How to Start a Blog

Howdy y'all!

Sorry it's been a while since I've written anything. I guess you could say I've had some writers' block. But I've also been working on some short fiction pieces for another blog. I'm not sure how I feel about this new blog, however, so it's barely getting off the ground. If you're interested, I'll keep you updated. 

Anyway, here's today's post! Enjoy!

This should have been my very first blog post. But I had no idea what to write about at the time. Now that I have a bit more "experience," I find myself better able to write a blog post with a title such as this one: "How to Start a Blog."

It's actually a lot harder than you would imagine it to be, believe it or not. 

So you think you want to start a blog? Well, good! It's fun! It's therapeutic! It's productive! It's a million and one other things you want it to be! Here are some ways for you to get you going that certainly helped me quite a bit:

1. Pick a subject, any subject. Now, I will say that many blogs out there are not just boring, every day, tedious tasks we all do that one person just decides to write about. Instead, people write about what they know, what they do, what they've heard, said, experienced. But even if you are just creating a personal blog for yourself to read later on, go for it! Use whatever materials you have to pick a subject matter that will entice you, entertain you, and if you're lucky - captivate an audience. Write about whatever you hold dearest to you! Some great ideas include: funny stories from everyday life, a photo blog, a blog of lists. The list (see what I did there?) could go on and on. 

2. Know how to write, or learn. Even if it's the most boring thing you could ever possibly read, most popular blogs know how to write about their subject matter. They are detailed, yet simplified, matter-of-fact, to the point, etc. Great bloggers are typically great writers. Know your stuff - look back on your high school or college English class and try to remember what you learned. If you have no clue what to do - Google it. The internet is filled with examples of good writing, as well as tips on writing (Maybe I'll even blog about that myself!). Whatever you do, write as well as you can. 

3. Choose a blogging website. Now, I didn't do much research with this and I sort of regret it. But there are a million options out there for you to blog with. There's Blogger, which I am using, and I like it, but I feel there could be more to it. Wordpress and tumblr are just a couple others. I don't know many, personally. But you can always look online to find a variety of great options.

4. Write from the heart. In the words of Hemingway: "All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know." If you start off by writing about the truth, it will take you a very long way. It may lead to some awesome writing and blogging material. 

5. Have fun with it! This is the most important tip of all. Whether you're writing for yourself, or writing for others to read and see, be happy! Enjoy it! Write about something fun or happy or uplifting. It may come from a dark place, but always try to remain positive in your blogging. It will lead to greater things - like a happier mood for yourself and your readers.

That's all for now, folks. I hope these five tips can help you out! Let me know if you're thinking of starting a blog and if any of this helped. If you need any more advice, I'm always here. Have a fabulous night and I'll be writing again tomorrow!

xoxo, Clare

Unbelievably Fun Photo Ideas

Good morning, all! And happy Sunday!

Today's post has been inspired by my love for photography and my interest in bettering myself in the field. I'm also busy working on a project for my local library for a silent auction they will be hosting in the fall. Some of my photos and photo notecards will be up for grabs. I'm also always selling and giving away some of my photographs as well as photography services to anyone who is interested. If YOU are interested, feel free to comment on this post or contact me via e-mail or Facebook.

So here are some of my favorite photo ideas and tips that you can try out, or if you're going to get professional photos done, let your photographer know what you might like!

Friendship photos. These types of photos are oh-so-FUN. There are a million ways you can go about this. Here are several ideas:

• Jump for joy - 'nuff said. Get an awesome shot of the two of you (or three or four or more of you!) jumping in the air. I would suggest using a tripod and self-timer on your camera. These are not only awesome photos, but they're a ton of fun to make and you get in some nice exercise! Woohoo! 

• Flaunt that hair, girlfraaand - you've got long, gorgeous locks, why not show 'em off? Hang your head off a bed, mess around with your hair like in the photo to the left. Whip your hair back and forth. Do whatever you think is fun, silly, beautiful. Have fun with it!

