One Year On Coil!
It's official – my corner of the Internet is turning 1 year old today!
One year ago today, I made the decision to create an account on this crazy new platform that I'd seen an old friend make tons of money on. I had no idea the magnitude of the journey I was about to embark on.
I had experience posting on a Wordpress blog during my time working on my journalism degree, but I really just did it for my class requirements, and had only thought about doing it for fun here and there. But I figured, hey, I liked writing about stuff I care about, and I think I'm pretty darn good at it, so why not give it a shot?
I started up slow, throwing out a couple of ideas I had, and writing a fun little listicle about my latest additions to my Spotify playlists for that month. Life got busy at the end of last year, and combined with the holiday season and me getting the flu, I didn't write very much in 2019 at all. But, once New Year's rolled around, I knew that this was something that I wanted to commit to and stick to.
On January 1st, 2020, I told myself I'd start posting articles three times a week, with the goal of building my online presence, growing in my writing skills, and getting into that coveted Boost program.
And so began this past year, filled with ups and downs, learning new things, meeting people from all different places and walks of life, gaining confidence in myself, pushing through tough times, and having the coolest side hustle I could ever ask for.
I've received generous Boost payouts totaling over $2100 USD in a year, and I have over 175 posts cataloged on my blog! Those are some big numbers, considering that a year ago, it seemed preposterous to think that I could get paid for posting my thoughts on the Internet.
Creating on Coil has taught me a whole lot, and I'll always be thankful for it. I've learned about things that I never dreamt I'd be interested in, like cryptocurrency, art, world events, and even childbirth and parenting!
That's not to say that it's always been a walk in the park – it's ironic that this big anniversary is happening right now, because I currently feel more discouraged than ever, with my engagement at next to nothing, even though I feel more confident than ever in the quality of my content.
It would have been a much more joyous occasion to have this anniversary in one of my “good” months, where it seems like people are enjoying what I'm writing. But right now, this low point just serves as a reminder that there will be ups and downs in my creative journey, and that I've come this far, so there's no reason for me to give up.
Putting the work in on this blog has also given me confidence in my abilities and opportunities that I could never have imagined previously. I've applied for countless jobs and internships that I've used my blogging experience as direct leverage to showcase my skills, my work ethic, and my progress. I'm positive that I could not have arrived where I am today in my career without this blog.
Finally, to celebrate my anniversary, I'll be re-vamping and reposting some of my all-time favorite articles in the next week from way back when, so that more people get to see them, and they get another chance to shine :)
So, all I can say to end this, is thank you – to Coil, and to every person who has ever supported me or enjoyed my content. I'm working every single day to make better quality stuff, and I genuinely enjoy doing it, so look out, world – this is only year one of many.
Thanks for reading!
