A few of you have written to me and said you can't fathom how I do it all. Sometimes I wonder about that myself. But here I am - still here after 9 years of blogging on The Beading Gem! 3791 posts later from that fateful day back on January 4, 2007 when I started this blog. It began with a simple need - a site to share student work and information about my then workshops. Like my jewelry making journey, the blogging one also progressed and transformed over the years.
One reader actually wrote in and thought there was a whole team behind The Beading Gem. There is only one person behind the "team" and that is me!
I write my blog mostly on a desk in a spare bedroom.
Last year I shared pictures of my studio too. I didn't particularly like writing when I first started but like jewelry making, practice made it easier. And I began to like writing as a creative pursuit in itself.
But writing actually takes up a small amount of my time. A great deal more effort behind the scenes is needed to keep this blog going! That includes designing, research, lots of photography, blog maintenance, correspondence and so on. It takes organization and a fair amount of discipline.
Someone asked me during one of my photography webinars if I could do something similar with blogging. I am unsure if the demand is there for a blogging webinar geared for jewelry artisans. So please comment if you are interested. I have included some helpful blogging tips links below.
The biggest factor in helping me stay the course these nine years is you.
All of you. If it weren't for the follows, thoughtful and kind comments, emails and support over the years, I would have given up a long time ago. Many of you send me tips and notify me of missing or bad links. You are also forgiving of grammatical and typos which trip me up from time to time. So a big thank everyone!
Thanks too to all the wonderful bloggers and designers whose inspirational work I have shared for the benefit of this community. And the many sponsors who helped me bring new ideas, books and products to inspire you and develop new skills.
Please note that this blog continues to be
supported by ads and by affiliate programs so it continues to grow and still remain free for all. Believe me, it doesn't make me rich. Far from it. All this is truly a labor of love. But the support does help defray the behind the scenes costs incurred in the running this blog and the delivery of posts to a large readership.
If you haven't already, do consider subscribing (free) to my blog so you don't miss a post! Or a giveaway winner announcement. You can also follow me on social media - particularly
Facebook and
Twitter - where I post past and present blog posts as well as all sorts of jewelry tidbits which don't make the cut on my blog. I am also active on
Pinterest.
Long time readers will have noticed the steady improvement in my photography with all the different cameras I have had over the years. Photography is something I work on all the time. And like writing, I have grown to love it too!
Since my 9th blogging anniversary falls on a Monday when I typically run giveaways, I am offering
3 free spots for my
How to Photograph Jewelry Webinar as a giveaway to celebrate this milestone. (You can also
sign up here to be notified when the next one will be). If you wish to enter, then comment below. Note that winners will be allocated spaces according to individual webinar availability.
Please specify in the comments that you are interested in the webinar giveaway otherwise I will assume you just want to congratulate me on my 9th blogging anniversary!! The giveaway is open until
6 pm EST Monday January 11, 2015. I will choose 3 winners randomly asap after that.
Before You Go : ______________________________
Too bad I am very late on this giveaway...
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