Being a widowed, solo parent takes a lot of energy. You have a job to keep, a household to run, and kids to take care of. There is so much strife and sanity can spread thin. You’ve been through a lot. There are tools to use to get through the pain and channel it into life. Creativity is a powerful tool to channel unwanted emotions.

In this series, I am going to touch upon a few different creative paths that are highly effective self therapy tools. We will explore writing, knitting, and sculpture. This post focuses on Blogging.

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Writing is a fantastic way to channel unwanted emotions

This year has been challenging on so many levels, but it’s also made me realize what is important – self-growth and inspiring my kids.

Over the past few months, I’ve been experimenting with sculpting, knitting, and paper crafts. I will share all these tips with you. But what has been my true push is blogging. It’s truly been a mental and creative blast. It’s one step past journaling – instead of writing for me, the focus is on creating quality content to help others. Creating this blog was one of the best things that I’ve done for myself this year. Here’s a quick primer on how you can create one too.

Related Post: Writing to Cope With Grief

Channel those unwanted emotions into a blog

Blogging is such a fantastic way to be creative and also be connected to a huge supportive community. I’d like to help you figure out the basics to help get you going. I’m going to be honest – I’m not pushing a get-rich-quick scheme. This is one of the many ways I’d like to teach you how to be creative – on your own and with your kids – to channel your strength.

Creating content leveraged from your tragedies is a truly cathartic exercise. creating a blog creates a safe space for other broken souls to gather. The words you produce will help others – it proves that they are not alone in their torment, that you understand. It is an incredibly freeing exercise, and extremely heartening to know that you are helping others.

Create your online healing space

First, you need to get a domain. There are so many options out there, truly limited only by your imagination…and of course whether someone has already taken your name. Here’s an easy way to check. Enter your idea into the widget below to see whether the domain is available, and then go directly to purchase it before someone else snaps it up!

Now that you have your domain name, you’re going to have to get a web host. I’ve been using Bluehost since I started, and I love them. Besides how their price point fits into my low-ball budget ($3.50 a month!!) their customer service is top-notch. I’ve called them up via their online chat system at least a dozen times, and have been so thankful for their technical service and willingness to help. Plus, they have other services that you can use to your advantage.

I hired them to build my website when I felt overwhelmed designing it myself. Then when I wanted to focus on writing content instead of promotion, I also hired them to as my Facebook Page marketer for the first half of the year.

I love the way my site looks, my Facebook Page grew to 700 likes in six months and I had an average of 11% engagement on my ads. Really amazing stats for a beginning blogger!

Okay, now you need a blogging platform and the one I use is WordPress. It’s a standby for most bloggers, but there are others available such as SquareSpace, Wix and GoDaddy.

Whichever one you choose, I would highly recommend going the self-hosted route. It might costs a little bit per month, but it allows you to monetize, which is important if you want to make money going forward.

Get your blogging foundation set by learning from the Pros

Do you need help figuring out how to start a blog? I took a free 5-day course with Heather Reese, which showed me the basics and got me hooked. I then invested in their Blogging Blastoff which took my blogging to a new level.

I am seriously thankful for their courses that outlined simply how to channel my writing passion into a platform which can help millions.

Heather’s course is fantastic overview of everything that a new blogger needs to do in order to create a solid foundation for a marketing strategy, and because she’s constantly updating it, even more experienced bloggers can keep up with current developments.

I recommend Blogging Blastoff as your first course investment.

Related Post: Rediscover Your Happiness

Stock up on imagery

The next thing you need is good images, layouts and themes. Creative Market is amazing for these. I’ve been using them since I started out, and am constantly amazed by the quality and creativity of the products they feature.

All the products are the works of independent artists who are credited and paid for each download. Plus, every week Creative Market gives away free products! Not samples, not demos, actual complete products. I love the value they provide, and feel good knowing that I’m supporting the creative community.

If I’m looking specifically for images to accompany a new blog post, I visit Pixabay. They offer dazzling photos taken from all over the world submitted by their community.

The images are free to use commercially, and no attribution is required though I would recommend you do credit the artist in good faith. You can also upload your own photos for submission if you want to get your name out there. Plus, if the specific image you’re looking for doesn’t exist on Pixabay, they are partnered with iStock and offer a 20% off coupon for similar images.

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Create branded graphics for your post

All blogs need graphics to punch up their visual appeal. No one wants to scroll through a wall of text. There are several design platforms out there, but my favourite is Canva.

It’s a free online design platform that is amazing for creating all of designs you need. They provide hundreds of templates optimized for every use: Pinterest, YouTube thumbnails, Instagram stories, Facebook covers. You name it, it’ll be there. Plus, new templates are added all the time to keep things fresh. 

The paid upgrade includes a brand manager where you can customize your brand’s fonts and colours, a catalog of premium images, and a tool that resizes your design on the fly. However, as a new blogger the free version will fit your needs just fine.

Use a newsletter to curate your fanbase

Once you’ve started creating content, you’re going to want to share it to your specially selected audience. Curate your ideal audience by getting them onto an email list. You can certainly increase your fanbase on social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest and I recommend you do. However, your most loyal fans who want to see your new creations are in your email list.

I’ve been using ConvertKit to build new forms and landing pages to grow my email list as a creator. It’s the easiest way to launch your next creative project! Sign up and you’ll unlock 1,000 subscribers for free.

Join the 5-Day Channel Your Grief Creator Challenge

Whether it be blogging, sculpture, painting, or any other creative venue there are ways to tap into your creative spirit to get rid of your grief. Creativity is a fantastic way to channel unwanted emotions, and I can help you release some of that pressure through art. Join the 5-Day Creator Challenge to work out some of those feelings.

You’re Not Alone.