The point of this article is for readers to get to know me a little bit more though the reasons I blog.  There are more reasons, but I wanted to present atleast 25 to get the ball rolling. I can add this post to my About me page now as well.  I think a lot of people could relate with these reasons to start a blog.

Keep in mind as well that blogging is not for everyone.  I am not saying it’s the holy grail.  You shouldn’t start blogging just because everyone says you should.  There should be something inside you that you’re trying to share, get out, or want to use to help the world become a better place to be.  I am certain we all have something to contribute, and maybe the blog will be a great, inexpensive way to get your foot in the door.

Anyways, here are my 25 reasons to start blogging – Why I blog and You should Too:

1. Online Presence

To Build credibility behind your personal and business name. Easy way to brand yourself, what you’re passionate about, and what you have to offer the world.  Social Media sites come and go but you’re blog, on your own domain will go on and evolve over time.

2. Continuous Learning

I am not a professional photography or a problogger.  From constantly reading a lot of blogs, I realized that few people started out as professionals.  Their blogs evolved over time and they became experts in their field of blogging or experts on blogging.  Since starting my blogs I have read many e-books, novels, and magazines related to different topics.  I am learning how to propel life forward through my own blog and realizing that everything offers me something to learn from.

3. Creating New Habits

I ensure to post a photograph daily on my photoblogs.  It reminds me to build upon my skill and technique within programs like Photoshop and Lightroom.  It also helps me keep shooting photography so that I always have a supply of images to display.  It reminds me why I love photography and why I want to be involved in a photography business.

By starting these photoblogs, I have created the daily habit of updating my blog and moving forward on my dreams and passions.  It’s evolved into my large interest in this blog you’re reading right now.  New Habits can replace old habits.  I do not desire to binge drink alcohol, or try and escape reality.

5.  Overcoming Depression

My life felt like it was in shambles. I was in a lot of pain internally.  I still have though days but blogging, working on my photography, and sharing my ideas through my blog allows me to forget about the negativity and focus on the greatness life has to offer.  With a blog, I can write while I am feeling good and sleep for a few hours if I suddenly feel off.  I am not on a strict office schedule where I only have 15 minutes to take a breather.  Blogging helps me get ideas and issues out of my head so that they do not roam free and create more issues and anxiety.

6.  Creative Outlet

Nuwomb has always allowed me to be creative with title, post images, and idea creation.  I’ve downloaded more fonts and icons than ever before.  I lose time while I am creating.  I adore Photoshop, creative thinking, and photography.  Having a blog gives you the outlet to creatively express yourself in may ways.  It allows me to explore why I shot a photograph the way I did, or what I was thinking while shooting.

7.   Virtual Studio

The problem with a lot of budding artist is that they don’t have anywhere to show their work. It’s tough to get into an Art Gallery and it’s a lot of work.  A blog is an instant virtual studio on the global level.  You can show your art, photography, crafts, or poetry as you blog or in a gallery on your wordpress blog.  You can also discuss your creative process you go through while in your virtual studio.

8.  Extending Relationships

I’ve found that my blogs have become a space for extending personal or client relationships.  I can show family what I love to do and they can show their encouragement.  The blog can announce special events for business or family.  Receiving comments within blog articles, it allows for discussion and sharing of ideas you may have never thought of.

9.  Power of Small

Beginning a small business in photography and blogging, I have realized the power of one person.  I am not a large corporation and this has value. I can take time to build the relationships, personally responding to e-mail, comments, questions about photography and shooting.  People reading my blog can understand that they do not go unnoticed and I appreciate the time they take to read and respond.

10.  Making Money

There are a crazy number of blogs online that talk about how they make crazy incomes via blogging.   I’ve made less than $75 in August.  It’s nothing to brag about, not that I would brag anyways; however, I have learned a lot in a short time about the possibilities that blogging offers in the form of making a living.  All I need to know and see is that it’s possible.

11. Law of Attraction

What you think about expands.  A blog has given me a platform for which I can discuss my interests and let the universe know what I desire to attract into my life.  Blog SEO becomes a tool for attracting like minded people through search engines.  People show up to comment on my blog, and I end up viewing a blog they write on.  I usually find something awesome that I’ve been thinking about or will help guide me on my path.

12.  To Replace Your Resume

Okay, a blog *might* not replace a resume, but think about it.  I talked about this more in “The Power of Owning Your Domain and Blog.”  With a blog in which you discuss your passion and build expertise, you don’t need list the fact that you graduated from high school, or have a degree in bio mechanics.  It doesn’t matter in the blogosphere or blog-arena.   You have archives of content, client shoots, or photography events your shot at.  It’s a million times stronger than a resume. I am certain that if you included your domain address on a resume, you’d stand out.  My blogs are to replace my resume.

13.  Become an Expert

As you gain interest in a type of photography, technology, software, or any niche you are activating powerful self-motivation techniques that require you to discuss the niche in the form of your blog.  You may not become an overnight success, however you’re making regular movement and there will be a tipping point to when you become the expert on that niche.

14.  Helping me Save Money

How could a blog help me save money? It’s helped in a number of ways. The big reason is that I have no desire to waste money on buying alcohol and getting drunk out of my mind. I used to spend 60-100 per weekend or 2 times a weekend. Now I don’t at all and I would rather do photography so that I have something to post on my blogs, or spend it learning new information to help others be informed as well.

The other reason starting a blog has helped me save money is by relating a blog to a savings account.  Steady accumulation, making saving automatic and paying yourself first are important ideas for saving financially.  I saw the connection with blogging.  Setting up a posting schedule, making regular deposits to the blog via articles or photographs, the blog grows over time and the information accumulates.  Suddenly, you realize that you have this great amount of work and while you can’t use the content to go on vacation (like you can with your money in a savings account), you may be able to sell your domain or look at monetizing your blog if you had not already.

