As I have mentioned, I am very excited to be working on a new blog design! For the first several years that A New Kind of Normal was in existence, the design always included my signature colors, hot pink and black. However, when I was working on my last redesign, I felt like I needed to abandon my favorite colors in order to have a more grown-up design. In order to be taken seriously. In order to take A New Kind of Normal to the next level.
Ever since, I have felt like my personality is no longer represented in the look and feel of the design. 2013 brought a lot of changes in my life. Many of which have left me struggling to find my place and my purpose. I am a creature of habit and routine and since I left the workplace due to disability, I have failed to establish a routine for this new stage in life. I had all these ideas in my head about what disability was going to look like and that I would have all this time for blogging, building my “brand,” and maybe even start writing a book.
I fell indescribably short of these ideals I had created for myself for two reasons.
First, I think the ideals I created in my head were unrealistic and did not take into account the reason I was leaving the workplace, my illnesses.
Second, I need routine. I need structure. While I don’t need to an hourly schedule for my day, I do need to find a groove that includes quiet time for devotions and reading the Bible, time to clean and work on small projects around the house, and time to write and engage in my community. By establishing a new routine, I will have a much easier time being able to focus on the things that I need to get done in each area of my life which will not only benefit my blogging but my family life as well.
In efforts to regather myself and create new and healthy goals for myself which include spending more time writing and building the community here at A New Kind of Normal, I thought it would be a perfect time for a redesign and rebrand. I feel this blog is a part of my calling, my ministry, and a way to honor God for all of the blessings in my life despite the challenges I have faced with chronic illness. It has become a part of who I am.
The first step in the redesign is going back to my signature colors, hot pink and black. While I am excited about the colors, it is much more about rediscovering my personality and spunk and putting it back into a place I love. I love having an edge and I love my tattoos, purple hair, and spiky shoes. I want my blog to show that. I want to be confident and authentic in sharing who I am.
In reclaiming my spunk and redefining my new outlook on life, I need that I needed a new tagline to go with it. I knew that hope needed to still be a part of the equation because I believe the message that God has inspired me to share is that He has a hope and a future for each one of us despite our illnesses or challenges in life.
As I was working towards redefining and refocusing my blog which I knew would include a redesign, I sought the counsel of my blogging heroes and friends, Melissa, since she literally wrote the book on blog design and we have known each other for several years and she has kind of seen my blog grow and develop. Using hope as a starting point, she threw out some tagline options and she said, “Tackling chronic illness with a fierce dose of hope.”
It was as if the heavens parted.
That was it.
It was everything that I wanted to convey about this blog and its mission in nine words.
I felt more inspired and excited that I have been in a long time.
At this time of year, I have seen posts throughout the blogosphere selecting one word to describe what you want to focus on and achieve in 2014. My word is fierce. I want to live each and every day with a fierce dose of hope. Be fiercely confident in the person that God has created me to be. To fiercely pursue my dreams and my passions. One little word can mean so much.
I think this is one of my favorite images based on the word fierce:
This is totally going on my wall!
I cannot wait for all the of the changes to be revealed and to tackle 2014 together fiercely kicking chronic illness to the curb!
What one word would describe your goal for 2014?