It all started with a simple question, can I earn money on Fiverr as a photographer? Keen to get into doing more product photography, I was looking for a way to find clients and generate more work for myself. A YouTube video about a freelance copywriter on CNBC’s Millennial Money convinced me to turn to Fiverr. And after the first month, I received my first order.
After the first six months on the platform, I was on a roll that didn’t stop. Soon I was a Level One (I wrote about that), then Level Two Seller. I don’t plan to break things down as precisely as I did in that second post (about becoming a Level One Seller, but later I’ll talk about the amounts and the impact it had on the photography arm of my business as a whole. Scroll down if you’re just here for the dollars… I get it.
What’s been happening since my last post?
Around April, things got hectic around here as my workload more than doubled. Not only was I continuing to maintain my roles in my business, but I was doing all the photography and processing myself. It was chaos, let me tell you. I started getting a little more help here and there with general admin like my emails or managing the enquiries. I looked to add new people for the website and social media curation side of things over at Chalkboard Digital.
But still, with everything happening and a holiday looming, I had to take stock of my situation. Make a plan! Luckily, I love a good plan, so with some time off marked out for July, I put my Fiverr on ‘Away’ and stopped taking orders for a few weeks. I worried that it would mean a drop-off in enquiry when I returned or, worse, dropping off the search results altogether. But I knew I needed to find some people to help me if things were to continue to get bigger! What can I say? I’m team go big AND go home.
Getting a little help
So, during my holiday, I started to think about what I wanted to do and what I could outsource from the work we did. There was a lot I still feel I want to keep my eyes on personally (Facebook Marketing and Direct Emails especially), and that would take longer to hand over confidently. But there were other things I could step back from or check in with quite easily; if I was willing to loosen the reins a bit. So I did. I took some of those things and found specific people that could help. I trained some myself and outsourced (often on Fiverr) others.
When I returned from break, I marked myself as available, and it was all smooth sailing from there. Well, as long as you don’t count getting the plague and a dead SD drive that corrupted five shoots in one hit. Ugh. Yup that all happened, which made the remainder of July and all of August a lot despite all my hard work and changes. But now, at the end of September, I feel like I finally got through the worst of that. With the team in place and a few price increases, I feel like I can manage the enquiry that is coming in.
Plus, I’m well on my way to becoming a Top Seller!
Which is excellent and something I’ve had in my sights the entire time. I’d love to add that badge to my profile; only thousands of dollars in sales to go. (see my dashboard view below) Haha. Something else I want to look into before the end of the year is the ProSeller program to check out the benefits to me as a seller and the requirements to apply for the program. I’ve seen some accounts with less than ten reviews marked as a ProSeller, so I’m not sure what the deal is. If you know, let me know in the comments. Until then, I’ve made sure to have both a Fiverr and a Fiverr Business profile up and running (screenshots below) to grab as much attention as possible.
Fiverr Profile
Fiverr Business Profile
What did this new stream of income from Fiverr mean for my business?
Well! This is the part that I didn’t expect, especially after one year. A 2000% increase in Photography sales through my business direct happened in the past year. No, that’s not a typo—two THOUSAND per cent increase. When you see the figures below of the amount I’ve earned, it will just cover the income earned directly from Fiverr. I think that’s the only way to be respectful of our clients. But the short version it’s a lot more than I expected and is more than the Fiverr figure by a lot.
Before working on Fiverr as a photographer, I didn’t call myself one. I was a blogger. But I did the odd photo job here and there for clients but had never really gone all in. However, enquiry picked up as soon as we started posting photo content from the Fiverr Gigs to our feeds (mine and the business account). And up and up and up.
This was another reason it no longer worked for me to have my finger in every pie of my business. With boxes arriving almost every day with new items to be photographed, I desperately needed some help. And a price increase. Which we did at the start of the new financial year and will do again at the end of this calendar year. I’m okay with saying that right now, especially on Fiverr; I’m way too cheap. But that’s building experience and a roster of regular clients right? These things take time, and I am thrilled with our progress.
Get to it already. How much did I earn from Fiverr in my first year?
This is it, what you’ve all been waiting for, right? I’ve included some screencaps below my Dashboard to back up what I’m saying. Someone always wants proof of this stuff, and I’m happy to provide it. All amounts are listed in USD and, when exported, are converted into AUD. I’ll give you the figure at the very end for the direct from Fiverr (via Payoneer) to my bank account Australian Dollar figure. Full disclosure here, I’m not hiding anything from the tax man.
The breakdown below shows each calendar year (and summary at the top of the page, spoiler alert, haha) and the ebb and flow of it all. There are months where I’m taking on more work than completing it (it only counts as earned when a Gig is Delivered) and others where I’m delivering a lot of work, booked the month prior. I find it all evens out in the end, and with holidays in December and July, I’m happy with the consistency of it all.
2021 Calendar Year (started August 2021)
2022 Calendar Year (to date)
According to my accounting software, I received $15,521.04 (AUD) into my business account in my first year on Fiverr.
This is net and is less various charges, deductions of my advertising, Seller Plus program fees and any purchases of services on Fiverr I deducted from my account. I mean, not too shabby, right? Especially when you consider that this whole thing started as a whim, and I didn’t expect much. Add to that the other work I’m doing, the referrals to my business and the general growth that has been part of the upward movement. I’m a happy girl.
So, if you ask me if you should investigate if a platform like Fiverr would work for you, I’m a big fat yes. I use it often as a Buyer and a Seller, which says a lot since I opened my account in November 2015 for a transaction as a Buyer that was eventually cancelled and didn’t open again until 2021. It might be worth another look if it’s been a while since you checked it out. It certainly was for me.
And before I go, here are my current gigs
My current Gig strategy is to focus on the primary photography Gigs consistently performing well. I’m using the Seller Plus program to gain access to additional Key Word information and Gig performance stats to enable me to choose the right keywords for all the right places. Do I think it’s necessary to do this to earn good money on Fiverr? No. But if you’re someone like me who loves to analyse a bit of data and hunt down the best keywords possible, I’d recommend it. Plus, your money is released in 7 days; I can’t argue with that when I’m on a 14-day withdrawal program for my cash flow purposes.
