Juniper’s Journal Gets A Makeover

When I first started this blog 3 years ago, I hadn’t a clue what I wanted. All I knew was that I needed one to be set up asap because I had products to review. I couldn’t very well ask established bloggers if I could be their guest reviewer. Actually, I’d done that before and it didn’t exactly have a happy ending. Contributing to someone’s blog is very different from managing your own blog where you have to take care of every tiny detail. Personally, I can’t recommend being a regular reviewer for anyone as sooner or later, there’s bound to be feelings of resentment from either party. I didn’t know what creating a blog entailed and I certainly didn’t even know how to edit photos.

In my very first year of blogging, I didn’t attend as many events/launches as I do now and didn’t know the blogging world here was so complicated. One can only get wiser with good and bad experiences. It’s water off a duck’s back nowadays and besides, I am too old to deal with all the haters. I really don’t care but I’ve come to the conclusion that as with any industry dominated by women, there’s bound to be plenty of politicking to last a lifetime and then some. You may never find out the reason why someone who spoke to you as a friend 2 weeks ago suddenly turns her back on you but hey, that’s life and we have to accept that not everybody likes our face.

This blog was created in January 2011. I didn’t love the way it looked but at least it was something. I’ve wanted changes for a long time and this year, I took the bull by the horns and started looking for journal designs since this is in every way, my journal. Journals are a great way to express yourself, to pour all your innermost thoughts into and to pass on to future generations. Just make sure you’ve destroyed all the parts you don’t want your descendants to read otherwise they might have a different image of grandma.

So after 6 months of chopping and changing the look, TA-DAAAAAA! Juniper’s Journal takes on a brand new look which is very much what I should have done from the very beginning but better late than never. I still don’t have a lot of comments on this blog and obviously, Juniper’s Facebook fans’ number is rather pitiful compared to others. I can’t complain though because when I first started, I didn’t have a single comment to any posts and at least I have one or two comments these days thanks to a handful of readers. Better some than none, I say. Without your regular comments, I’d have been even more demoralized and demotivated. When I read your comments, no matter how brief, I feel like I’m doing okay and that I really have readers rather than robot visitors. You have made me feel appreciated and at the risk of sounding clichéd, make me work harder.

However, to all who have stuck by me since the 1st year or even the 2nd year and to all of you who have recently discovered Juniper’s Journal, I just want to say thank you for being on this journey of exploration with me. I can’t wait to see what 2014 will bring & I hope you will all continue this journey with me.