What does the future hold for Tippytupps?
This is something I’ve been thinking about for quite a while. As my two Bears start to get older, how much I am willing to share about them in this space is starting to change too. The questions I started to ask myself though is if I’m not writing about my children, what do I write about? What do I actually have to say? What can I bring to the table? Would anyone even want to read it?
In all honesty, these questions stopped me writing as I just didn’t know what I wanted to do with this little corner of the internet.
The beginning of the end?
My initial reaction was to simply delete the blog. But then I started to think back on why I started it in the first place. In December 2016 I had a 2 year old toddler and a 6 month old baby. I was a mum first and foremost with all of my time. I was in discussions to take voluntary redundancy from a role that often had me working 80 hour weeks and a contract that said my company could demand I spend up to 75% of my time overseas. Something they were already arranging with me as part of my return to work from maternity leave.
I knew that I planned to use my redundancy pay to fund an additional 6 months off work before deciding what to do next. I needed an outlet though. I’ve always loved to write and take photos and had already played around with micro blogging on Tumblr for a few years.
That is the point at which I opened my newly purchased laptop and started writing. I wrote about me, my life and of course my children as – at that stage – my children were my whole life.
Although they still sit firmly at the centre of who I am, I also have room for more now. I have time to read, time to craft and I am starting to look towards my future at work with and view to driving it forward and restarting a career that I thought was long gone.
In short, I am Vicki again which sits alongside the mummy mantle I wear with pride.
So, what does that mean for a mummy blog?
Well the fact is that this space was never MEANT to be a mummy blog. In fact it wasn’t a space that was ever supposed to be read at all if I’m completely honest. I still remember the feeling of getting my first subscribers that I didn’t know in real life. I was so surprised that someone wanted to actually read what I wrote. I also remember the pressure that seemed to come with every new follower to create content for an audience to read. The advice to find my niche and the expectations I placed on myself to confirm to what “they” said I should do with this space.
Why? I don’t know if I’m honest.
It was only ever supposed to be a private creative space for me to escape in to from time to time. (Something that is evident by just how truly awful I am at promoting it and engaging on social media!) I got sucked in though, and before I knew it I was competing in a massive mummy blog world and got caught up in everything that involved. It was never what this was supposed to be though.
So, what does that mean for Tippytupps?
I think in essence not a lot. Or perhaps is just my focus here in the backend of this site that will see a big shift. Through my contemplation over the past few months though, I have found that I have actually missed this space. So I guess the main difference is going to be that I am going to stop writing for an audience and start writing for me again.
Work hard to move away from a mindset of this space not being ‘worth it’ just because it doesn’t make a lot of money and instead use it as the creative outlet for which it was first intended. There will still be books crafts and adventures but it will be written for me rather than an audience.
There will still be reviews and maybe the odd sponsored post as – hey a girls gotta eat – and I can’t deny the opportunities that this space has provided over the years. What I am hoping though is that there will also be more creativity. Think photo walks, bad attempts at creative writing and a journal of gratitude, things I have made and what I have read. The children will still be here – they are a massive part of my life after all – but they will become supporting characters in this blog rather than the main focus.
In short, this space is going to be getting a lot more eclectic. A little bit like me.
The complete opposite of what “they” say a successful blog should be.
And do you know what, it may even become obsolete as time goes on. As does anyone even read a blog anymore? In a world full of Tik Toks and IG reels, I’m a dinosaur that still users a paper planner and just loves to write things that can’t be squeezed into captions.
So, going back to my original questions of what do I actually have to say and would anyone even want to read it? The answer is I don’t know and I don’t really care. This space is for me and although you are more than welcome to stay for the randomness that will follow, I have made a promise to myself that numbers will no longer matter.
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