Self-reflections on creating Nutgraf Press, online blogging, and story-telling + unveiling the new 'Blog Posts' section
Chiara Greco, Nutgraf Press Creator
On May 13th 2021 I decided to start Nutgraf Press as a way to deal with COVID boredom. I had just finished my undergrad in April and already a month without school felt like a lifetime. I’m sure many others who graduated relished in the time off after March exams but I sat around missing the readings and writing. I had also just wrapped up my time as Editor-in-Chief for my college’s newspaper and felt bitter-sweet about leaving everything behind there. I had worked on the paper for most of my undergrad and with no responsibility I felt as if I was forgetting something. Though most importantly, I started this blog a week before I heard back from grad school, in other words I started Nutgraf Press to distract myself from the stress of waiting around (but of course also because I needed a place to expel all my **journalistic energy**).
Though since May 13th Nutgraf Press has become a real passion for me. Which is why I have officially launched the blogging section of my site, allowing me the full space to write more personalized posts. While my audience may not be as big as I’d like it, I’m thankful for every like, read, and click my small website gets. With this new section I’m hoping to create blog posts on self-reflections and lessons learned. The blog section will further allow me to voice my opinions in a more personalized and relaxed setting apart from Nutgraf’s other articles. While I wasn’t planning on blogging when I first created this site, I’m looking forward to expanding my experience in any way I can and also adding on to my portfolio of work as I do so.
So what have I learned since May 13th? A lot actually. For one, if it wasn’t already fully clear I now 100% know that writing and journalism is exactly what I want to do. You know, most people take up hobbies that seem relaxing: painting, knitting, even watching Netflix. But I decided to make my past-time hobby the same thing that I would like to build a career from. As I venture into journalism school and look for jobs at news outlets and the likes, I’ll continue posting to Nutgraf Press as my own personal blog. I plan to keep the site up and running for as long as I can as a way to provide myself with freedom in terms of writing and publishing. As I wrote in my very first post, Nutgraf Press is and will continue to be a space where I can freely write and post my independent work. I hope to keep it as a place for that as I continue into grad school in the fall.
Through posting on my blog I’ve also learned the importance of a team. From editing to fact-checking to writing to designing everything done at Nutgraf Press is done solely by myself. In this sense, it acts as a full portfolio for all that I am capable of in the realm of journalism and writing. Though, the importance of having a team is also all the more clear to me. A second opinion is probably one of the most important things I’ve learned from my previous journalistic work. Sometimes that second glance can act as a boost to improve the article or get some feedback. Without having another team member, I’ve had to learn how to take a step back from my own writing when it comes to editing and fact-checking. In this way, I’ve learned a new skill in writing. That day or two away from my article acts as a second glance giving me the space to change or edit whatever it may be. Besides these skills, I’ve also learned branding techniques from logo changes, to a cohesive Instagram theme I’ve been developing tools to try and boost my sites exposure. But, as I continue I’m sure there will be more changes.
Since early May, Nutgraf Press has already transformed and changed. Originally when creating the site I didn’t have a real clear picture on what type of content I wanted to make. The review section turned into the arts and culture section to allow for more expansion and ideas. Through this, I’ve developed an even deeper love for literary journalism. While I’ve got the most experience in news and critical writing, literary journalism and reviews have always been what I’ve gravitated towards as a reader. That and personal blog posts, which again is why I’m launching the blog section of my site. And after solely focusing on news pieces for the better part of my undergrad, I’ve found a new sense of joy in writing arts and culture articles.
Apart from these more content based changes, I’ve also changed Nutgraf’s logo design from my first launch. I’ve created a more streamlined and cohesive circled logo in replace of the originally muted brown logo. The new logo was created not long after I posted that first blog article. In changing and redesigning the logo I’ve also realized the importance of branding. Cohesiveness is key towards building any brand, even one as small as a personal portfolio or blog.
While these changes were all imperative to me settling in, I’ve now found my site’s niche and will be sticking with it (without any abrupt changes) for the time being. As I continue creating content, I hope to build up enough exposure so that I can have a subscriber base. When I worked on my college’s newspaper I thoroughly enjoyed creating the bi-weekly newsletters to send out to subscribers, and while I don’t have that base yet I look forward to creating one as I continue on. Monthly newsletters will definitely be in the next steps towards building up Nutgraf Press’ readership. With a growing readership I also hope to get to the point where I can start working towards getting interviews and profiled pieces. One of the more important parts of journalism is telling people's stories, and while my site isn’t quite big enough to venture there yet, I look forward to the possibility. For now, with three months under my belt, I’m ready to grow, learn more, and experience everything this site may have to offer.
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