I’ve added a couple more to my profile since I started, but as you’ll see, they are very similar to when I began. This is what I’m running with right now (featuring the listing slides because who doesn’t love to sticky beak on how others are setting up their profile). And if you’d like to work with me, I’d love to have you. Head over to my Fiverr profile, and let’s get started.
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When we left off in my last post, I was 45 days into my experiment. I was hopeful that a conversation would turn into a sale and asked you to keep your fingers crossed. Cliffhanger! It’s been pretty much two months to the day since my last blog update. Even then, I knew I’d follow up and share my progress with you all, success or failure, whatever that looked like.
There was a mid-point update on the socials about a month ago because I had to say something. Thanks to getting super busy, I just dropped off the planet as far as the blog was concerned. So, thanks for being patient. Here’s the down-low on what’s been happening in my last two months on Fiverr and how I became a Level One Seller.
Month Three on Fiverr as a Seller
That conversation turned into something alright! It had a snowball effect that led to nine orders (five of those were custom offers) and completed Gigs by the end of the month. And I loved it, seriously loved it. You know how much I love to make stuff and how I’d felt a little off about something for a while. While, this new challenge, with something different to do every time I pulled out my camera, was just what I needed. I am energised in my work both on and off Fiverr and loving it.
During the completion of the Gigs, I was grateful to receive nothing but Five Star reviews from those I worked with. It turns out many people are discovering Fiverr for the first time, too, so it helped to remind them to leave a review and that I was trying to build my profile on the App. I’ve since learned that when I select a portfolio image, it has to be approved by the Buyer to show up on my Gig. So I now directly ask them to support that, too; nothing too complicated, just a simple direction.
I mentioned in the previous post that I was planning to open up some Gigs that would be a little easier to work with International Buyers; photo editing and simple social media graphic design work. But to date, I haven’t needed to do that. Instead, I closed two of the additional Gigs I opened, and I’m now focusing my efforts on the three offerings, all in product photos.
Now, you’ll want to know about the money, right?
That was the original challenge, could I make money as a product photographer on Fiverr. I opened my first Gig on the 8th of July and now, in my third month as a Fiverr Seller, I earned $903.70 (USD). Then at the end of September, I cashed out $558 (AUD) to my bank account. These funds cleared after the 14 day wait period and after the currency conversion from USD, and Fiverr took its 20%. An additional amount is uncleared and will form part of next month’s payout. Not too shabby for a new seller offering bargain-basement prices.
Month four was this month, October, and on the 15th, I officially became a Level One Seller. I had met the requirements about ten days before that. As soon as I created a Seller profile on Fiverr, I installed the App to respond to messages or requests from Buyers quickly. The tracking there gives you a clear idea of how you’re travelling and how far you have left to go to your next level up. And I must admit, as a competitive person, I might be enjoying watching that status bar a little too much.
Other than competitiveness, why care about the seller level you’re on? For me, there are a few key reasons. Firstly, as you move through the ranks, it’s assumed that you’ll raise your prices. Win. Initially, I thought your percentage paid to Fiverr dropped, but this doesn’t seem to be the case. And secondly, as your level increases, you’re acknowledged as more reliable to potential Buyers and Fiverr itself. Those are some decent hoops to jump through. But I understand what a risk it can be for a Buyer, especially associated with product photos, so I’m happy to do it. Like all things on Fiverr, getting to appear in front of thousands of potential customers with no upfront costs, I’ll keep jumping.
To get out of newbie jail (the new seller category, haha), you must do the following;
Be an active seller for at least 60 days
Complete at least 10 orders (all time)
Earn $400 or more
Maintain a 4.7-star rating over 60 days
Deliver a 90% response rate score over 60 days
Score a 90% order completion rate over 60 day
Achieve a 90% on-time delivery score over 60 days
Receive no warnings over 30 days
If you’re interested, you can read more about it on their website.
Though, for a minute there, it looked a little shaky. Thanks to current postal hold-ups leading to a cancelled Gig. You have to maintain a 90% or better completion rate to meet the levelling criteria, and with the bare minimum of jobs completed (10), I didn’t have room to spare for cancellations. But, we scraped through and made it. Phew! Being that close and almost losing it gave me a bit of an insight into how important it is always to be booking new work. You’re only as good as your last 30 days as far as Fiverr is concerned. Not sure how I feel about that, to be honest.
Month Four on Fiverr as a Seller
There was a time when I was doing a lot of message answering for no result. Was my Fiverr career over after a single successful month? Impressions were starting to drop on my Gigs, and I began to feel a little concerned. Especially after one custom offer that I’d negotiated fell through, it was a monthly Gig for 20 images that would’ve been a great one to have in the bag. So far, that hasn’t worked out, but we’ll see how it goes. Frustrating, for sure, but soon the tide turned again.
This month has seen an increase in larger and bundle jobs which are still coming through the first Gig I ever set up. This Gig still leads the others in impressions, clicks and orders though most of the ordered are in some way customised. Which is a nice option to have, that’s for sure. October saw a couple of small Gigs complete early before a total of 7 Gigs got backlogged waiting on the post. One was pushed back to the end of November, waiting on the international post, but the rest had delivery dates from the 21st to the 27th of October.
Now, about that Fiverr money!
I’m happy to report that as of today (the 23rd of October), I’ve worked my way through the backlog and delivered them all. That home stretch effort will put me ahead of September for both money earned and Gigs completed. At the time of writing this post, I’ve booked $1,205 (USD) of work with one cancellation ($120). At this stage, I haven’t cashed out for October, but given the majority of work was done in the last week and won’t clear for another 14 days, I’m expecting to cash out is $480 AUD. Again, this is after currency conversion and Fiverr’s 20% fee. That will leave the bulk of the funds earned in October in my Fiverr account clearing.
Interested in working together? Find me on Fiverr here!
Ever wonder how TikToks can, as is the case with XXL Scrunchie & Co, one of my new favourites, exponentially grow their business? How can social media sell out an entire line of products in a few hours, less in the case of those with larger platforms? So what is it about these creators and businesses that makes them so relatable to their audiences? According to Austin Kleon, large audience haver himself, it’s about showing your show.
