Happy 1st Birthday Offbeat Emily

Well, it's been a crazy year to say the least. Who knew when I started a lifestyle blog on a whim last year that I would be a year in with incredible new friends, connections with amazing brands and even a second blog? I just wanted to have a personal, selfish post about looking back on my achievements over the past year, not only to cheer me up but also to spur me on.

Graduation

Yes, that's right, I did the impossible. It's probably my most recent achievement from my year of blogging but in September I graduated from the Juice Academy with an advanced NVQ in Social Media. The road was tough and there were so many times I told myself and the other incredible people around me that I was giving up, but I pushed on and I couldn't be happier to say that I stuck it out. Not only did the Juice Academy provide me with a start to an amazing career I didn't even think was available to me, I have also come out of my experience with lifelong friends and priceless experiences. A year full of ups and downs has come to an end and I'll be honest, seeing everyone as a full cohort with our tutors and mentors together for the last time was really emotional.

Bake With Bake Off

Okay so this seems to just going back in time as I go along, I really need to start planning my blog posts!

As you probably remember, a few months ago I was involved with Bake With Bake Off in association with Silver Mushroom. It was an eye opening few weeks, who knew how stressful baking in your own kitchen could be, but the time I spent discussing Bake Off and sharing my recipes with you all was fantastic and I can't wait to see if there is anything for me to get involved with next year. The experience gave me the chance to chat to other bloggers and introduce me to food blogging (which I loved so expect to see a lot more where that came from!). My biggest achievement of the whole event was winning on bread week! My focaccia came out top, so why not try it yourselves?

Confidence

Since I started blogging, I feel my confidence has really been boosted. I'm not talking about my confidence just walking down the street, but I now feel like my writing is getting better, and I actually have something to talk to people about now when they ask what I do in my spare time. At job interviews, interviewers are always keen to talk about my blogs and what I write about, and it makes me feel great that people are actually enjoying what I'm putting out there.

Offbeat's Baby Sibling

I started 4.3.5 after realising Offbeat had taken more of a lifestyle turn. My biggest passion in life is and always has been music, and it was something I really wanted to write about, so I started a sister blog. I have to admit, I have neglected 4.3.5 over the past few months because Offbeat comes first, and as you may have noticed, blog posts on here have been sporadic for a while, but in the next few weeks I am looking to relaunch the blog and I already have tons of unsigned acts chomping at the bit, getting excited to be featured. I have so much to share with you all and I'll warn you, not all the music I feature will be your cup of tea, but for rock and indie lovers, say hello to your new music fix.

I just wanted to use my round off to say thanks to everyone who has been supportive and has given me great feedback to the content on Offbeat. If it wasn't for my readers and the other bloggers I have met along the way, I do not think I would have made it to this milestone that once seemed so far away. Here's to another great year of Offbeat and many more in the future.