Welcome!
Kia ora and welcome to my first blog post for oliviaazote.com. Wow, how good 😱.
Right of the bat, I’m fighting the urge to say ‘first blog post ever’ because that simply wouldn’t be true.
Back in the heyday of YouTube and blogging (about 2013 when I was around 17), I decided that I would give it a shot. I’ve started two YouTube channels, two different blogs, and a fanfiction account (all very short lived). Each time I started something I’d quickly get distracted, or my confidence in the project would take a dive, or I’d intensely panic about whether I was qualified to talk about anything.
Despite my many ‘failed’ attempts, the feeling of wanting to create something on a social platform never really went away. I’ve always loved writing and I’ve always loved people. Every time I attempted something like this before, I got caught in a spiral of planning and didn’t get much further than that.
Here’s the one time I broke through and actually made something in 2019:
That is, a questionably audio-synced video of me saying the first spoken word poem I’ve written.
But here we are eight years on from the beginning, now with a beautiful website (if I do say so myself) and with eight years worth of ideas hidden away in journals that are ready to see the light of day.
To help myself maintain momentum and purpose for this project, I have prepared the following mission statement for the website and blog:
This is a place where I can feel at home and where other people can feel at home too.
I would love for this to be a small corner of the internet where people come to feel heard and seen. Somewhere where we can learn, grow, and have fun together. A place where people are accepted for who they are and the experiences they have lived (and this includes myself accepting myself).
I want to share my stories and thoughts with you (by golly there are many) like this is a personal diary. Already as I’m writing this first blog post I know that this feels right. For the first time ever when establishing a proper social media presence, this feels and sounds like me. Not like someone who I think I should be or some perfectly crafted human-robot. But instead, pure and unedited Olivia.
Can’t ever keep a straight face while taking photos 🙄
You’ll find the About page acts as a kind of online CV (with more sparkle), where I keep my experiences and skills. My favourite sub-section on that page is the quotes from my favourite people (right at the bottom).
If you’ve gotten this far, you’ll also have found the page where all my Blogs will be kept.
Some spicy things you can look forward to for blog posts:
Musings from days passed 🤔
Poetry 💛
Open letters (but the good kind) 💌
Short stories 📚
And on special offer for you today and to show that I have truly improved from my 2013 self, I have prepared for you two extra blog posts to get you started.
The first is a poetry piece titled Pieces of me and the second is a post about Lessons I’ve learned from friends. As I continue this blogging goodness, I will make a YouTube video of me saying the poem out loud (as it’s intended to be performed), but for now I wanted to start simple.
Of course, if you have any suggestions for things you’ve like to hear my thoughts on then you can also contact me, the details live on the Contacts page (that checks out).
So, I hope you’re hydrated and well fed. Buckle-in for the ride. We’re off on an adventure! I’m so happy that you’re on board.
Best,
Olivia