15. A Gateway to Abundance

You may have seen or heard me talk about my believe in photoblogs as a gateway to a photography business. I believe this so strongly.  I know that if Sam Javarough said he was starting a portrait photography business, he’d have a full calender booked in days.  I really believe that the blog will build your online presence, create an expert in you, and replace your resume so that your photoblog launches you into other photography business opportunities.

16. Greatest Job in the World

Remember, the “Greatest Job in the world” contest?  Yes,  I admit that the location is sick and inspiring, but guess what? There are bloggers that are living location independant. The thing is you’re probably not able to do this kind of living without a way to communicate ideas that build relationships with people.  The blog / photoblog gives you a way to bridge that gap.   I’m working towards independant living.  It will require hardwork and time, but what most things in life that require this are worth it!

17.  Contribution to the Community

Through my blog, I wanted to be able to give something to the photography and blog community.  Social Media websites are awesome, but they are could be gone tomorrow.  Once I post on my blog, it’s here.  I guess unless I have a big issue like in the past.  I have established a proper backup plan.  But I am using my blogs to support the CNIB – Canadian Institute for the Blind.  A % of sales will be donated to CNIB once I start to earn an income from the blogs.

18.  Explore and Achieve my Dreams

By blogging, I’ve been able to take some time to explore what my dreams in life involve.   I can now release those dreams into creation.  I want to drive across Canada, explore Iceland, and attend photography conferences.  Any of these dreams that I am working towards will be known on my blog.  It’s kind of like the law of attraction that I mentioned before.  The blog will stand as documentation to show how and when I’ve achieved those dreams I set out for myself.

19.   To Cut the Cubicle Umbilical Cord

If there is one thing that I’ve learned from working in offices, and call-centre environments, it’s that they are not for me.  I crave liberation.  I have an odd circadian rhythm and working shifts within a call-centre is even harder on my system than ever. I find that I have a lot of creativity to bring to the world and a very structured environment suppresses my creative soul. The whole point of my blogs are to escape from the cubicle and allow myself to exist as me.

20.  Practing the Power of Thinking Big

I read a book on motivation that got me thinking.  If I can remember the book, I’ll update this with the name and author.  It was something around the lines of 101 motivational inspirations.   I think the author was Steve Chandler. Hold on, let me check because it’s bothing me that I don’t remember.  Okay, The book is actually called 100 Ways To Motivate Yourself: Change Your Life Foreverby Steve Chandler.   One chapter talked about setting a large goal.  If you set a really large goal, it can change the way you think.  You start to have to think differently about ways you would achieve such a feat.  I now relate subject to my recent mention of my upcoming service launch that is to help 1000 people take action in starting a blog to move forward with their dreams.  I’ve started to mindmap ways that I could achieve this goal by 2010 and the ideas are pretty rad.

21.  To Learn High Dynamic Range Photography

Before I started blogging,  I didn’t enjoy my options to display my photography to others online.  I didn’t like the ways to share on photography forums and receive feedback.  With my own domain, I could upload as many pictures as I wanted to and display them in any layout that tickled my fancy.   Once I had the space to display, I was driven to understand HDR photography in a more serious manner.  I would go out and shoot, process and upload the image to display my progress.  I’ve received great feedback that’s allowed me to push myself, or scale back certain features.  It’s allowed me to adopt my own style today. In learning, my blog allows me to share what I’ve learned via my own HDR Tutorial.  Recently, I had an issue with my HDR Photoblog – Urban HDR but I’ve actually been doing this for over a year now.

22. Success in the 21st Century

Right now I’m finding success with blogging.  However, this reason for blogging really lies within a reason for owning my domain and not going with some kind of free website.  I have looked at owning my own domain and hosting as true ownership.  I’ve claimed my digital landscape.  I know in the past, our ancestors were gobbling up physical land and it’s now worth crazy amounts of money.  I read a book while in university called “City of Bits” – If Interested in the book click this link – City of Bits: Space, Place, and the Infobahn (On Architecture) - and it talks about digital places online, comparing the agora to it’s digital equivalent.  I started to see that the internet is becoming second nature and I need to start learning how to communicate my ideas in a manner that will allow me to succeed.

23.   To Be Found in Google

I wanted to be indexed within search engines.  This is in connection with building my online presence, but is a bit more personal.  If someone was looking to get a hold of me, possible an old friend or acquaintance, they would easily be able to put my name in Google and find me.  Pretty valuable in my eyes if you rank #1 in the world for your own name or especially just your first name.  That’s pretty tough when you compete with Scott Baio aka Charles in Charge.

24.  Nonconformity

Starting my own blog is about listening to what is in my own heart.  However, there would be no blog if I did not take action on the messages of my heart despite what others advised me of.  Some people, no names, still wonder what my website is about.   The thing is that my blog is not meant for everyone.  We all have this inner voice or beat.  The people that have no interest in my blog, are marching to their own beat as I march to mine.  I am going to find ways to life my life how I am supposed to life it.  I may never win the top salesman of the year, but I’ll feel more alive than ever.

25.  I blog so that you to have something to do at work!

That’s right.  You heard it hear first.  It’s a shirt I am design a t-shirt for myself right now (something I may offer later), that says this on it.  I thought of this the other day when a co-worker asked me about my blog.  People are always online looking at blogs in every office.  A lot of these people don’t even realize they are on a blog.  I realized this in a team meeting when I wanted to start an internal blog for our team.  I want to contribute to give hope to people stuck at work and wanting to escape.

Thank you for taking the time to read 25 of my reasons to blog. I’d love to hear some reasons why you blog or maybe some of your thoughts you have as you think about starting.  Always curious here!