In his series of books, he goes over topics close to the creator’s heart, how to keep going, generate and produce as a creative and share your talents in a natural, authentic way. I bought the books after not one but three YouTube creators I watched referenced them in how they developed their content style and audiences. It’s simple: when you get down to it, you show your work.
I had to know more, so I bought all three books and waited patiently for them to arrive.
Two of the three were in reprint at the time, and I waited a couple of months to receive them. That should tell you something about their popularity. And so, with them finally in my hot little hands, I read them in a solid evening – all three of them. To say they are an easy read is overstating it. I breezed through them, gently folding the tiniest corners of the pages I wanted to return to.
I’ve been a creator on the internet for over a decade. These books shone a light on the habits and practices I got into as a new blogger that served me in the development of my community. I could see ways I built an audience without even considering it a strategy. Things that, while we may come to them instinctively, we may forget along the way.
Things like the entire premise of one of the books, Show Your Work.
Showing your work, or even stealing like an artist, is about documenting and taking joy in the process of creating. Taking that exploration and the discoveries you are making and share them for the world to see. It could be on a blog or YouTube channel, and it might be an Instagram account or a Twitter stream. It’s about sharing and showing the process to engage others who might share your interest or learn to do so.
And no, it’s not just about manipulating the behind-the-scenes content that some businesses put forward; it’s about discovery. The curated BTS content we see nowadays is almost as hard to swallow as the perfectly placed words of an influencer reading from a how-to succeed playbook. There is a reason we, the audience, love when you share your ups AND the downs, the wins AND the losses. We want to be part of it.
You’ve grabbed our interest, and we are coming for the ride with you.
That, my friends, is showing your work. And if you feel like you’re stuck in a rut at the moment, these three little books could be just what you’re looking for. The first book to arrive, the only one not out of print, was Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad. As you know, the last few years that has been my struggle. I was trying to find a spark, keep it burning, and make stuff that I’m proud of and love. This book pushed me to make crappy stuff, try new things, and journal even when it was more complaining than big thoughts.
In many ways, I owe these books for the feeling of renewal I’ve felt as a creator lately. I go back to them and remind myself when I struggle or forget. And I think if you are running a business, a blog or a personal brand, they’ll do the same for you. Something about the happiness and love of creating comes through these books that energise you and will make you smile to yourself as you read. I think there’s a lot to be said for doing things to power you up, and these little books are great at that. It might just be time to reread them.
Available via Booktopia (affiliate links) below, or feel free to support your local bookseller because we love local booksellers around here.
Show Your Work: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered
Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad
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Have you read any of the Austin Kleon books? Which would you say is your favourite, and do you find yourself recommending them to friends without even thinking about it?
The videos pop up on YouTube all the time, twenty-somethings making tens of thousands of dollars a month online. When you dive a little further, you’ll find a few main ways they do this. But the one that grabbed my attention (first) was Fiverr. I knew of the site, of course, but hadn’t been on there for years. Are people still making money on Fiverr? Can I make money as a photographer on Fiverr? Always interested to explore a way to make money online, I decided it was time to investigate.
Getting started on Fiverr
I didn’t have to set up an account as I had one, with Fiverr credits still sitting in it waiting to be spent. But what I did need to do was get my profile set up for selling on Fiverr. A simple enough process as I went through the motions of filling out page after page of profile information and settings.
Next up, there were the Gigs. This is what Fiverr calls the work you do on their site; you’ll get used to it. With so many categories of work and me no being sure of what I wanted to offer, I did some research. I looked into the categories and different offerings of work. I found a few I was interested in and dived deeper into how Gigs were written and set up.
Having narrowed it down to a few categories, I knew I wanted to offer either copy or blog writing, photography or photo editing. All of which are skills I have and could reasonably offer someone else. I’m also pretty proficient in each when needed, so that a quick turnaround would be possible.
Choosing a service category to offer
In the end, though, I decided to create two offerings based on Product Photography. I felt a little meh with my writing mojo, so I figured it was best not to inflict that on others. And the photo editing, I thought I could always add later. Product photography was probably a little niche for a first Gig, given you have to arrange to get and return the products. But it was interesting to me and not widely offered in Australia, so I went for it.
Setting up the Gigs was a little time consuming, to say the least. But, with a window open in Canva (to create collaged image files) and another with samples of comparable work on Fiverr, I got to it. All in all, with edits in the following days, it looks like about three hours to set both Gigs up. Not too shabby if I’m about to make thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars, right? Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Can I make money as a photographer on Fiverr?
As a low-level seller with no reviews, the pricing to be competitive is a disgrace, to say the least. But, from what I’ve learned from my YouTube friends, the low prices are really just a jumping-off point for customers to add extras and build your portfolio to where you can charge more. (So, I’m a bargain photography-wise. If you need anything right now, hit me up on Fiverr, haha).
To date, after 45 days and a couple of shares on Twitter, I have responded to about five messages and could maybe be booking my first Gig. Literally, as I write this, it’s looking like I’ll be booked for some website images via a custom order for AU$250 (the site is in USD, so converting it is a whole thing, especially when booking an Australian client.
The reality is though, it’s been 45 days with no real action on my Gigs. I plan to create some short videos to add to the Gigs to show off my studio and give them a real face/voice once I get set back up in there (the floors are still curing). From everything I have seen, making a Gig video could help push my listings further to the top. That said, my research tells me what I really need are completed Gigs with completed transactions and reviews.
But, how do you increase your rank to get Gigs to increase your reviews to then increase your rank?
That’s the real question, right? How do you get work when you appear so low in search because you have no reviews. That’s what I’m trying to figure out now. Some of the folks online suggest getting family and friends to review, but from what I can see, a transaction needs to occur for a review to happen. Perhaps they mean to get them to book a Gig and complete it to review you, but that feels a little iffy to me.
My plan? Just keep plugging along, making tweaks and changes to my Gigs. I’ll probably add some more with different style focuses to increase my odds. And I was thinking, if I had an enquiry for extra photo work right now, I would send them through Fiverr even though I could totally charge more if I billed them directly.
