these struggles, because at times it certainly feels that way. You have found a follower in me. Keep up the great work!
<3
Ella
Thank you so much Ella! Girl, I PROMISE you are not alone in any of that; even some of the biggest bloggers out there go through the same things. We’re all human – the best thing we can do is offer what only we can bring to the table with our unique perspectives!
Thanks for this series. I have been blogging for several years now and am just starting to do it full-time, after a long corporate career. It’s great to read tips from someone who made the transition!
I do have a suggestion, if you don’t mind … I started with this post, but it took me awhile to find the series. I see on the following posts in the series you list links. It would be great to have all the series links on this post too.
I look forward to reading more on your blog.
You’re totally right Alicia – I’ll add the other posts to this one too! Thank you so much!
I LOVED hearing this story. I have felt this way so many times! I’m juggling full time work and the blog right now and honestly feel like I”m shorting them both. I know my heart is no longer at my full time job and it’s not fair to be thinking and working on blogging when I’m there. My hubby and I have also run numbers and I’m about to take the plunge–even though the numbers don’t add up right now. It’s a HUGE step of faith, but I feel so much peace and excitement about this path. I’ve never worked harder for something in my entire life–and it has been stressful and overwhelming at times, but the fact that I haven’t quit helps me to know this is where I should be. Thanks for giving us a peek into your story! It helps me a lot!
I’m so glad this helps! I totally know exactly how you feel – that overwhelming/stressful side doesn’t always go away, but it’s so much fun when we do it for us! Please let me know if you ever have any questions!
Hi Heather,
My sister and I have just started a blog, (mainly as something to do together for fun), and I must say we are completely out of our depth and have no idea what to do now we’ve started it, so I’m sure your posts will be extremely useful!
Thanks a lot 🙂
Thanks Jess! Two good blogs to look at for blogging in tandem (in case you haven’t seen it yet) are https://purelytwins.com and https://ourbestbites.com!
I so needed to hear this: “And yet the Lord’s timing is always perfect, and mine is SO not. There were lessons I needed to learn before I started running my own show.”
I have been feeling so discontent with the day job, although I am very thankful for the paycheck it provides, it does not bring me joy the way blogging does but I feel like it sucks the life out of me and doesn’t leave much left over for the blogging I want to do. I needed a reminder that His timing is perfect, and it usually doesn’t line up with my timing, haha!
I started as a blog. Well… really I started as a “website” because I didn’t know what a blog was. I started my “food blog” so that I’d have a place to Google recipes that we loved and so that I could keep track of them “an online cookbook” if you will. But it’s turned into so much more. I blog because I love it, but it’s slowly but surely turning into a real second job and I’d say 95% of the time I love it!
I just found your blog today and I admire you for your honesty and openness. It is rare that we as individuals will share our innermost thoughts. I applaud you for doing just that!
Awesome blog <3
Thank you Melissa 🙂 You are so sweet!
I am SO excited to read about your journey! Thank you for your words of wisdom and encouragement. I am not currently a blogger, but a big fan with dreams of having a blog of my own. Figuring out where to start can be intimidating and I very much appreciate your transparency and giving heart. Cant wait to read more!!!
Thanks Margaret! I can totally understand how it’s intimidating, but I hope that I can help answer questions that you have!
I didn’t realize you started as a healthy living blog, too! I am so excited to read the rest of your journey!
It’s true! Back in the day… 😉
Love this post! I needed to hear a lot of what you had to say. Thank you.
P.S. though we have never met I feel I can “hear” your voice in your posts, which I think is an achievement 🙂
Aw, thank you Lauren! That makes my heart happy 🙂
Hi Heather. I found you through Casey Leigh’s On My Heart link up. I’m glad I did, especially with this series that you are starting.
First, I can tell that we have the same foundational values, so I appreciate your perspective already.
Also, I’m curious to know how somebody builds their blog into a source of income. I’m not sure that I am ready to do the work that goes into that (because I work FT outside the home… and blog from work sometimes, ouch!, totally convicted). It’s a paradox: I want to be at home, and I would love to make money from blogging from home. But because I work outside the home, I don’t have time at home to do the work it takes to make my blog into an income generator. Which is why I’ve pretty much given up on that idea. Besides, I feel like I don’t have anything to “sell.” Right now I am blogging to get my story down, and I’m not sure that is very lucrative… I figure, as I get my story down, I will discover (maybe?) what I have to blog about.
But until then, I’m just meeting cool people and learning my way around. It sounds like your series will help me with that. Looking forward to it.
Hey Anne!
Thank you so much for your open and honest comment 🙂 I’m so glad you clicked over!
I’m really hoping to go more into detail on how I built my blog income up this week, but please do not hesitate to reach out if you have specific questions that aren’t answered (heathersdish at gmail dot com). The truth is that there are a lot of ways to go about it, so there’s not just one path you can take!
I”m so excited for this series! Everything you say rings so true with me.
