How Blogging Keeps Me Sane as a Freelancer

Just over a week ago, I got my own blog domain. It was an idea I had been toying with for quite some time, and as of last week my blog has become its own entity, looking more professional than ever (in my humble and entirely biased opinion).
The past month has been very hectic, stressful and also wonderful. My freelance career has taken off and I can now live from writing full-time. I can work from home, schedule my own time frame and work with words on a daily basis - something I was dreaming to do for a long time.

And yet, I feel myself still slightly constrained, which may be down to a need to adjust or simply being scared to death - because it is scary to take your own life into your hands, venture out on unexplored paths and leave the safety of a 40-hour week job with insurance, a pension and a definite monthly salary.
Whenever I feel overwhelmed with my life, I tend to seek solace in my blog. It is like a little nook in the universe in which I can hide, where everything is under my control and where I dictate what is written, how it is written and what to omit. This is why I love blogging, but there was a shift in how I approached my identity as a blogger.
When I started out with my blog, it was an outlet of my experiences, mainly travels, and where I could simply keep track of what was going on in my life. Over the past months, I have realised that if you want to do blogging professionally, you need to have a focus. Any random thought popping into your head simply won't do for most of the time. I needed a frame, an identity, a focus.
Whenever I put myself out in the world, a self-contained being, terribly vulnerable and susceptible to pain, I ponder what it is I want to convey. What is my element, what is my message to the world. It does not have to be grand or of great international importance. If working as a freelance writer has taught me one thing, it is that you can literally write about anything. Anything. My fiance and I recently perused the magazine shelf in a Press & Books and found a magazine on peppermint. Not herbs, just peppermint. There are people so enthusiastic that their knowledge on peppermint fills entire magazines. There are blogs on fountain pens, chess, Dungeons & Dragons and whatnot. The opportunities are limitless.
So, now I had to narrow it down to what I love and find a topic which excites me to an extent I want to write about it. Honestly, I have not entirely found my niche yet, but on my blog I write about lifestyle which is the broadest section where I share my thoughts and experiences as a freelance writer; books, because I love to read and write fiction, so I give authentic and ruthless reviews; and Harry Potter. Believe me, there are innumerable blogs and websites dedicating their entire existence to the latter and for me it is a way to goof off in between more serious writing.
And this brings me to the main idea of blogging. It should be fun. There are so many incidences in life where you simply have to do something you don't enjoy, so why not use a blog to finally get to the nitty-gritty topics you love to write about? I can earn money with what I love to do, yet I still don't get entirely excited about every little thing I have to write - but with my blog I do and if my dreams continue to thrive, one day I will be able to live from it as well. 
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