For now, I have to be comfortable with the fact that this is not a get rich quick scheme and it will take time to build up reviews and work. Which is an excellent reminder to all of us not to get too sucked into the make money online side of YouTube. I’ve had this blog, and my business, in some capacity for over a decade now and it’s only in the past few years it has fully supported me. The ways I make money online are diverse, and to date, there is no one way that stands alone as the sole provider.
Where to from here on Fiverr?
From here I’m going to keep my fingers crossed I get this first Gig. Then I’m going to hope for a glowing review and even future work from this potential new client. While that’s all happening, I’m going to open up Gigs for photo editing and some more based around product photography that doesn’t focus on light, bright studio shots. Things along the lines of a dark and moody style and a more lifestyle based style. If that even makes sense. Haha. But, whatever happens, I’ll continue to keep you updated on my quest to make money as a photographer on Fiverr. Watch this space.
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need some product photography work done? find me on Fiverr
I’ve displaced myself again. As I mentioned in the email on the weekend, I’m having the floor of my office and the adjoining patio fished with epoxy. So, that meant time to pack it all up again. Which is, I have to say, a pretty smooth process these days. Changing my mind about the layout and inclusions has been a significant part of my procrastination plan for 2020/2021. A method that has seen tremendous success and returned surprising results…
Most surprising of all being that I manage to get anything done at all!
What can I say? I have a gift for procrastination. When everything first shut down in March 2020, things changed for my business. The momentum and trajectory of the business took a hit, and even a year later, it doesn’t feel like we made it back—a frustrating thing for someone like me prone to always looking for more and pushing onwards.
Procrastination is a symptom of that, I believe. It was showing up through moving the office, buying new gear, reading the next book. Not to mention watching entire season’s of shows on Netflix and taking long naps. I’ve tried journaling and colouring in, learning new things or testing my limits. I signed up for Medium to write more and built my profile and gigs on Fiverr to create and photograph more.
In the end, I can’t feel like this time has been wasted. That’s the thing about procrastinating at a pro-level as I do. You’ve got the wiggle out of it skills to avoid the work but still get things done. Sometimes I need reminding that good stuff can and often does come from these periods of ‘waste’. By allowing myself to procrastinate freely and diverge from the plan, I’m giving myself the space to create and discover. To embrace procrastination as a part of my process.
Just next time, I hope it doesn’t cost me thousands of dollars worth of epoxy.
For now, here are some photos from before the work gets started with all my office loaded into what we use as a side entry that was once a dining room. Why not embrace procrastination a little more with a photo gallery of snaps.
Can I just say that I’m so excited to say goodbye to the orange/red outdoor paint? Well, I am, and not just because when it’s wet it’s treacherous. Later this year we are getting the roof restored and when we do, the trims in a similar colour (you can peep them in the photos before) are going to be painted a charcoal/dark dark grey colour. Old house life, the work is never done. But man I love this house.
Over the last month, on my social media break (as much as work allows), I’ve noticed a few things. Things about my life that I completely missed in the non-stop app switch that is social media. Firstly, I’m not very satisfied with my life. I keep looking for meaning and coming up short. And yes, to be honest, it’s hard to tell if it’s general dissatisfaction or if I’m going through something. But the feeling remains.
And secondly, feeling good (making myself proud and doing what I want) has motivated me. And then, I started chasing the algorithm. Which algorithm might you be asking and concerning what? The short version is all of them and everything. From Google to Instagram, Twitter to Pinterest, I was creating and somewhat existing to tick a box. Except, the box was unclear at best or invisible at worst.
IRL and online, I was looking outside myself for that pat on the back that seemingly never came.
But I don’t want to do that anymore. I don’t want to spend the next 20+ years of my working life unfulfilled and ticking boxes. And that’s precisely why I work for myself to have the freedom to create and do what feels good to me, especially when it comes to this blog. But also when it comes to living my life. It has to be my number one priority; I’m no good to anyone if I don’t find a way to put my happiness first.
And so, with all this figured out, this thought keeps popping in my head. It taunts me that I should have got a handle on this stuff already. That I should know better and that I can’t seem to learn my lesson on this one. I’ve been here before when I’ve felt disconnected from my life and threw in the towel.
At various stages throughout my life, I’ve been here before. Sitting on the steps of my first real home here, wondering if the choices I’ve made are going to create a life for us or sink us. Wondering if I’m capable, worthy or deserving. Wanting so desperately to make it all work. Exhausted by the very prospect.
But I won’t beat myself up for stumbling at this point again.
And just so that we are all on the same page, I know now that it’s time to seek some help. So that I can maintain the life I want to live and see it through using tools I’m yet to learn. At this stage, I’m not sure how much of that process I’m going to document here, but I’m permitting myself to share what I want. To stop being afraid of upsetting someone or putting a foot out of place. And to say nothing when it feels like something that is mine.
It turned out, in the end, I’m still a blogger. After reading Austin Kleon’s book Show Your Work, I realised that instead of racking my brain week in and week out for what I hope people or algorithms want, I could share what I’m loving/doing/enjoying instead. I could document the process.
Which, if I had paid attention, some of you have been saying all along. Yet everyone says a blog can’t be successful unless you focus solely on giving the reader what they want. Make it entirely about them and what they need. But I won’t survive if I do it that way. I’ve always found an overlap between you and me; we often go through the same things.
Let’s hope this is one of those times you are happy to come along for the ride.
Some of you aren’t going to believe this. Maybe I’ve claimed a comeback one too many times. But I’ve been throwing around some ‘show’ ideas for the YouTube channel too. I’m 100% not sure if I can pull them off yet, but I thought, that’s also the sort of thing you guys may want to join me in figuring out. And speaking of comebacks. I decided that while I’ve enjoyed experimenting with my hair colour again, I miss the blue. It felt like me, and I miss it. So, with some effort from the team, it’s making a comeback.
I’ve been here before, questioning myself and my ideas. Back in May 2020, I would give the blog a bunch of my effort and see what results I could get. Make a decision then if blogging was still for me after all this time. It’s hard to confront that the only real skill I’ve spent any time developing in the past decade might be obsolete.
But in facing that head-on, I learned that there is still a living to be made in blogging. Yes, it means a few more ads or affiliate links when the occasions arise, but it also means the blog is a business. Worthy of time in my work week and not just being relegated to those exhausted moments at the side.