There are bloggers that I used to be so jealous of, and then one day, I just emailed them and became friends. They were more than willing to help me attain what I wanted. Don’t ever forget how helpful and willing to share almost all bloggers are 🙂
Amen girl – it was hard remembering that these are women too, people just living life! How silly is it that we forget that sometimes?!
I lovelovelove this series already, Heather! Thank you so much for sharing a glimpse of what it’s like for you as a full-time blogger. It not only inspires me in my own FT path as a blogger, but helps me realize that I’m not alone in so many of the feelings that come with the territory (the bad AND the good :)). Thanks for continuing to be such a blessing and source of inspiration and wisdom in my bloggy life! 🙂
I am really looking forward to reading this series. I too am a stay at home mom and my blog is my form of income. I’ve been blogging for close to 5 years. I’ve had times, especially when I was pregnant and a new mom, where I slacked off a bit on blogging. Things became less consistent, my traffic dropped a bit and a lot of things changed in the blogging world during that time (ie Pinterest). And now that I’m back into the blogging world full swing, I’m feeling a bit behind and am getting in the trap of comparing myself to bigger bloggers. It’s nice to hear I’m not the only one that does that. 🙂
I was the same way when I had Wes – I gave myself some slack for a little maternity leave, and while I would never change a thing about that, there was a sizable drop in traffic during that time. Honestly it took a full year to really get back to where it was, but such is life 🙂
I love where this series is going! I’m very passionate about people finding the right lifestyle and career for them, as I’m currently in the process as well. I was never the type who knew exactly what they wanted to be when they grew up (somedays I still don’t), but by studying what others do and how they got there is always encouraging to me.
God’s timing is so perfect, so I’m continuing to trust it and am very excited to see where He’ll lead me next.
YES YES YES – God’s timing is always so great! I think back to when I thought I could just do healthy living blogging for a living and just wanted to quit my job so bad, but God knew I wouldn’t love that kind of blogging forever. Thank goodness my plans don’t always work out!
It’s so neat to hear the back stories and how you got to this point! I’m going to love reading this series, I just know it. 🙂 As always, thanks for sharing you heart and being authentic.
Thank you so much girl – I’m really excited by how well it’s been received so far!!!
I can’t wait to read all of these posts! I feel like you and I have had similar journeys in blogging!
Thanks Kristy! I think we have too – I’m really stoked to share mine and hopefully learn more from other bloggers in the process too!
Just realized my web site address was incorrect on my previous comments. Duh! But you know where I am!
Thanks so much Debbie! I’m so glad I can share 🙂
I do know where you are – but I changed the URLs for you 🙂
Very well said and I’m looking forward to the rest if the series. Getting past that comparison issues and finding your own voice is a real challenge. It’s okay, as well, to know that it doesn’t have to be about the financial gain. That’s not the path for all of us, but I will champion those who travel there. Thanks for becoming my friend:). You are special.
This is fantastic and I can’t wait for your next posts! At this point in my life, I don’t foresee blogging becoming a career, but it is definitely a fun hobby and a great way to connect with other women.
Great, heart-felt post Heather! I loved reading this and am looking forward to the rest of your series 🙂
Thanks Emilie! I am so encouraged by this sweet community 🙂
Thanks for sharing this, Heather. I am thinking of eventually doing it full-time too, and you’re giving me some inspiration 🙂
Aw, yay! Thanks so much Bianca – feel free to email me if you ever have any questions – heathersdish at gmail dot com 🙂
I love reading your blog. It is inspirational and informative. Thank you for the picture of how you got started.
You are so sweet Shari – thank you!
What a great post! It’s funny how sometimes when you stop “trying” so hard, things with blogging and writing can really take off. I don’t blog for a living, so it is nice to have the freedom to feel like I can just be myself, post when I want, etc. without worrying about income. I always thought it would be nice for it to be my “real” job, but I think it would also be extremely challenging as well. Can’t wait for the next posts in this series!
Thanks Laura! It really is nice for me in this stage of life to work however I want, but it can certainly pose challenges as well. I’m excited to share with everyone!
Good for you! I believe it is important to share insight for a lot of reasons and applaud you for doing so. If I’ve learned anything over the nearly seven years I’ve been blogging, it’s that there are a variety of approaches to success. Putting them together to fit one’s one style and passion is the key. Cheers to you!
EXACTLY – thanks so much Kelly!
