Good - Bye 2010

2010 was the birth of my baby.

Well...not a real baby but my virtual baby - A Room Without Walls.  She ( I call her she because it's my blog so...I get to decide ;-)  ) was born out of a need and desire to have something of my own.

On one hand, I love working with outdoor design.  On the other hand, working in a limited environment for other people and not having the ability to explore all the amazing vendors the outdoor world is producing was altogether too stifling.  I would constantly find things that excited me and I wanted to share them. However, I was severely limited by the products at hand on the showroom floor.

I am glad I took a chance and started this blog.

This blog is a labor of love.  My research efforts have illuminated me to some of the most creative and forward thinking designers in the outdoor world.  Even so, last month I struggled with a massive case of blog envy.

Let me explain:

When I started my blog in June of 2010, I fully expected to have a huge following and vendors begging me for advertising space by December of this year.

Ummmmmm, can you say. "Reality Check!?"

Of course, neither has come true and it caused me a great deal of concern as November faded and entered a cold and damp December.  The budgetary concerns are never ending and while I certainly love what I do, bills have to be paid.  Trying not to let my concerns descend into a an existential crisis, I struggle with trying to maintain a brand new business and giving in to seeking another job in a showroom where I can sell the same thing over and over - never being able to use my talent or vision beyond the showroom floor and following the vision of another person.

For the better part of December, I cocooned myself deep inside the Christmas holidays with all the requisite decorating, shopping, wrapping and preparing.  Christmas has passed, the tree is drying out and the ornaments are ready to be boxed up for next year.  As much as I wanted to hide and find other tasks to keep my mind from having to make a decision, this past week I thought and I thought myself crazy.


and then...

I came to the conclusion that I need to "Go Big or Go Home."  So, moving forward into a new year and a new decade, I am devoting myself to introducing and learning about new collections, the latest and greatest  designers and coming up with as much information on outdoor furniture and outdoor living as I can possibly and exhaustively find.

I want to be the Julie McCoy of the blogosphere.

I want to be able to take my readers on a voyage around the world so we can discover new manufacturers, new designers and new ways of creating the ultimate outdoor retreat.

About this commitment to you, I'm hugely excited.

On a bit more personal note - I know my blog is unique and that blogs about outdoor living are few and far between.  I'm not going to fill in a few pages here and there between Memorial Day and Labor Day.  Instead, I am going to dedicate every day to finding the new, the creative and the unusual.  I have the desire to continue on this journey and want to bring you along.  I accept that this journey has just begun and that six months in the scheme of things is just a blip in time.

So going forward, let us raise our glasses to a new year, a new decade and a renewed committment to making A Room Without Walls the best source for all that is outdoor living.

Cheers!

Jane