The funny part is that maybe you won’t notice a change.
Funny haha, I mean, not funny, strange. If you follow the blog or the socials, maybe it won’t feel that different. I don’t plan on changing the topics I blog about, nor do I plan to conform to some new schedule or content plan. My haphazard style of posting will probably continue to bump from where to buy guides to rants and back again. That may all look very familiar, and I’m okay with that.
Taking a social media break has allowed me to check in with myself in a way I haven’t done for a while. Not looking at those ‘doing more than me to figure out what it is for me to share, but asking myself what I want. Everything feels different for me now. That’s what matters, or should matter, for any of us.
How amazing is it that we live in a time when women can decide to start a business, blog or personal brand and do it for themselves? For the things that matter to them like time, freedom and space to dig deeper into what makes them tick? To side hustle or create and ensure that their finances are their own. I’ll never forget how empowering it was to find, inspect and buy my own car. I imagine that feels a world away from women unable to open bank accounts without husbands or enter public bars.
The quiet of being without other people’s opinions or their fears allowed me the space to hear my own voice. To stand on my own two feet and ask the questions of myself that I hadn’t taken the time to ask in too long. What do I want? Am I happy? Why do I do what I do, and is there anything else I’d rather be doing?
The answer is I’m right where I want to be, with room to grow and options to explore. I’m a writer, a photographer, a blogger and a creative. And, since I saw my first magazine with pages of glossy advertisements, I’m a marketer. So it’s time to stop questioning all of that and start doing.
I’m back from my social media break and ready to roll.
I read somewhere on Facebook this week that list posts are passé. Done. Over. It turns out that I didn’t get the memo because I LOVE to write the darn things. List posts help me corral my thoughts and line them up in neat little rows for you all, which is virtually impossible without a dot point or two. So excuse me while I am all passé and share this week’s tips to make your blog reader-friendly. They aren’t rocket science {or rocket surgery, as we say in my family} just simple tips that will keep readers flicking through or coming back to your page.
Design and Layout
I’m a sucker for white. You can probably tell. And when you spend as much time online as I do, nothing loves your eyes more than dark type on white backgrounds. I also like wide spaces and nothing too crowded. As a reader, I don’t like my eyes hopping all over the place while reading the content. Yes, I check out sidebars, but on my own time. I don’t want them closing in on me! Run your eyes over your page. What grabs your attention, and should that REALLY be the first thing that does?
Share button and subscribe links.
I find it difficult sometimes as a reader to share a post or subscribe to a blog. This seems a little ridiculous given this is the point of writing one {in a lot of cases}. Turn on your share buttons if you are in blogger. Add a widget such as JetPack or something if with WordPress. Make it easy to share your blog. I know it’s possible to copy and paste or use a toolbar add-on like Add This or something, but that’s hard work for me, the reader. Don’t make me work for it.
Similarly, if I want to subscribe, I want the button to exist at the top of your sidebar. The RSS feed is what I’m after, and I want it to work. Blogger has the friend connect, making it easy, as long as you have the widget installed. WordPress bloggers make sure your links work and that they are easy to identify. Offer some options if you’re concerned. If I read a blog I like, I want to find it again. So I subscribe. If I can’t find where to subscribe in a few moments, I move on. Plenty, PLENTY more fish in the sea.
Spelling and grammar
I’m as guilty of this as you can be, I think. I publish quickly with errors and mistakes. I don’t mean to be careless; I like to think of it as passionate or spontaneous. But whatever spin I want, it’s annoying and hard work to read a blog with poor writing skills. It’s something I work on every day. Something I think we all should be working on. Obviously, some people are crazy talented and have all the skills. No disrespect to them. I think that’s about enough said on that.
Popular post/topic links/categories
Ever since Blogger introduced the popular posts widget, I’ve loved this idea. But as a reader, I love its GUTS. I love to be able to click on a blog’s most popular posts. You find the most random things clicking on those links. I love that. Most bloggers will tell you that those are hardly their best work {sometimes they are} but it gives you a feel for the blog. And as a reader, that’s essential.
It’s also important to use your categories and use them well. I have almost 15 on my blog. Too many by most standards. Ok, all standards. But I keep them true to form, and I think that if you need something, you’d be able to find it. As a reader, I love clicking straight to the categories and finding everything in one place. It makes it easy. Say I come to your blog for a post about cooking sugar-free. Your blog may have the rest of your life there, but if I click on the topic links {if used correctly}, there they are. All the sugar-free cooking posts in one. Easy.
A welcome page
This is something that comes from the ProBlogger 31 days to a better blog eBook. And something I’ve only implemented on this blog in the past few months. It’s a landing page. A “Hi, you’re new here” type page {that’s mine}. I use it now to land my Twitter, and Facebook clicks through. It’s a fixed page with a small welcome, some directions around the site and a few posts I love, as well as some posts readers love. It gives them an overview of what to expect here, feeds them deep into the site and gives me the chance to introduce myself before they flit away.
Sometimes it is the simple thing that makes ALL the difference. The ease of use of your site. The impact on the eyeballs {does it exhaust your eyes to read it?}. Take a look at your site, send in a family member or friend who doesn’t read it often. Get them to write down their first impressions, ask them to find their way to a couple of your main pages—that sort of thing. My Hubby does this for me sometimes. It can be a bit brutal on the ego, but it gives it to me straight. Plus, he will complain until the cows come home if it takes too long to load. So make that your mission. Get your site reviewed by someone you trust.
When I say that I’m all about working less and living more, what does that mean to you? Books such as the 4-hour workweek springs to mind or every single clickbait online ad for making money while you sleep. And no, this isn’t some passive income post. However, I would highly recommend finding a way to leverage that in your life. There is a multitude of different things that could be coming to mind for you. But for me, it’s about buying back my time. For what, you might ask? For freedom, thanks.
It’s about working fewer actual hours to enjoy your life more (with those extra hours).
You would know that I’m a strong believer that sitting at a desk isn’t the same thing as getting work done. Or that time spent equals work produced. I’m not too fond of the hourly rate, and it’s a big reason, I guess, that my work is often billed at a project or retainer rate. It’s about doing more with less time spent on the work. Not cutting corners, but streamlining what you can finish sooner.