• Use props. There are a thousand and one things (AND MORE!) you can do when you add props into the equation. Mix it up - look around the house, go out to the dollar store and buy some stuff. You can use anything and everything and have a ton of fun with it. Gigantic sunglasses, flowers, hats, scarves, you name it -- go craaazy.

• Go on an adventure - travel around town, around the country, around the world! And bring your friends! You can have so much fun taking a million photos in your favorite place, or in a new place! Find some great scenery and photograph away!

Friendship photos can be the most fun ever, and now you have documented proof that you have friends! Hooray! That's always a major bonus to taking all these photos.

Next up, family photos. Of course you have a family you love and you want to show the world how much you love them. Instead of taking those typical in-studio portrait photos, get out there and make beautiful pictures! Even if you're family is ugly. (I kid, I kid). Here are some fun ideas for family photos:

• If your egg-o is pregg-o... Maternity photos are some of my favorite photos. They can be beautiful and adorable and lovely all at the same time. Here are a few of my favorite maternity photos that you can give a try: gender reveal, "bump ahead," "about to pop!", week-by-week, scrabble tiles across the belly, baby announcement photos (little shoes, etc.) Being pregnant can be both fun and miserable - why not make the most of it and have some fun with it! 
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• Newborns and babies... Babies are the cutest things ever. So you need need need to photograph them immediately. A few ways to do so: frame your baby on a comfy bed, take shots of each adorable thing about them, photograph them week-by-week, and month-by-month, pose your baby in a variety of different ways. 

• Multiple children - stack 'em up! Capture them laughing, smiling, running around, being playful. Those are the moments you want to remember most. 
  

Babies and children make the cutest photos you will ever have. Cherish those times by taking as many shots as possible. You can never have too many! So shoot away! Also - black and white photos of your baby are absolutely gorgeous - just like this one here on the right. Get up close and personal, snap away. Sleeping baby photos might even be my favorite because they look so calm and peaceful and it's a nice, wonderful time for mama. Wrap them in swaddling clothes and place them on a comfy bed or pillow and you'll be all set! 

And now, my favorite, couples' photos. I have mentioned before that I am in a serious relationship and have been for over 5 years now. We plan on getting engaged and married within a few years and I would love love love to have a thousand photos of just us that we can hang in our house when we finally start our lives together. A few of my favorite couples' poses: arms from behind, arms around waist, forehead kisses, regular kisses, cheek kisses, hand-holding, head on shoulder, hand on chest, making a heart with your hands. The list could go on and on. I absolutely adore couples' pictures. Engagement shoots, wedding photos, even just anytime photo shoots for fun are fantastic.  

These are all just a very small fraction of how many photo ideas are out there! Get creative - have some fun - play with angles and lighting and time of day. Sit, stand, kneel, lie down. Do whatever pose you feel looks good or great! If you don't like the way something came out, try something a little different. Black and white, color, color splash, blur, etc. all make for intriguing and unique photographs. Try everything on for size. Check out Pinterest for some more fun photo ideas! They have a crap ton of awesome stuff - as usual. So get out there and start shooting like a mad man! You'll love it, have so much fun, and get some great pics! Trust me, you won't regret it!

xoxo,

Clare

The Secret to Enjoying Life

Hiya, folks!

I'd like to start off this blog post with a favorite quote of mine.

"It's a good day to have a good day."

And it's so true! Everyday is a new opportunity to start fresh and new and be happy! I hope your day today started off well, and if not, may this post bring a little sunshine to your day. (Every hour, too, is a good chance to start over and begin anew). This is all super cheesy and corny, but you catch my drift, I hope. It never hurts to spread good vibes.

Anyway, for today's post, I'd like to share with you some of my tips and advice to "enjoying life." These are not exactly secrets, but they have personally helped me so far in my short life (only 23 years), and they continue to help me even when I'm struggling most. So here you go; read them with care and try to practice some of these things as often as possible, preferably on a daily basis. Enjoy!

To start off, you should know that I am not perfect (no one is), and I am not always this cheerful or happy. But I try my hardest to be cheerful and happy. And let me just say, it is SO DIFFICULT sometimes. But the idea is to not give up - and if you want something bad enough, you got to work hard to get it.