Really excited to read to this series, Heather! I’ve always enjoyed your voice as a blogger, so I look forward to learning how you’ve honed your craft 🙂
Thanks Morgan! I’m really excited to share 🙂
What a cool story. Reading your passion for blogging only solidifies in my mind that I made the right decision about blogging in my own life. When I started blogging I was working in corporate America using my HR degree and hating every stinkin minute of it. I ended up quitting that job and got certified as a personal trainer and nutrition specialist. I wanted to do those two things and make a career out of blogging. I too worked really hard at it until one day I realized I didn’t really love it. I did some soul searching and actually saw a therapist. She told me to imagine that qualifications didn’t matter….I could wake up tomorrow and be in any profession I chose. What would it be? Instantly I was hit with the strong desire to say teacher! So that was that. I went back to school and got certified and was blessed beyond belief to be hired in my first choice school district and first choice school. Entering into my third year I could not be happier nor love my professional life any more. I have found my passion. Even as we prepare for baby Trey I couldn’t imagine quitting my job. It is what I am meant to do. No doubt there will be days when I want to stay home with Trey but being a teacher is something that is in me and I never want to give it up. To be able to say you are happy in your chosen career is huge and sadly not many people get to say that. I am so glad that you can! Now I blog strictly as a hobby and the last 2.5 years I have tried to blog to help women with miscarriage and infertility. I like blogging because it’s fun and allows me a creative outlet to share my feelings. It also helped me heal a lot during my pregnancy woes. But the difference is I like blogging but I don’t love it. And for that reason it was never going to be a profitable job for me because to be a full time blogger you have to have the love. Like you.
I just love you Kelly 🙂 It makes me really happy to know that there are teachers out there like you who are passionate about teaching and love what they do! It makes me feel a little more sane about sending our kids to school someday!
I think Kelly and I may have been cut from similar molds:)
Thanks guys….a yes that was probably the longest blog comment ever! ha! 🙂
Thanks for such an honest post, Heather. It really is so hard not to get caught up in the comparisons but, for me, that’s been necessary to maintain my sanity. Blogging really is such a joy, but there are absolutely days when it seems like a chore…such is the nature of adding the “job” tag to it. I’m really looking forward to reading your series.
EXACTLY – you add “job” to anything and that’s what it starts to become if we’re not careful! Thanks so much Dara 🙂
I love this Heather. I always feel like people (in my real life) don’t realize that my blog is my job – it didn’t start that way, but it is now! And I’m not making a full time living on it by all means, but it’s enough for me to continue to stay home with the kids and have a flexible schedule. But it is still work – almost more than if I was going somewhere to work part time 20 hours a week! I love that I have it, and love that I have regained my passion for blogging. I feel completely blessed with the opportunity to do something I love. Like you I got caught up in the comparison/numbers/business game of it for a while and started to question what I was doing. It’s crazy how much I can relate to so much of what you have written here.
Love ya girl!
So true about working 20 hours a week somewhere else – even part time, blogging is a full-time job! Thanks so much for being such an encouragement Aggie 🙂
This is a great post Heather and a really good idea for a series. Love your honesty. Can’t wait to read the rest of this series!
Great post, Heather! I’m excited for this series and to learn more about how you got to where you are today. I always appreciate your honest, fresh and truthful voice. xo
I relate so much to this post. It’s so easy to get caught up in the comparison game. We recently moved and decided that I would blog full-time. I found that it wasn’t for me…at least not right now. I lost my creativity and got caught up in all of the business-y stuff that is (like you mentioned) no fun at all. I found myself slapping a post together just to have something to publish and I hated that! I love that you said “I had to start doing it for myself, and ignore what everyone else was doing.” That is so full of truth but it’s so hard!!
I am just better off with it being a hobby now. Even thought it is still hard to fit it all in. I miss blogging as much as I used to but I know I took the right step. I love how you are pouring your heart out here, Heather! Looking forward to the next posts.
Sweet Cassie! You are just the best – I think it’s so important to let people know that blogging isn’t just about lounging in sweatpants all day. It’s really hard hard work, especially when you have to be creative and different and stand out all the time! PLUS the business side! I’m so glad you’ve realized that it’s not right for you right now – I think that realization takes a lot of pressure off and opens you up to being as creative as you want!
So excited for this series…as I am a new stay at home mom and trying desperately to make my blog help support our family
Thanks Steph! I hope I can help answer some questions – and feel free to email me any time you want (heathersdish at gmail dot com)!
Very interesting! I’m glad you’ve found what works for you, and I look forward to the rest of the series.
What a great and honest post!! I am looking forward to post to come!
Great idea, Heather! I appreciate your honesty and openness. Looking forward to reading more!
The comparison game is one that will never end well. I try not to get caught up in it with so many bloggers out there. I’d rather focus on myself and what I do best and be happy for others success. It’s been key for my happiness and growing my blog. Looking forward to the rest of the series!
YES exactly. I can’t believe how free I felt when I stopped comparing myself to other bloggers. I still catch myself doing it from time to time, but at least now I can pinpoint it!
So glad you’re doing this! I have always wondered how people make that move over – I’d love to hear some of the nuts & bolts practical stuff. Looking forward to it!
Great post! I am excited to see the rest of the series. I hear you about ALL of this. While I don’t use blogging as my “job”, it would be nice to someday do that.
Dear Heather,
I’ve been a silent visitor to your blog and you’ve never failed to impress me. I love your transparent nature and I love the way you write your blog – kind and down to earth. I have many times wished if I were you. You are an inspiration Heather darling. Here’s your friend (or even a fan) from India wishing you all the best for the series to come and for your blessed future.
Love
Aish
Thank you so much Aish – your comment is so sweet and just made my day 🙂 I’m so thankful to know you’re reading!!!