Producitiy and time management have become the sort of catchphrase we are exhausted with hearing about. But the appeal for me has always been how do I take these tips and turn them into an extra hour at the end of the week. Or an extra day to my weekends, perhaps. And so I use checklists and plans, drafts and templates, and I do my best to avoid distraction. Always a laughable challenge in this place. And I find that without too much effort or strain, I can do the work that I need to do in about four hours or so a day, maximum.
Because yes, in my books, working less does make you happier.
Especially if you can maintain (or increase, but I said this wasn’t about passive income, haha) your income. Who wouldn’t want that, right? Working for myself, it’s easy to schedule work at times that I know I’m most productive. Some of those hours happened a solid two hours before I even started work at previous jobs. I trust myself to wander sometimes because I know I’ll come back clearer. And the work gets done. I have space for other things. For days off to do other things or time for personal projects.
But, it’s not just for those who work for themselves. Easier, though, perhaps than having to explain your tendency to wander to a boss who expects you at your desk. I know many people who have negotiated shorter workdays or weeks on the promise of delivering what they are supposed to deliver. The work gets done, and that’s what matters, right?
If you’re interested in making a shift to your lifestyle, start there. Is there a request you could make? Could you start earlier and finish sooner if that suited you? Are you able to work from home where you know the loud music and occasional kitchen based distraction that is your ‘process’ won’t distract anyone else? Work four days instead of five, two instead of three? Longer if need be or more based on achieving what needs to be done rather than filling a seat. Come up with a plan, be prepared to be accountable for it, and ask.
Because life is too short to live for work.
Trust me; there are so many better things you could be doing with your time. Quit your job and run away from home might be a little much for you, but what would your life look like if you owned more of your free time to be free? That’s the real question, right? The best news is that the answer is anything.
I wanted to talk about goal setting and planning your life. But I didn’t want to be one of those people pushing the whole new year/new you bullshit. You should know that from the start. But I’m all about creating my life, and I want that for you guys too. No matter the time of year or your experience of where you are right now it’s a perfect time to set some personal goals for yourself, your life and go for it.
The idea for this came to me as I once again sat on the floor of our living room surrounded by mixed media paper, pens, markers and coloured pencils, scribbling ideas and notes, thoughts and doodles on the pages. Smart goal setting is something we do around here whenever the urge takes us. We sit down and plan whenever the urge takes us to dream big and lay out our hopes for the year.
So, I want you to start there.
We talked about what to do when you feel like you don’t KNOW what you want — when your dreams are small, squashed by the reality of failure. I’ve been there. Don’t get down on yourself for being vague about what you want. Read that post, chip away at that wall you built up between you and your hopes. I promise you it gets better.
But if you’re feeling a little bit jazzed about what this new year has to offer, then grab out whatever inspires you to dream. For some of you, it will be making a collage or a vision board. Others will be like me and want pages of multiple coloured lists and mindmaps. Or maybe you’re into lists (who isn’t!?). Whatever it is, grab a bit of space and empty everything of your head onto the page/whiteboard/notebook.
I highly recommend the coffee table strategy, but a dining room table works too; wherever you’re comfortable and less likely to be sucked into doing something else. And a bonus for those with kids around, I’ve found my nieces and nephews love this activity. Can’t beat them? (School holidays? I know, hang in there). Let them join you.
Of course, you can scribble and doodle your way through this (there’s no right way to enjoy goal setting), but I also included some prompts to think about as you go along;
Completing what’s happened
What am I grateful for?
What’s been my proudest accomplishment/moment?
What did I do this year that I never thought I would?
What surprised me this year? Good/bad/other.
What didn’t go to plan this year? (decade? Haha).
Am I proud of who I was when things went wrong?
Who am I?
How would you describe yourself as a person?
How would others describe you? (the ones that matter, of course).
Would you describe yourself as happy with your life? If yes, why? If not, why not?
How do I feel about my life right now? What feelings come up when you think about your current situation.
Dreaming about what’s next
What am I grateful for?
What matters to you most?
What makes you smile?
What’s important to me right now?
What do I want for myself? (This year?)
What do I want for my family?
What does my ideal day look like? How would I spend it, what would it feel like, where would I be, and who am I with?
Taking the next steps;
If I could change one thing about my life/situation/job, what would it be?
How do I feel about my life imagining it with that change implemented?
What do I need to do to make that change?
Who or what do I need to succeed?
Are there steps to take to get that one thing?
Can I take them now? If not, now, when? What do I need?
I think if you start imagining, writing, drawing, collaging with those things in mind, you’ll be in a pretty good spot. Not just to make a workable plan (let’s talk about that below) but to get excited about what’s to come. I love sitting down and first reflecting, then imagining what could be possible for me, then starting to look forward. Try it; I want to hear all about it. Email me or share it in the Confident You Facebook Group. I often use the group to talk about the newsletter as it comes out – join in.
Now, let’s start goal setting!
Now, it’s time to take those scribbles, mindmaps and lists and turn them into a workable plan. A workable plan is something that inspires you and keeps you on track. Sounds good, right? It’s pretty simple, really. We take the outcome of your last activity and narrow it down into a few focused goals. I would limit your number here. There’s always time to come back and add more when you’ve kicked these in the butt. But how do you do that?
Planning the work.
I find that within my notes, there are usually themes. Ideas and thoughts keep popping up. Maybe you want to move to a new area or house, learn something new or take up a new hobby to get you out more. Whatever it is, as you ponder the year ahead and the prompts I gave you, a few key ideas will pop up. Write those down!
These are your goals; and, funnily enough, will be the foundation for the goal setting to come. Wishes, dreams, or whatever makes you more comfortable, but I’m going to stick with goals for the sake of consistency and not doing my head in. Haha. Sticking with the house idea, I don’t want you to write down ‘MOVE HOUSE’; I want you to really get into it. Something more like “I want to move in THIS SPECIFIC area into a home with lots of natural light, good transport access and a yard for a dog”.
Trust me. The specifics will make this whole process go a little easier. Speaking of making this easier, if you head over to the blog via the link below, I have uploaded some goal setting worksheets there to help you along. The first page is a list of the prompts I gave you last week. The next will help you with this next task. From there, you can work through the pages as I direct you here. Want them now? Grab them on our RESOURCES page anytime or download the pdf goal setting worksheets here.
