blogging

My First Love

Writing is hard.

It’s such a simple but weighted statement: Writing is hard. But as much as I run from it, I can’t avoid this thing that is woven into the fabric of my being.

Writing is my first love.

I lean on it when there’s no one and nothing else to turn to. I reach for it when I’m surrounded by loved ones who don’t understand. I return to it when I’ve neglected it for seasons on end. Writing is hard but it has my heart.

I mourn when the paralyzing fear consuming my spirit keeps me away from it. I dwell on it constantly, even when I don’t always have the audacity to face it.

I can’t shake it even when life gets in the way. It’s everpresent, waiting in the wings of my subconscious for me to once again embrace it.

My first love.

Writing was there the moment I could hold a pen steady between my fingers. It showed up when I shared with my second-grade class I wanted to be a writer when I grew up.

It extended itself to me when the shames and struggles of a fatherless adolescence damaged my psyche. It was there for a life-changing heartbreak and the necessary self-discovery that followed.

Writing has never left me, even when my fragile ego and crippling self-doubt urged me to walk away.

So I manage to find my way back, even while agonizing over what will manifest when we reconnect. I may not always get it right, but I’m choosing to show up and give it what I have.

Writing is hard, but it has my heart.

On Shying Away From My Blog

I’ve been out of my element for a while.

Letting life get in the way. Feeling uncertain and uncomfortable about a lot of things and unsure of the best way to make sense of it all.Shy

I could have sounded off here on Crissi Untangled, especially since that was one of the main reasons I decided to create this space, but I just found it easier to shy away from it.

I’m now at a point where I need to reclaim my space. I’ve been too hard on myself for too long.

My fear, insecurities and self-doubt are supposed to be checked at the door. Somewhere along the way I forgot that.

This is where I’m supposed to pour it all on the page. This is the vehicle through which I’m navigating my place and purpose on this Earth. This is my refuge, my respite, my retreat from the bullshit that often infiltrates my mind and interrupts my peace.

Well, the bullshit was working overtime and becoming overwhelming. And I needed a breather.

I think I’ve finally caught my breath for the most part.

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My “Flyy Girl” Feature!

Yay! Audrey of Hey Girl Hey reached out about featuring me on her blog as part of her “Flyy Girl cropped-Peace.jpgFriday” series. I was obviously flattered and eagerly agreed to participate. Answering her questions allowed me to revisit the reasons I created this blog and reminded me why I shouldn’t shy away from it, even though I’ve found myself leaning that way lately.

You can read my feature at this link. Feel free to comment!

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How Having a Supportive Community Helped Me as a Blogger

There’s one thing – barring extraordinary circumstances – I absolutely must have in order to create. SupportThat one thing is solitude.

Although I love being alone, it’s fulfilling when I realize that once I’ve poured my words onto the page for public consumption, someone other than me is engaging with the content I produce.

Here are three ways having a supportive community has helped me as a blogger.

Continue reading my guest post on Brown Girl Bloggers.

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Things No One Told Me About Blogging

Starting a blog comes with its share of personal assumptions (some of which I’ve previously shared), Not Told About Bloggingrealities and surprises. In the short time I’ve been a blogger I’ve managed to gather a wealth of knowledge that will help me on my journey for years to come.

Here are four things no one told me about blogging that I’ve discovered along the way.

Continue reading my guest post on Brown Girl Bloggers.

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Confessions of a New Brown Girl Blogger

I’m just shy of tScreen Shot 2014-12-30 at 7.17.26 PMwo months into blogging, but I have learned several lessons and can already tell I have much more to learn. While I didn’t decide to create a blog as a path to fame or fortune – but as an outlet and a way to connect with others who could relate to my personal experiences – I’ll admit my expectations may have been a bit outrageous at times.

Continue reading my guest post on Brown Girl Bloggers.

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Ten Questions

Here’s some great Sunday evening news: I’ve been nominated for the “Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award!” Many, many thanks to Minnie of Life in 100 Words for her nomination; it’s my first Sisterhoodone. I’m basking in love and support over here!

As part of the nomination, Minnie gave me 10 questions to answer. I had a lot of fun with these:

1. Why do you blog?

I decided to create Crissi Untangled because I grew tired of internalizing my feelings and thoughts. I didn’t want my self-doubt to keep crippling me. Blogging is a way to prove to myself that my voice matters and to connect with others who can relate to my experiences.

2. Celebrity crush?

Big K.R.I.T.; ain’t nothing like a Southern dude. ♥

3. Any hidden talents?

I can cross one eye at a time. (Does that really count as a talent, though? Lol!)

4. What’s the hardest aspect of being a writer/blogger?

Being consistent.

5. Favorite TV show?

“Pretty Little Liars.” Been down since Day One.

6. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Being my own boss.

7. Favorite book?

“Gone Girl.” Hands down.

8. Any advice for aspiring bloggers?

Don’t straddle the fence like I did for several months. If even the slightest urge exists for you to create a space for yourself and your voice, just do it!

9. Goals for 2015?

To continue my growth as a young woman and a writer, build the Crissi Untangled brand, and live a mentally, physically and spiritually healthy life.

10. Favorite food?

Pretty much any kind of rice.

Now, I’ve come up with 10 questions of my own, and I’m nominating the following 5 ladies: Questions

  1. Alisha of The Alisha Nicole
  2. Drea of The Drea Daily
  3. Marie of GoodLooknOut
  4. Parys of Parys Akira
  5. Yetti of YettiSays

Ladies, please answer the questions below, link back to this post, come up with 10 questions of your own and then nominate 5 other bloggers. 🙂

Ten Questions

  1. What’s the silliest nickname you’ve been given?
  2. What was your first email address?
  3. Relaxed or natural?
  4. Favorite album of 2014?
  5. One of the things on your bucket list?
  6. Brown or white liquor?
  7. Favorite scent?
  8. Worst day of the week?
  9. Favorite movie?
  10. Mac or PC?

Have a great week!
-Crissi

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Looking Ahead to 2015

I’m participating in my first link up ever (yay!), which is hosted by the lovely Alisha, of The Alisha Nicole. Time to set my sights on 2015 and speak greatness into existence!

2015One of the things on my to-do list for this week was to write out my blogging goals. I think it’s important that I have some direction for Crissi Untangled and the things I would like to accomplish with this platform.

But it’s also necessary for me to consider the personal goals I’ll be working on in the new year. I plan to hit the ground running in 2015 and continue my evolution as a young woman, but there are some tangible things I need to tackle in order to keep moving forward on my journey.

My blogging goals for 2015

  1. Improve my social media presence.
    I’m totally content with Twitter; I think it’s the easiest and most user-friendly of the social networks. However, I should branch out and create other accounts to promote the blog. I have my eyes on Instagram, Pinterest and (possibly) Facebook.
  2. Create a working editorial calendar.
    Planning ahead is probably the one surefire way that I can sidestep procrastination. My goal is to be more forward thinking with my blog posts and not just write something when the mood strikes.
  3. Start a weekly and/or monthly series.
    I’m still in the beginning stages of this and will be fleshing it out in the coming weeks, but I’m eager to see where my creativity takes me.

My personal goals for 2015

  1. Eat healthier.
    Not that I eat junk all day everyday, but I could stand to cut back on a few things and substitute some of the other items with cleaner options. I have a carb problem!
  2. Maintain a workout regimen.
    This is so challenging for me. It happens over and over: I’ll start a workout routine and then lose motivation after a few weeks. I also struggle with consistency. That changes in 2015, no excuses!
  3. Read more.
    My book collection is getting out of hand. I need to stop buying books and start reading the ones I already have, and reading them faster. I get lazy with books sometimes.
  4. Practice positive thinking.
    Negative Nancy can’t come with me to 2015. This will take some work, but I have to take better control of my thoughts and let positivity in. I have to stop focusing on the bad things that could happen in any given situation and concentrate on the good. This will tremendously improve my mood.

What is your vision for 2015? Head over to The Alisha Nicole and participate in this awesome link up!

The Alisha Nicole

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Just Do It

The year isn’t quite over but I can already sum up my experience: 2014 has been a year of transitions.

I’ve gone through several necessary – and scary – changes. I’ve stepped out of the money-saving comfort and camaraderie of roommates and shared space and into the eye-opening, budget-busting, living-on-my-own phase of life.

I’ve realized that I can’t depend on anyone other than myself to make shit happen and create the life I want. I’ve started my fight of mutinPlang the self-doubt that seems to find its way into almost every area of my life.

And, most importantly, I’ve started staring fear in the face and dealing with it, rather than cowering in a corner and letting it disable me.

Creating this blog was like pulling teeth. I mulled over it for a while, even sharing the idea with a few of my loved ones, but I couldn’t gather the gall I needed to just … DO IT.

Starting something new is easy to discuss but hard to get done. I’ve learned, forgotten and re-learned this truth over the past several months. If you’re Type A like me, you probably wholeheartedly believe you need to have some elaborate plan in place before you can take the first step on a new project. But that’s not always necessary – sometimes you just have to act.

Not everything has to be flawless the first time out; there’s always room for improvement. It’s your time and efforts on which you’re operating, so it’s fine to make it up and tweak it as you go.

At least, that’s what I’m telling myself these days.

Welcome to Crissi Untangled. This is me just doing something.