POP THE SPARKLING GRAPE JUICE!!! (the good kind)
I am here to celebrate FIVE YEARS of simplyjamilah.com!!
It doesn’t feel like I’ve been virtually expressing myself for as long as I have, considering my presence in the blogging world goes beyond five years.
A bit of a back story:
Bluntsbyjam was the name of the first blog I created during the earlier part of my high school career. It’s no longer in existence, and I’m sure you can figure out why; it took questionable looks from my friends in the cafeteria for me to figure it out myself.
From that initial fail came several oddly named blogs and even [no longer in existence] YouTube channels (rip Jam’s Candids).
For a while, I got incredibly frustrated. I was dealing with an unhappy childhood and fighting the overwhelm (and as I’ve recently discovered, anxiety) inside of me that wanted me to quit existing. I wanted to write to cope, but knowing the snoopy people around me, I wanted to write in a private place that was all my own; yes, I’m aware that this private place is on the internet.
I wanted to create a space where I could comfortably showcase every facet of my being without feeling the need to hold back and hide, like I do with 95% of my relationships in real life.
After several trials, errors, Wix exploration, emails, and saving a little bit of funds, simplyjamilah.com was born.
Little did I know what a beautiful rollercoaster journey we were going to go on.
With all the “how to become a successful blogger in 3 months” posts on Pinterest, the first general rule of thumb is to find a niche. This is also the first general rule of thumb when starting a YouTube channel, according to the many videos I’ve watched during my time of wanting to be a tiny YouTuber.
What they don’t tell you in those guides is everyone’s niche hits them at a different time. For some people, it could be a matter of hours or days. My niche didn’t hit me until January of 2022, when I was mentally in a good place to sit down and rattle my brain about what I truly love talking about and putting all of my chaotic energy towards.
I came up with External Escapism & Mental Well-being.
External Escapism includes my book reviews (I love escaping reality with the help of books), exploring new artists, sharing thoughts on popular television, and all the things that help us escape our reality/the world falling apart around us.
Mental Well-being includes style (because our external reflects our internal), many brain dumps, physical wellness that helps relieve an overwhelmed mind, and travels that educate me about myself and my self-love journey.
Now that my niche has been figured out, let’s party!!! (And by party, I mean write our hearts out)
This is just the beginning for what’s to come with Simply Jamilah, my tiny corner of the internet where I feel free to simply exist and express myself.
Thank you for sticking by my side and my blunt weirdness in this tiny corner of the internet. I am grateful for five years of endless love and kindness, and I hope you’re ready for what’s to come because this is just the beginning!
<3
“Your blog just randomly came up for me yesterday when I was reading someone else’s…I love your writing style/voice. You are hilarious in a very deep way. I’m not sure what plans you have for the future, but writing should definitely be included…”
– _emilyhorton, January 9, 2019, via Instagram
