So we may have met before...

Once upon a time, more specifically July 2013, this girl decided to finally take the leap in the blogging world. Being a PR girl, I followed a variety of blogs from fashion to music to whatever else you could think of. I've always been somewhat of an addict. We don't even need to discuss how many times I check my Bloglovin' app on my iPhone daily. When it comes to putting my thoughts to paper, it's always been natural to me. Writing's always been one of my passions and I have notebooks filled with my jottings from over the years. As much as some would like to deny it (and I sure as hell am not one of those people), social media is taking over the world. Seriously. More people get their news from Facebook or Twitter than actually turning on a cable news channel or program. Like I said, I'm a PR girl and I couldn't resist making my mark in this crazy social media world beyond my excessive quippy tweets or sharing my favorite BuzzFeed posts on Facebook. Why couldn't I be like these bloggers I admire so, but with my own spin (obviously)?

Anyways, that brings me to my "leap" in July of 2013 which turned out to be more like just dipping my toes in the water followed by epically falling on my face. It's pretty intimidating seeing how established many of these bloggers are and how they know their audience so well and consistently have amazing content and AHHHHH! Admittedly, that intimidation led me to kind of back off the blogging world. I surrendered. Well, the intimidation combined with life in the real world outside of the interweb because ya know, we all have one of those - a real life. I kept saying I was going to come back, but that never happened. I admit it, I failed.

In the words of Aaliyah (RIP, homegirl) - "If at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again." So I'm back, but why? There's a multitude of reasons, but it all started with an article I had to read for a writing class. Doesn't it always seem that what we do in the classroom somehow translates into our lives in one way or another? It's crazy how life works.

The article discussed advice for recent journalism school graduates in the first five years of their career. Now, I'm not in journalism school and I'm not a recent college grad (this May - wahoo!), but the article really drew my attention. It provides useful tips for anyone attending college with interest in communications or writing.

The first tip in the piece says to "Write something short everyday." Back in middle and high school, I always would write just for enjoyment. I kept journals and yes, something they were more "dear diary" kind of things rather than anything else, but I was writing because I loved it. I missed that. Now I have the opportunity to write about not only my passions, but also things related to my career path and industries of interest. Plus, I wouldn't mind having something awesome for my future employer to see when they inevitably Google me. If you're reading this future employer, HI!

Like I said, the article reaches out to more than just the journalism school graduate. Don't let the title scare you off! Here's a link to the piece if you want to check it out yourself: http://bit.ly/1nLJtM5.

So if we've met before, nice to see you again. If you're new, welcome to rippedjeansandvinyl! Grab a cup of tea (I suggest vanilla chai) and stay a while. Things are just getting started.