Whim Turns 4!

Hip hip hooray - it's Whim's 4th birthday!

It's almost hard to believe that on this very day 4 years ago, I began a little blog and decided to call it Whim Online Magazine.

I won't bore you with all of the details (I'm sure you've heard the full story before), but basically I just wanted to write about the things I loved the most, with the hopes of being able to inspire others in the process. I must admit - I thought I'd be lucky to have any readers at all!

Although it's been 4 years since that day, I still remember it quite clearly in my mind. I had just began my second degree, studying journalism online, and was also dealing with the recent death of my Nan. I had always spent a lot of my spare time reading blogs and magazines as a teenager, so years later, felt the need to create a similar outlet for myself.

If I'm completely honest, I felt as though the first two years of Whim's existence were its absolute best - as a student, I surprisingly had so much time to devote to this platform, and felt as though my studies and working on Whim each day went hand-in-hand.

From about 2015 though, I had to take on as much work as I could find as a freelance writer and although I absolutely love writing (and have my entire life), I really missed my days of devoting all of my time and energy to growing this platform.

With 2017 now upon us (and Whim entering into its 4th year), I must admit that I've had a bit of a wake-up call of sorts. I've sadly discovered that the majority of online magazines who initially inspired Whim's creation (Pony Anarchy, IZE Magazine, and Hanker Magazine just to name a few) have all ceased creating new content or have simply shut down.

Just last week I heard more sad news for the industry - Yen Magazine, another publication to play a pivotal role in inspiring me to create Whim, has also closed its doors, with their announcement that their current issue will be their last.

While the decline in all of these wonderful publications fills me sadness, it also fills me with plenty of hope and determination. I absolutely love working on Whim, creating content that inspires myself and others, as well as interacting with readers via email, social media, and the blog.

Although a lot of my time is taken up with freelance writing, I'm really not quite sure what I'd do without this platform in my life - it fills me with joy and a sense of purpose every day.

Therefore, I've decided to devote a lot more time to Whim this year because I really want it to grow and prosper, rather than seeing it experience the decline that many other publications have suffered.

So, (on a happier note), here's what you can expect from Whim in 2017!

I've just completed a website makeover and have also added more lifestyle content into the mix. I adore whimsical photography, but have chosen to broaden Whim's horizons to include both photography and content of a more general, creative nature - something I was doing back when it began in 2013.

I want all 'makers, thinkers, and doers' to feel comfortable and inspired here and I want Whim to keep motivating them all to continue to create in their own ways. I want to shine a brighter light on this entire creative community, so that when readers come here, they want to stay a while.

I also want to give a massive shout-out to Whim's Editorial assistant, Cecile, who writes many of the blog posts you find here on the blog and helps me out by interviewing fellow creatives. There have been days or weeks when I'm struggling to find enough time to devote to the blog, but knowing that Cecile is on top of these things really does take a lot of weight off my shoulders!

Lastly, I want to thank you for taking the time to read all of my ramblings today, as well as for your interest in Whim :) Our readers really are the most important part of this platform, so if this post has stirred anything within you (perhaps you've also been struggling to devote time to your passion, or simply want to make a comment about Whim), then I would really love to hear from you in the comments below or via email (at whim.online@gmail.com).

Now, I'm off to eat some cake - Hip hip hooray!