Starting a blog in this day and age when people are more interested in TikTok videos or Instagram Reels…sounds a bit crazy right? Not many people stop to read articles as much anymore when they can find a minute long video that gives them all the info they need. Although, Reddit is still a very popular following and some pretty long stories are posted there.

This feels like a rough start to my posting here. Let’s start over shall we?

Hi, my name is Ann Marie and I love writing about, well, almost everything. I am one of those with ADHD that has tried a little bit of everything, and yes I’ve tried being a blogger before but didn’t stick with it. Since then, I’ve tried journalism, photography, vlogging, having a normal day job, editing, graphic design, podcasting, painting, and probably several other things that I am forgetting about at the moment. 

The point is, no matter what I’ve tried or what I thought was the best course for myself, I always found my way back to writing. Even when I was going through school as I was growing up, my teachers saw that I had strong writing skills and a passion for it. So what stopped me?

Well, I suppose it’s the age old story of “lacking self-confidence” and “well there’s already so many other people doing it why bother”. I convinced myself that no one will want to read what I have to write and my voice was going to get lost in the sea that is the vast openness of the internet. There’s no truly new topics to cover and the current ones have all been over written about. I had myself convinced that I had to write a certain way and my website had to look a certain way. Other people are doing it this way so I suppose this is what I have to do. There was one thing that I didn’t take into account when I convinced myself of this.

I’m not going to be doing this for other people. I’m going to be doing this for myself.

It’s important to make this distinction. While doing this for others to read and making someone feel a connection because they are not alone in whatever article they happen to read is a great side effect. It’s also a grand amount of pressure to put opon yourself because you are more at the mercy of the public’s opinion which will in turn change how you write and what you write about. 

Doing it because it’s your passion or it fills a small void you were feeling inside yourself is so much more satisfying. It means you get to stick to how you want to write and what you want to write about. Yes, public opinion is still important as it can provide valuable feedback, but you are not supposed to change who you are to conform to the expectations of others. Put your authentic voice out there, stick to it, and the best people will find you to appreciate it for what it is. That’s the key that I had been forgetting about. My voice and thoughts on each topic matter are unique to me. That’s what will draw people in.

There’s been an ache inside of me for a couple of years now and recently I’ve figured out what that feeling is. What I am doing for a living right now, is not where I belong nor is it where I fit in. Once that realization hit, it’s like a weight was lifted off my shoulders and my subconscious screamed, “FINALLY!”

So, I got quiet and finally started listening to my inner thoughts. I am unhappy because, while I like the work, it’s unfilling and slowly draining me. I’m not able to be my authentic self at my work and I’m masking like most everyone else out there. It’s pulling time away from my life when I actually have the chance to be doing what I enjoy…writing about history, travel, weird facts, and whatever else my heart desires. 

When I was working on the paper at the community college I graduated from, I was happy and everyone else in my family saw it too. My parents said it looked like I had finally found a direction in my life that I was excited about for the first time in awhile. I covered food reviews, sports, community events, and even a couple opinion pieces (really not my best work either, I still cringe at it). I was happier than I had been in several years. 

It was reflecting on those past experiences that brings us up to the present. Here I am, back to writing and on a website where I get to have a free-run of topics to write about. Yes, it probably is better to pick a niche and stick to it, but that is where I have trouble. I like having the freedom of topics and you’ll find a little bit of everything here as I build up articles.  

Please enjoy my little corner of the internet and enjoy articles that will hopefully give you a little happy break from the realities of life, even if it’s only for a moment. 

Welcome to Ann Marie Explores. Safe exploring everyone!