2014 was a year of many starts, and many things left half done. I met a lot of new friends, and I also let go of many people, some losses being a bit more painful than others.

All in all, it was quite a complete year, and I don’t regret it at all, or at least, not entirely, because even the mistakes I might have made, are my own and have helped me grown.

The blog has seen some changes, the most notable, its layout. I’m also in the process of changing the logo and brand a bit, but that’s still not happening straight away. The schedule has gone all over the place, from posting three times a week, to more, to less, to forgetting I had a blog completely. Life happens.

Shall we look at some stats?

In 2014, [shutter and ink.] had a total of 3,307 views, that’s just over 60 views per week! I think this number is the main reason this blog is still here, because you’re out there reading it, and for that, I thank you! I only published 81 posts last year, which aren’t that many, considering, so expect a more regular schedule in 2015.

I would like to be able to let you know exactly what you guys like reading about, but to be honest, the stats show you like every different topic!

I’ve written about my past memories, about charities, about evenings out and shared photos with all of you, and they all got high numbers of visits.

It’s interesting to see the difference that a topic makes. Whenever I write about personal stuff, I seem to get more views and visits from Facebook, which at this point means people who know me personally; on the other hand, crafts and baking get more visits and interaction from the internet in general.

So what can I learn from this?

I guess the key element I want to share today is that I’m here to stay. I’m happy to see that you generally like what I write about, and I’m working hard to improve and keep learning how to make this enjoyable for all of you. Of course, I’m only assuming stuff, as I’m basing my findings on stats and data, but I also love hearing your feedback whenever you have it.

Speaking of feedback, I would like to remind you that there are many different ways of getting in touch with me, both publicly and privately (if you’re not happy to write something for all eyes to see).

You can follow the blog by signing up with your email. I promise I won’t fill your inbox with spam, and you should be able to tweak the frequency with which you want to receive emails from here, such as every time something new is published, or maybe just daily or weekly.

If you rather come by whenever you want to, then why don’t follow me on social media? Anyone can tell you I’m always around. You can follow the Facebook page (which I’m trying to use more and better), to see whenever a new post is published. You can also follow the blog on Twitter, Bloglovin’, Tumblr, or you can follow me on Pinterest, Instagram or even Ello!

Finally, if you have something in mind you would like to discuss, why don’t you send me an email? Just say hello [at] shutterandink [dot] com.

I think 2015 is going to be a good year. I have great ideas for [shutter and ink.] that I hope I’ll be able to put into practice. I would like to post content that you are happy reading about, and even happier to share with your friends.

Today, I’m back to work from about two weeks holiday. In this time off, I’ve done a lot of thinking, and a lot of (much needed) resting. This year I want to focus more on my creative part, and I want to go after the things I want. I will become more sure-footed in my personal life and will stop feeling pity for myself and start taking the bull by the horns. I’ve decided I need to get rid of toxic people in my life, not only toxic thoughts, because it’s important to surround yourself with people who empower you, not people who bring you down.

Those are not New Year’s resolutions, but more life goals that I would like to achieve gradually. I hope you want to join me in the journey for self-improvement, and I hope to keep learning from all of you.

See you soon, and Happy New Year!