Re-branding
You might have noticed that this blog is no longer “Hayley’s Haberdashery.” If you’re new here, then welcome and get a taste for the blog! If you’re one of my two followers and wondering what the name change is for, then let me enlighten you.
What I love about blogging is that it is a fluid thing. My original purpose for creating this blog a year and a half a go has evolved. I’ve done some real soul searching– and market research– about what I want my brand to be. (I also had a huge mental breakdown that I’m not ready to talk about just yet.) The fact of the matter is, I have too many things going on. I don’t have one specific niche or market that I’m trying to attract. The only real “brand” I have, is me. So I’ve changed my blog name to broaden the scope of the blog.
Let me back up. Haberdashery is a pretty rare word these days that, by definition, is a store that sells notions. I thought I was being clever when I came up with the alliterative name of my blog while also introducing everyone to a fun word. And it worked! For a while… But at the end of the day, I’m not in fact a store. Plus, the name implies snobbish Victorian men purchasing hats (if you are in fact already familiar with this use of haberdashery from literature).
In the past couple months, I’ve been writing my book. (See this post when I admitted it.) It’s what I want to do, my real passion. This blog is more of a hobby than anything (even if I wish it could be a money making enterprise) and I thought the two things had to be separate. But they shouldn’t have to be! There are lots of bloggers out there who become authors or authors that become bloggers. A blog is just another tool for sharing thoughts, ideas, recipes, crafts, or anything that has interest or value to you. This blog really is more like my journal than anything else. So I thought, why keep all the things separate? Let’s combine them to really encompass all that I am.
What Would Jane Austen Do?
I got this fun little book for Christmas called What Would Jane Do? Quips and Wisdom from Jane Austen (thanks Tom). Really, it’s just a pocket guide full of Austen quotes. But it got me thinking, what would she do? Probably write letters and gossip (or both). But at the end of the day, she would write. She’s be writing and editing which is what I want to do.
And I’ve been limiting myself with this blog! Coupled with an epiphany, I was inspired to add more. I can share more about my personal life as well as share my journey of book writing. I’m an avid reader, so I can even share some thoughts of books I’ve read. I do art sometimes. I journal quite a bit. All of this in addition to the things I’ve already been sharing on my blog like beauty recipes, crafts, and travel stories.
That’s something else I’ve realized. I don’t want to be a travel blogger. Besides the fact that it’s a ton of work, I don’t really care about telling people where to eat in certain cities, how to pack, what to pack, where to go, etc. None of that is interesting to me. (And so many other blogs out there do it amazingly.) I do like to write stories. I’m all about stories and I think that was the point I was missing before. Everything in the travel section of my blog are stories of my travels. And my photoblogs? I think they tell a story with pictures! Like any millennial, I love to get my phone out and take pictures. I find photography so inspiring; not to mention, travel has had a huge impact on my fiction writing. Being able to look back at photos I’ve taken and places I’ve traveled is so helpful for writing descriptions and establishing setting in my writing.
So, I’m not going to limit myself anymore. I’m going to share all the things that I love even if they aren’t to everyone’s interests and even if it’s not a specific niche of the internet. I’m going to share my art, journal, books, everything that is a part of my life. It’s been really refreshing because I’m now consistent across all platforms: Pinterest, Instagram, and Goodreads as my main social media haunts.
Elizabeth is my middle name and I’ve always been rather fond of it. It just exudes queenly status and my one of my favorite books characters is also an Elizabeth– Ms. Lizzy Bennet of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I am also a teacher so I keep my last name for professional use. Teaching is one part of my life that I do keep rather separate from social media.
Thanks for being here and get ready for more content! Now that I’m two (just-pinch-me two) chapters away from finishing my book, I want get back into regularly making blog posts. (Plus, I hate to admit, I have a huge back log of posts to publish from my travels last year.) I look forward to 2019!
Happy Day-
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