Whether you have one item on your list or you added something to all eight boxes, it’s time to move on. From there, we work out what you would need to do to GET that one thing. For you to HAVE it. And again, there is a sheet (two in this case) for this.
For demonstration purposes, back to the house example.
Your HOW might look like; I need to make sure my current rental/loan history is good, get two impressive references and know my budget. From there, I might search for a suitable property in the area, speaks to a local agent, loan broker or trusted advisor (etc. etc. etc. etc.). Got it? The HOW are all the things that you can do to get there and make it smooth sailing (the groundwork).
This list may grow and adapt over time. There might be things that you don’t know you don’t know about getting what you want. For example, if you had never baked a cake, you wouldn’t know how important eggs are. Or greasing the pan. These are things you find out along the way, either through mistakes or talking to experts. Add them to the list! But then, I don’t want you to stop at making a list of things to do.
After you’ve done that (or done for now) I want you to add a due date or a deadline to each of them. Be reasonable. You may want to put a week to prepare your references or find an expert. I see it time and time again. Yes, you want to be optimistic, but this isn’t about daydreams. Ground your timeframes in what is actually achievable, and you will have way more success than if you don’t. It’s like having a savings goal of $15,000 when you earn $40,000 a year; it does not compute, you know? Reality bites.
With that said, and you gave free rein to write down some ACTUAL deadlines, go for it. I want you to genuinely consider how long it will take you, goal setting in the real world, to do these things and write that down next to them.
Working the plan.
Now you take all those tasks, those milestone events, and you add them to your planner/calendar or however you manage your life. Don’t have a way to manage your life? Get one. You’re going to need it. Haha. Because none of this happens if it stays a bunch of scribbles on a page. using this time to set goals for yourself is your chance to take it from there to something that lives in your future reality.
For some of you, this is the time to get someone to hold you accountable. Someone that will hold a POSITIVE space for you to go after what you want. But I will also call you on your shit if you’re slacking. I know I work better when I have someone to check in with and have always found Kel to be my biggest champion (and butt-kicker, as required) in this.
For you, it might be a friend, a relative or even us. In theConfident You Facebook group,We will hold that space for you to achieve the goals you are setting for yourself. Whatever you need. And make sure you take me up on that offer if there’s no one else in your life to keep this space for you.
And by the way, that’s not your fault. Sometimes people can’t see where we are going, and we don’t need them to. If they love us, they’ll come around (or not). Please don’t stop your journey or get stuck where you are for someone else or their approval. That will never work out well for YOU. For them, maybe. But not for you. And now, it’s time to move forward with that plan you made. We are going to talk more about what it sometimes takes to work that plan.
That it’s not really what you want.
Are you just box-ticking? I’ve been guilty of this more than once in my life. Sometimes with big stuffand sometimes with small things. If you look at the steps towards making your dream a reality, and it doesn’t do anything for you, that’s okay. You might have gotten caught up too. Spend some more time with the coffee table prompts. Slow down, stop imaging the things you think you SHOULD want and see what shows up AFTER those things.
Missing some steps or weren’t specific enough.
If you looked at your steps, you were excited, motivated, or any version of inspired, great! But then you feel something else; this could be you. Your goal setting or plan has holes, and you’re falling right through them. Successful goal setting is about covering all the bases; take a little more time to be more thorough.
Maybe you’re someone who needs to know how things go, and you can’t see the path. I have bad news for you, friend; you have to give that KNOWING EVERYTHING thing up. It is an excuse, and it’s holding you back. Life is weird and twisted, ever-changing and surprising. You will NEVER know how it’s all going to work, happen or unfold. But trust me, that’s the exciting part too.
Or maybe you skipped through this part of planning too quickly. Are the little things on your list? Is there something that you can work towards ticking off while the large tasks take time? Give yourself more to do. In my opinion, there is nothing more motivating than giving yourself a checkmark. Find more reasons to do that, as well as steps you may have missed, and you might find yourself moving forward.
Afraid of what might happen if you get what you want.
I put this one third because if you’ve tackled the first two, maybe this is what’s going on. All kinds of things could be going on. These things don’t have to stand in your way. Not forever. Not if you’re brave enough to tackle them head-on.
People say they are scared of success (will it change them or the people and life they love?), afraid of trying and failing (maybe being in the middle isn’t so bad), fearful of looking stupid in front of family and friends (avoid at all costs!). My running commentary aside, it’s time to ask yourself now, what am I afraid of? Too direct? Try thinking about what would happen if you got everything you wanted?
Think about the people around you, your experience with them and strangers, what you have, and how that makes you feel. Is there anything in all of that imagining that makes you feel uncomfortable? Anything that when you think of it doesn’t make you LIGHT UP?
Start by looking there. I think the thing getting in your way is in there somewhere. Be patient with yourself and be kind when you uncover what there is to find. The good news if there is something there, it becomes a whole heap easier to put that CRAP to the side. And putting it to the side is the perfect place to move past it.
Worried your family won’t love you if you make more money than them? Or maybe you’re afraid your partner will leave you if you start demanding more of them? Or a million other things that are personal to you. Some of them pretty crappy.
Maybe you’re right? To be honest, some of them might be true (people can be shitty sometimes). But when it is all said and done, it’s YOU or THEM? Seriously. Are you going to let everything you want for yourself go because it might cost you someone who doesn’t support you anyway?
I know the answer to that, but you need to figure that out for yourself. Draw your line in the sand. Reclaim your dreams for yourself and do it for yourself. Nothing will empower you more to go after what you want than that.
That’s my goal setting 101 guide, phew!
Motivated to get started? Ready? Well, what are you waiting for? Get out there and start ticking things off your goal setting list. Go back to the start of these planning emails if you need to (link in the top right) and start again. That’s the best part about any plan is that you can scrap it and start again anytime. You can change your mind, direction or intention ANY OLD TIME YOU LIKE. It’s your life. It’s your story. Today, we write it.
