A recipe for a blog

In light of some goals&dreams, I have decided to make some changes here in my blog & in my life.

*warning, this becomes a sort of "this is the house that Jack built" post in how it builds on ideas
please bear with me :)*

First, let me tell you something: I love stories.
The reason why I first started reading blogs was because I loved to follow along with someone's life, see where they were & where they were going.
Then, I started writing things on my own blog because, well, I like stories. I like to remember where I came from, where I'm at, and where I might end up. I like seeing and knowing history, whether in my life, in the things in my life, or in things in general.
When I read blogs, it isn't always what a blog looks like that draws me in, but what it actually says. If someone has a nice layout and a muted background, but talks about things I do not stand for or am completely uninterested in, I will quickly click away from that blog & move on.
The same goes with spelling. If you can't spell, edit, or even take the time to proofread, maybe use more pictures or links to express yourself :)

Also, I'm sentimental, which contributes a lot to me being a pack rat. Liking stories & being sentimental about them equals a never-throw-anything-away Grace. But that is for another time & place.

Anyways, because I like stories, I also like pictures.
Pictures show a visual story of someone's life and very clearly demonstrates with great visual acuity the past & present of someone.

Also, because I like stories, am sentimental, and like pictures, I also like videos.
I do not like to simply read/learn about someone, become familiar with their life, and recognize their face, it's also helpful to hear their voice. Hearing someone's voice can come from their own personal videos, but most often it comes the way they write, include pictures, how honest they are, and what type of personal information they share. A good example I can think of is: . On her blog, Molly uses just the right amount of words to explain herself, she shares things that are important to her, and she develops her literary voice by using different fonts, font sizes, and colors.

After addressing some main things, here is one last thing: I like blogs that spark creativity.
For me, some blogs are purely fore inspiring in that they lack written stories in favor of visual stories.
I also like good mixes in a blog. Blogs that inspire, have a clear voice, share stories, and pictures take the cake for me. These are the ones I click back to over time.

In the end, some of the changes I want to make:
.being honest.
I want to reason in writing why I understand/like/dislike/love/hate/am intrigued by certain things.

.share more stories.
Big or small, if it's important enough for me to want to remember in 2 months, I'll share it!

.share more pictures
(Which means I need to actually take some.)

.create a clear voice.
I think I'm on track for this, but need to bump things up visually/design-wise. Not to worry, things are in the works.

.expand my blog-iverse
By commenting on favorite blogs, sharing on other blogs, and sharing myself with others, and sharing my blog with family/friends.

.share more & often!