evo '11 takeaway :: defining values, goals, and who i want to be

I heard so many great things while at evo '11.  Like I've said, my brain is still swimming from all the info it received.  While I sat in The Business of Blogging, blogging my little heart out, I was struck with a thought and a challenge that I believe was from God.  I love how He guides us, even in the simplest of things like blogging.  As I listened to the speakers talk about working with brands and the actual business side of blogging, the question came, "Is this me?"  I would absolutely love for my blog to bring in some sort of income, but I felt challenged to look again at my values and goals.

I blog, because I love it, and it's a creative outlet for me to write and showcase my photos.  I never want to lose that.  I also love the community of people that develops as you share and those with like minded interests emerge.  It reminds me of my strong value of relationship, and I want to keep that continually before me and not compromise who I am or my values for the sake of turning this blog into a money maker.

After sitting through the WordPress session, I do have plans to switch eventually (when I discover the perfect domain name).  I will continue to work with brands that complement my values (in fact, look for a giveaway coming next week).  I'll follow blogs and twitterers (is that a word??) that have similar interests and values as myself.  I'll be authentic and myself and look forward to seeing new blogging friends emerge from the depths of cyberspace.