Skillshare, I love it. What can I say? I could happily spend the day with Skillshare courses playing in the background of whatever I’m doing. And as someone who couldn’t say no to whatever new online course was being offered by the influencer of the moment, this is a win for me. And a money-saver too, but we can talk about that towards the end because I have a referral link, obviously. Haha. But let’s talk about today’s post and why most of you are actually here, shall we?
Lately, I’ve been working on reinvigorating this blog and opening some new doors over at Chalkboard Digital (my actual business). Skillshare was the first place I looked for ways to get excited again, reset my focus and learn some new skills. I thought maybe some of you are looking for a way to do the same. Whether it is a blog, business or personal brand, these courses have something for everyone; there’s even one on TikTok.
The easiest way to find what you need is to click through the links that speak to you and go from there. The Skillshare course gods will recommend other courses by the presenters or in that category. I’ve loved exploring ways to capture more of our life on camera (whether it’s for Instagram or not) as well as personal writing with one of the great, Ms Roxane Gay (legend). But the thing that got me excited and reinvigorated to blog again was the offerings from blogger Kate Arends at Wit & Delight. A fellow lifestyle blogger, I found a lot of middle ground with her thoughtful, peacefully delivered classes. Seriously, I could listen to her voice all day!
Enough rambling from me. You get it. It’s time; get over there and explore.
I’ve had Skillshare Premium now for a couple of years and constantly find something that I’m interested in. What about you? Have you checked it out in the past? I feel like I’ve raved about those Kate Arends classes before on the blog. I’d love to hear about your favourite courses. And as someone who hasn’t taken part in a Workshop yet, have you participated in one? So far I’m all watching, no participating, maybe we could take on a workshop or two together. Let me know!
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Get 14 free days of Skillshare Premium when you sign up using my link.
If you’re following along on Instagram, you would know that I decided to set some time aside to read last weekend. My books of choice from my recent book haul were Carly Findlay’s Say Hello and her curated collection of stories Growing Up Disabled in Australia. On Saturday, after sending the super delayed Suger News, I signed off and started reading. That day I pretty much finished Growing Up Disabled before starting Say Hello the next morning.
I loved them but this isn’t a book review. No, in this post I want to acknowledge the power of telling your story. Whoever you are and whatever your life looks like. As I read through Growing Up Disabled in Australia, I was moved to laugh, cry, and be challenged by my own beliefs. Forced to in the most entertaining of ways to reconsider or change my mind. Such is the power of story-tellers and the access and platform to tell their story.
There’s so much power in telling your story.
Learning to speak up and be heard is one of the key ways I define success. Always a loud child, I had to learn the difference between making noise and speaking up. It’s difficult to speak about your needs or wants for people to hear. It’s hard to tell your story on a platform no one asked you to speak from. To own your truth and invite others to hear it, whatever the motives, is empowering.
I’ve mentioned this before; it’s why I blog and why I think everyone should have a blog or similar platform. Creating the space for yourself that doesn’t require permission from society, in general, is powerful. With some time and practice, it becomes empowering for people who are like you. They can see themselves in your story, empathise, relate. But it is just as important to those that are different from you. They get to experience life from your shoes or have their eyes opened to an experience they’d never considered.
I hope you’ll find a way to tell your story.
Whether it be through writing, art, photos, video or audible story-telling. One of the highlights of social media is that the whole world is out there, ready and somewhat willing to hear from you. Yes, accessibility is still a major concern, with access to the internet being a major disparity in this and most countries. But for the most part, especially for those of you able to access and read this, you have all the tools you need to share. Speak your truth, tell your story and do it in a way, whatever way, empowers you. We all need more of that.
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You can buy Growing Up Disabled in Australia or Say Hello from book shops – online and IRL, borrow it from the library (and ask for it if your book shop or library doesn’t have it in stock). It’s available in paperback, ebook, audiobook and large print on demand – in Australia and overseas. As always, we encourage you to support your local bookseller if you are able to do so.
Here we are, on the very first day of 2021. Not me, I’m probably still in bed sleeping off a food coma. I’m sure the drink has nothing to do with it. This is past me, writing from the New Year’s Eve morning with a determination to make sure we end this year on a high. Taking stock, looking back on what we created this year is important to me. I do it in all aspects of my life to complete the year and move forward. My blog, a lifeforce of its own now, is no different.
In May, I spoke about how I would put some focus on the blog and see if there was still something here for me. It turns out, there is. During 2020 I managed 52 blog posts. One per week on average. But it wasn’t until we neared the end of this year I remembered that I love to write. Sure, pictures can tell a 1,000 words, but I’m a writer. To capture our lives and what is happening around us in a blog post is what I love to do.
So, I’m doing it.
Simple as that. Even though I have plans to keep up the content on all the platforms, try some new things and bring back some consistency, I’m a blogger first and making the time to write about our life will be the number one priority. It started when I came across some blog posts from when my niece was a toddler. The photos have always been great to look back on but to see our adventures described was the true walk down memory lane. I want to document it all.
I want to document as we renovate this house. As we add a pool (dear lord, SOMEDAY) and build a larger deck to enjoy with our family and friends. When we take trips in our camper, take the cruiser 4WD’ing. When the kids push me over the edge, then kill me being the best humans I know. I want to talk about my business’s growth and how sometimes, it’s lonely doing it all alone from my office in my house. That while it’s everything I’ve dreamed of, that maybe there’s more out there too.
This blog is a home base for my life.
Not in that it matters more than anything else happening. But as in its a place to come back to. A safe space where my memories live, where I grow and challenge myself. Where my thoughts are explored and ideas challenged. After all this time, it’s why I blog. I realised that this year. To be able to share our experiences, my thoughts and the challenges. All that comes from living a life you create for yourself with you is one of the best parts of my life. I’m not going to give that up. I can’t believe I thought I would for even a moment. And with that in mind, let’s take a look at some of my favourite, and yours, blog posts from 2020.
Wishing you all a safe and happy new year, I can’t wait to see you back here in 2021 now that the blogging groove feels well and truly back. What can I say, all it took was a major downturn in my business and a bunch of free time on my hands to inspire me again. Sheesh, come to think of it, let’s not do that again. Haha. Let’s hope 2021 has more good than bad for us and the realisation of the changes that we all feel coming. It’s a new day, team—a whole new year. Get out there and make the most of it.
