Why It’s Hard Being A Blogger. And Why Some Asians Find It Hard To Be Creative

Posted on 8 October 2015 by Mabel Kwong

266

Blogging. It’s a space where we are creative and share creativity. Our writing. Photography. Fashion tips. Handmade craft. But blogging and creativity don’t always come easy, sometimes perhaps more so if we’re Asian.

Next week marks three years since I started this blog. Three years of being a multicultural blogger writing about all things culture and what makes Australia, Australia. In all honesty, it’s been challenging getting inspired and weaving words into sentences for every blog post.

Creativity knows no boundaries. The beauty of each sunset knows no boundaries | Weekly Photo Challenge: Boundaries.

Creativity is about seeing the light, connecting ideas. It’s about discovering solutions to problems and seeing the same thing in different shades and from different angles. Each of us believes in certain values and stereotypes – two things that might hold us back from being the creative person whom we want to be.

Continue reading →

The Challenges of Blogging, And How To Overcome Them

Posted on 9 October 2014 by Mabel Kwong

157

A lot of the time blogging is a challenge, even for bloggers who have been blogging for a while. We all blog about different topics and blog for different reasons. But what we have in common as bloggers is sharing stories on our blogs – and so much effort goes into it.

This is nearlt the 100^th post that I’ve written for this blog, excluding reblogs. Next week marks two years since I’ve started this blog, this blog about Asian cultures and being Asian Australian. It has been a bumpy blogging road and as writer Jeff Goins said, “All things creative are hard. Blogging is just one of many”.

When it’s a nice day outside, it’s a sign for us to stop blogging, get outdoors and enjoy the finer things in life. Flinders St Station | Weekly Photo Challenge: Signs.

Creating Content

There can be days when we simply don’t know what to blog about or don’t feel inspired to blog. Maybe we feel like we’ve run out of stories to fit the theme of our blogs. Blogging about something we don’t often think about tends to get ideas flowing, keeping us motivated.

Continue reading →

Why Being A Writer Is Hard

Posted on 4 September 2014 by Mabel Kwong

118

It’s never easy being a writer. Some days the words flow, and some days they don’t. Sometimes we know exactly how our stories will end, and sometimes when we write we wonder, “Where is this all going?”.

Winter along the Yarra River. As writers, our stories naturally change over time, just like how seasons change (Photo 1/2) | Weekly Photo Challenge: Dialogue.

Recently, I got tagged to participate in a writing tour by Sofia from Papaya Pieces and Lani over at Life, the Universe and Lani, which involves answering four questions about the “writing process”. These questions certainly reminded me of the frustrations of being a writer.

Continue reading →

Thank You

Posted on 17 October 2013 by Mabel Kwong

Exactly one year ago to this date, I started this blog and put up my first post.

Since then, I have somehow managed to put up posts about being Asian Australian, multiculturalism or cultural norms every Thursday. And people far and wide around the world are reading and commenting on what I post.

There’s a path ahead of me. I wonder what lies ahead. Uncertainty. Photo: Mabel Kwong

I never expected this. This whole activity of blogging and the blog itself feels very surreal to me. It is also precisely this experience that has made me a stronger person on several fronts and is the reason why I feel so lost in terms of what I want to do in life.

Continue reading →