A few of my secrets to being happy and living and enjoying my life:

1. Live day-to-day. You can't rush your life away. Stop thinking about what you're doing tomorrow, or next week, or next month, or next year. It will only stress you out like crazy. And to enjoy your life, you gotta stop stressin' so much, man. So practice this: take things as they come, day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. Ain't no reason to worry about the future. It'll only make you nuts.

2. Remember to breathe. Take a chill pill. Figuratively or literally (hey, nobody's judging). Life will go on after you've accidentally spilled that glass of milk (but let's not kid ourselves, it was probably a glass of wine, or the whole bottle - but like I said, nobody's judging). Taking a timeout to just count to 10, or take deep breaths can make a world of a difference. So start following this tip and your life may in fact become much easier to handle.

3. Balance work and play. Of course we all need to work (except for those of you who are millionaires, in which case, share some of the wealth), but we all also need to play. Work hard, hardly work - whatever you do, make time to go out with friends or spend some quality time with family (unless your friends or family drive you crazy and you want to strangle them in their sleep - but if this happens often or at all, refer to tip #2). Go have a few drinks, or see a good movie, or eat a whole lotta soft-serve with some ol' pals. You will be much happier after a hard day's work + a hard day's play.

4. Make time for yourself. Some of us hate being alone; and that's okay. It's completely understandable. But, some of us love having alone time. In which case, feel free to climb into bed by yourself and sit and watch Netflix all day. Or, read a good book, make some art, take a nice hot bath, whatever you like to do by yourself.

5. Exercise and eat right. I am the worst when it comes to these two things. I hate exercise and I love cake. Two things that just don't go together. I'm happy with this combination sometimes, but at the end of the day, I think, "Ugh. I should have gone for that walk and not had that cake." But really it's more like, "Ugh. That cake was delicious. I'll go walk to the store to burn it all off - and then buy another cake for tomorrow." It's terrible, I know. But sometimes, and I really mean very few times, I get out and walk a couple miles, eat some veggies and fruit, and when I'm in bed for the night, I feel unbelievably proud of myself. And I feel refreshed and rejuvenated, and like I could take on the world. Ask any doctor - while exercising, lots and lots of endorphins are released by your brain, making you overall happier. So give it a try! But also, don't be afraid to break the rules sometimes - that cake in your fridge will just go bad if you don't help yourself to a slice.

6. Help others. This sort of correlates with a number of things I've already mentioned. First of all, when you're working, you're more than likely already helping others - your boss, your coworkers, your clients, etc. When you're playing or hanging out with friends and family, you're entertaining them as well as yourself. And when you're not wasting that cake in your fridge, you're saving some space at the city dump - yay for helping the environment! But on top of all these things, get out there and do something for someone else. Someone you don't even know. You could volunteer somewhere, or if you're not up for that, try little things. Like holding the door open for someone, paying for the next person in line's coffee at Starbucks, etc. It will not only make YOU feel good, but others, too.

7. Lastly, live simply. Do you really need that fancy coat or purse? Do you need that extra frappuccino from Starbucks? Do you need the newest smartphone? The answer to all of these is NO. Be grateful for what you have, and save yourself some money. Get out there and enjoy your surroundings. Enjoy nature, enjoy the company of others, enjoy time with yourself. You don't need a whole lot to be happy. They say that the more you have, the more miserable you are. Two of my favorite people, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau wrote about appreciating what's around you, like nature and people as I just mentioned, and living simply. Thoreau once said: “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb nail.”

And that's all for now. I hope you learned a few new things to try. Like I said, I'm not always happy, but when I am, it's a result of these seven things. So go forth and live your life - and enjoy the shit out of it!

xoxo,
Clare

Welcome

Hello, and welcome!

This is my third blog here on Blogger. 

I have dedicated this blog to providing information on my perspective of life in how-to's, lists, photos, videos, recipes, etc.

Stay tuned for some fun posts and things.

xoxo,

Clare