Blogging from the Heart
When I wrote my first blog post back in April 2006 I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Blogging gave me a reason to pick up my camera and helped me find my voice again. It rekindled my love of poetry and brought me friendships and support. And now here I am, blogging under my own name, running a creative biz online and penning books — and all of this came from being brave and posting some words on the internet for all to see.
In short, blogging has changed my life.
My blogging practice has always been to share the light and the dark of my life, and all the muddy grey in-between. Starting a blog 13 months into my bereavement influenced much of what I wrote back then, but in the years that followed I’ve continued to share in an open, and often emotional, way. Sharing our stories and experiences with one another helps us feel less alone. Just the simple act of getting the words out of your head and onto the screen can be powerfully cathartic. I’ve witnessed the creativity of countless friends and acquaintances blossom as they claimed their online space and began crafting posts and sharing images. A blog is less a diary and more a magazine of you, a place where you can curate your interests and visual inspirations.
There are already a ton of blogging books, blogs and courses out there, but I’ve yet to see anything on creative personal blogging, so in Blogging from the Heart I’ll be teaching you how to share your life and heart online as a way to express yourself creatively, dive deep and meet like-minded friends along the way. There’ll be lots of writing prompts for blog posts as well as interviews with creatives who inspire me. I won’t be looking at how to make money from blogging, but if you have a biz and want to share more of yourself online with your customers, then this course will definitely help with that. It’s about being honest and open, enjoying the writing process, recording your world with your camera and getting your creative juices flowing!
This six-week course includes in-depth lessons, writing prompts, interviews with inspiring bloggers and absolutely everything I know about crafting a blog that truly reflects who you are.
Autumn 2012
Registration opens – August 2012
Start date – September 2012
Duration – 6 weeks
Fee – £97
“Blogging from the Heart turned out to be one of my favorite e-courses. Thank you so much for putting it together! You’ve inspired me to finally take the plunge and make my blog into the space I’ve always dreamed of. Your design tips and writing prompts have helped me get through days where inspiration wouldn’t flow freely and inspired me to reveal a little more of myself in my writing. With your guidance my blog has finally become a place for community. I couldn’t have asked for more! I’m looking forward to the pdf and will definitely be suggesting this class to any blogger I know who wants to take things to the next level. I can’t believe it all went by so quickly!” ~ Briana, spring 2012
“Many, many thanks to you for Blogging From The Heart. It was my first e-course and the best internet experience I had since I became an internet user. :-) You have a fantastic ability to make people feel your warmth and concern through your texts and photos. That is the most inspiring. What was the most important for me, personally – I’ve seen the “picture”. To explain, my blogging and life as well looked like a puzzle I desperately wanted to put together. I just couldn’t see the whole. All parts of the puzzle developed in their own way with no connection. So the first week of the course appeared the hardest and the most useful to me. The puzzle suddenly began to gather through my newly made blogging mission. It took about two weeks to complete it – I didn’t write all the time, but returned to the point every free moment. Et voila! The blogging mission turned into life mission for this very period of my life. Great! I just can’t find words to express all my gratitude to you for that discovery.” ~ Maria, spring 2012
“Susannah, I’ve been blogging now for three years. If I’d only found you then, but then you wouldn’t know what you know today, right? I feel IF your course had been available, then I’d be so far ahead of the game today. The technical aspects of your course was more of a review for me with the big exception of the designing your blog header. To have the step by step instructions is such a gift and worth the price of your course! In addition to your thoughts, I really enjoyed the weekly interviews. It’s always nice to see what motivates others to blog and what they’ve learned from their experiences. I signed up for this class to learn more about blogging from my heart and you have provided many thoughts and ideas to assist with that. Now the ball is in my court. I would highly recommend this class to others (and have already) and especially for newbies to blogging. Thank you very much for the course, for inspiring the creativity to continue.” ~ Robin, spring 2012
“I can’t believe how the time flew by with this course. I enjoyed it so much. I found it was the perfect place for me to spread my blogging wings, ask questions, get advice, share ideas and test new waters as someone trying to really honor my desire to blog. It is such a desire, you know? I just love doing it. And having your feedback, the Facebook community and meeting other established bloggers helped me further define my unique desire and how to best share it with the world.” ~ Colleen, spring 2012
“Thank you for creating this course, it was wonderful. I was a lost little blogger with no real sense of direction and I felt I had no connection to my blog. Through your course and guidance I found my voice and have found the courage to put my face and myself in my blog. Now I simply love it and I can not imagine ever giving up this world that blogging has given me. Thank you again and I highly recommend Blogging from the Heart to anyone who is new to blogging or has been blogging for years. It is fantastic. You will come away from the experience feeling open and ready to blog from your heart.” ~ Leigh, spring 2012
frequently asked questions
What do I need?
Access to a computer and the internet, a notebook and a pen. Ideally you also have a blog so you can start putting what you learn into practice :)
Will this course teach me how to set up a blog?
Not exactly, no. I’m going to assume you already know the basics — how to publish a post on your blog, how to add elements to your sidebar, how to upload photos, etc — so we can concentrate on what we share on our blogs. I’ll be revealing my thoughts on blog design and presentation because it applies to the overall look and feel of our blogs — our homes on the internet — but the main focus of the course will be on the words we share :)
I don’t have a blog – can I still take this class?
Absolutely — you’ll be getting lots of ideas for blog posts to get you started!
Do I have to be in class at certain times?
No, there are no set times when you have to be in class. The assignments and lessons are posted to the private course blog on set days, but you can visit the blog at anytime. It’s a self-paced course, so you can fit it in whenever is best for you. Expect to spend about an hour or two on the course each week.
The course fees are in British pounds – do you accept payment in dollars/euros?
Yes! Payment is made via Paypal, which automatically converts currency for you. To check the current exchange rate, visit this useful online currency converter.
Do I have to take Unravelling or Photo Meditations before taking Blogging from the Heart?
Nope. All my courses are completely separate so you can dive straight in!
How will we connect with each other as a group?
You’ll be able to connect with each other in our private Facebook group and in the comments section on the course blog.
