Hello and happy September, dear readers. I’m coming back from my lackadaisical summer blogging routine, refreshed and ready for all the busyness of fourth-quarter blogging and film award season. I can’t think of a better kickoff than celebrating two major milestones.
Celebrating September Milestones!
Happy 16th Blogversary!The first milestone celebration is a pretty big deal. My WAHM Plan is now sixteen! Wow! How is it even possible that I’m still writing, creating content, taking my own photos, editing, working with brands, and all that goes into keeping a blog alive and flourishing? I’m proud of myself and this little blog “that could.”
So much has changed in this industry since I wrote my first post in September 2010. Back then, I had no idea what I was doing, and honestly, it showed! I made many newbie mistakes. The most glaring was deleting my first handful of posts because I didn’t like them. So, my archived posts start in December 2010. Oops! But I’ll never forget my first days of blogging and still have the planner from then.
A lot has changed with my family and me since September 2010 too! Back then, I was in the thick of parenting my two daughters and helping run the office for my husband’s business. I volunteered at the school and was active at church, so why not add a blog to the mix? I love learning new things, so it was all very exciting, especially when the brand collaboration emails started coming.
Fast forward to today, and brand collaborations on blogs have slowed considerably since most brand collabs happen on social media. They do still happen, and I am excited for the upcoming fall and winter season!
What I write about has evolved as well now that we’re empty nesters, but the core topics around home, garden, and entertainment are still alive and well, which leads me to my next milestone celebration.
Five Years with Music City Film Critics Association!
Five years ago this month, I was invited to apply for and was accepted into the Nashville Music City Film Critics Association! This wonderful opportunity came about because of this blog and the friendships with other bloggers I’ve made over the years.
Just like with blogging, I had no prior experience, but a desire to learn. I felt that creative spark ignite at the idea of being able to watch films and actually fill out a bona fide.Oscar ballot! Just like being a newbie blogger, I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way!
But with each year and new award season, I’ve learned and adapted to the changing times. For instance, this will be the first year we as an association can nominate a film that didn’t have a theater run but went straight to streaming.
It’s an exciting time for film critics as award season just kicked off last night with the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards. Fun fact: the first year I was a film critic, I didn’t catch all of the Emmys because I didn’t think it mattered to me since the Emmys celebrate the craft of television. You live, you learn!
Speaking of learning, the way I consume films is forever changed now. I’m especially drawn to everything before the camera, or mise-en-scene. This includes set design, lighting, and actors.
I’m still learning and exploring all aspects of filmmaking, especially visual craftsmanship, or cinematography. I think my writing will start to show my areas of interest more as I continue to grow in this field.
Being a film critic has opened up opportunities for me too, like getting a media pass in 2022 for in-person coverage of the Nashville Film Festival. Tanya Tucker’s documentary screener with my family was a highlight. And each year since, I’ve volunteered to help our local film festival in some capacity.
If you like film reviews, head on over to my Entertainment tab to read my latest. I’ll be adding more film coverage soon.
The Takeaway:
Starting this blog sixteen years ago was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my career. I’ve learned a great deal, grew, burned out chasing silly stats, slowed down, but never stopped. And I’m hearing murmurs that blogging is coming back into favor because of social media burnout, and I, for one, am here for it!
A huge thank you to all of you, my dear readers! Whether this is your first visit or you’ve been following along for a while, I so appreciate your support!
Please let me know in the comments if there’s a topic you’d like to see me cover. Perhaps it was a favorite from the past, like a cleaning tutorial or a color of the month. I’m open to suggestions.
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