So, you wanna be a blogger?
As I embark on my journey into the world of blogging and ramping up production of my YouTube videos, I am thirsty for knowledge. Everywhere I look, I see a lot of people claiming to help the public build a career as a blogger or vlogger but the material only seems skin deep to me.
With that said, I want to give some advice from one novice blogger to another: Do whatever your heart desires. Don’t just go with the flow, go with your flow. There are so many rules that it can cause a bit of anxiety at times. Just release your content into the world, and you’ll be fine. This is the one thing that I do actually hear across the board that I agree with…
“Just do it!”
J2 Review is not my only YouTube channel. It’s not my only website either. I have 10 websites and 13 channels and not a single one of them have more than 650 subscribers. Disheartening sometimes because I posted my first video in 2008 and I’ve always been somewhat of an avid writer. The reason I say sometimes is because I haven’t worked hard enough at any of my true passions. I chose to prioritize a business that truly made me miserable but instead of just walking away in the prime of my life, I just stuck with it because I liked being able to pay my bills with ease. Do you hear how that sounds?? I lived to pay my bills. I gave up the only thing that truly mattered to me (music) because I wanted “security”. Well, that so-called security no longer exists anymore. I’ve watched my business go 89% negative to last year at the hands of COVID-19 and it doesn’t appear to be coming back anytime soon. I understand that I am just one of the millions of people who have lost so much in this dreadful year. However, with everything I’ve lost, I have regained so much more: My Freedom.
Up until March 18th of this year, I was caught in this wheel. I woke up most mornings around 4:45AM and would battle this ridiculous Atlanta traffic on a daily basis while having to micromanage a bunch of bozos in the process. I run a limousine company that is barely viable on this 24th day of September 2020. As business began to drastically slow down, I went into denial. I couldn’t believe that something like coronavirus would bring this world to its knees the way it has but it did. Once the denial passed, I decided that I would catch up on sleep and not worry about anything else. All of that sleep made me realize that I had been given a gift. That gift being time and using it to do what truly made me happy. None of us should have to wake up to alarms on a regular basis. I’m not saying that we should all be lazy and stop working. Not at all. I’m actually a workaholic. I’m 47 and I’ve been receiving paychecks since the age of 13. I’ve always said that I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I ever retired because I’m so used to working but here I am, rediscovering my desire to write again and fiddling with my instruments virtually everyday. The only thing missing is security…basically, an abundance of money. I’m one of those people who just blew my money because I figured it would never stop coming in, but obviously, I was wrong. Now, my beloved family is counting on me to start earning again but all I can think about is writing, producing videos and creating music. And not always in that order. Usually in reverse.
To whoever may be reading this, I want you to realize that you have a gift. If that gift is creating content, then take this time to create it. Right now, I’m more worried that business will return to normal, and that I’ll lose this opportunity to do something better with my life. Is this your fear or is it something different? I feel like time has been frozen for the past 7 months and up until a month ago, I’ve been wasting it. I’m trying to beat the new normal to the finish line.
I realize how oversaturated the internet is with content creators of all kinds but there’s still room for all of us. We need to take our energy and post it into the ether. Continue creating long past when our hearts are content. If we do this from our hearts, we will obtain what we want. It’s only a matter of time.
So, the most common advice to bloggers starting out is that you must find your niche. I can honestly say that I never followed this advice because I’m passionate about a variety of things. What’s funny is the thing I’m most passionate about, I have the hardest time with because I take it so seriously. This is music, of course. I love it with all my heart. The only thing I love more is my wife and kids. I will pick it back up with full force very soon but in the meantime, I’m working my chops on these reviews.
Sure, I could just focus on my pizza channel (The Pizza Diaries) since I love pizza probably more than anyone you know but I really like tech too! I also love to share my experiences as a consumer with others and talk about auto mechanics from time to time. I have extensive experience in all of the fields mentioned. I worked for multiple different pizza places for a total of 9 years of my life. I’ve rebuilt engines and transmissions with my dad. I’ve rebuilt computers with my nerdy friends. I’ve laid my talents (mainly on bass) to countless recordings, as well as, toured with a rock band for 2 years. I’ve written enough text & music to write countless books and albums. And last but not least, I have 27 years of video from Hi8mm to MP4 format to back it up. All I want to do is continue putting it out there.
So, if you ask what my niche is, my answer is simple: My niche is my experience.