Blogging made me do it! Featuring Kara Paslay

If you've read my blog for any time at all, you know that I owe a lot to today's guest. Kara is a real go-getter and it was one of her inspiring posts that gave me the nudge I needed to jump right into starting my own design business. I love the way she thinks outside the box and you can guarantee her designs are not cookie-cutter. Original and unique are two perfect words to describe Kara. 

Oh yeah, and did you know she used to work as a display designer for Anthropologie? Searching her blog to see the displays she created is definitely worth your time, friends!

Ready to be inspired?...Read on to see what blogging made Kara do!

A big thanks to Dana for inviting me over to share today!  My husband (Tim) and I write the blog Kara Paslay Designs."



Blogging has made us do all sorts of things:

- stay up to all hours of the night
- be creative daily
- document our process
- learn to ignore rude comments by people who think it's their mission in life to make people feel bad
- learn to relish the kind comments that people have taken time to write
- find our desire to inspire others creatively
- exercise discipline and patience

Yes, blogging has made us do these things and so much more. . .  but probably the biggest thing that blogging has done is make me a sharer.  I am not a sharer by nature.  I do not share very easily.  I grew up playing competitive basketball (I mean like, this is my life competitive) and in that arena you never give your "opponent" a leg up.  You are always working harder so that you can be victorious when game time comes around.  And while I had friends on other teams, giving them the play book would never be something I would consider doing. :)



Ok, so you may be wondering how I'm going to bring this back around to blogging.  Well, when I first started writing, I brought this same competitive mindset to blogging.  As I entered deeper and deeper into the blogging world, I was blown away with how freely everyone gave away their DIY tips and tutorials.  It seriously was hard for me to tell others exactly how I do things and freely offer up the lessons that I had worked so hard to learn, especially to strangers that I had no connection to.

Fast forward 3 1/2 years, and my mindset has changed  (although if I'm completely honest, I still have bouts of anxiousness when I'm spilling secrets learned from long hours of experimentation).  But here's how I look at things now- this blog is my platform.  And although it pales in comparison to other peoples and bloggers influence, I still do have a few messages that I believe God wants me to use my blog to share.  Those messages are:



1. Do what you love!  We believe when God made us, he gave us each specific talents, abilities, and passions!  Those talents and passions were put there not to be ignored, but to be explored and used.  We truly believe that you find true joy when you are doing what you love in everyday life.  Make your passion your career!

2. Go after your dreams with hard work and faith!  We believe anything is possible and we want our blog to be a place where people can come and receive encouragement that they can achieve their wildest dreams! We always, always include the fact that I believe anything is possible only if the dream you are going after is one that has been put in your heart by the Lord and not just one you are going after for selfish gain. And beyond that- hard work, incredibly hard work that doesn't just last a few weeks, but for as long as it takes is what will bring your wildest dreams to fruition.  You can read a whole post I wrote about this topic here.

3. Create a space that surrounds you with things that celebrate where you've come from, who you are, and where you're going.  Because our message is "do what you love," our blog shows off exactly what we love to do- design!  Our philosophy is to help people do what they love, go after their dreams, and celebrate who they are with the designs that they are surrounded by everyday.

For example we created this Glowing Drum Table for a music lover.



This Book Page Wallpaper would be perfect for an aspiring writer.



And this Fish Scale Tile would be perfect in a sea lovers home!



When we create a room, we want to include things that speak specifically to that client so that when they wake up everyday, they can look around and be encouraged and inspired to be their best them!  You can see more projects like this on our blog.

4. Love Your Body!  This may seem like a random message, but for some reason it is dear to me.  Growing up I had body image issues, but through a series of events I was able to overcome them and gain a confidence about and love for my body.  I hate when I hear women criticize their bodies or think they have to live up to someone else's idea of perfection.  So, every so often you will see me write a post about loving your body or Crossfit.  This is a message I feel compelled to share.

So, on those days when I feel like I want to stop blogging forever and use that time on other things, I remember- Blogging has made me a sharer and the messages I have to share are important. . . so much more important than DIY secrets (which I also share- check out my DIY tutorial page here).  And although I do want my work to be known as exciting, unique, and awesome- I hope the underlying message that people receive when they read my blog is that "Anything is possible!"  The Lord has put me here to discuss the things that are dear to my heart: design, dream chasing, hard work, and Him!!! And thanks to blogging, I can! :)

I'm so glad Kara shared with us today. Hasn't it been fun seeing all the different directions my guests have taken the topic of "Blogging made me do it"? I'm grateful for how transparent Kara was in this post.

On a different note, things will be quiet around here for the next week or so. I'll be enjoying some quality family time and taking time to refresh!

Hip hip hooray! Happy all the way!