Today marks the first anniversary of this blog. As I prepped this piece, I went back to read my first-ever post. It’s optimistic, funny, and riddled with silly little errors that wouldn’t get past my editing process nowadays. The year-past ghost of me that wrote it saw the burgeoning potential of this blog, and it made her nervous. She was right to be a little scared. This blog has upended my life and forced me to reconsider my priorities for the future. This blog has kick-started a lot of personal growth– but I’d be lying if I said it was all sunshine and daisies. 

As I’ve mentioned in A Year of Writing, posting a blog once a week while also running an Instagram profile was an ambitious venture. It paid off in a lot of ways. Through this blog, I’ve met people from around the world who love books, tea, and writing and have amazing discussions about all of them. Some of those discussions happened with people only a few miles away; others required using Instagram messenger’s translator function to speak to someone half a world away. I participated in some light time travel, participating in tea classes held in early-morning Japan while I sat in the dark of my dining room the night before. These meetings and conversations, initiated by a shared love of art or tea, allowed me to form and reignite connections in ways I’d never dreamed of. I have you all to thank for that. 

One of those connections also turned my life on its head. When I started this blog, I was working in art production, a steady but unsatisfying day job I didn’t see a future in. An old coworker and friend who’d heard about my blog reached out to me– there was an opening at his company for a copywriter. I had no previous copywriting experience, but with encouragement, this blog, and my friend’s reference, I managed to get the position. I can now cross off a bucket-list item, one I thought I wouldn’t get to for years: Get paid to write. So, a special shout-out to Luke and Jon; if you hadn’t decided we should get together that one weekend in July, I wouldn’t be where I am now. 

This abundance of good luck stemmed from the blog and the leap of faith I took when starting it. But I won’t lie: everything comes at a cost. Each month I juggled writing four blog posts (research, two drafts, three rounds of editing for each), posting on Instagram (four photos a week, stories, commenting, and messages), a monthly newsletter (research, two drafts), and reading a book in time to form an opinion. It was a lot. Prioritizing the blog took time away from my family, friends, and spouse. It also took nearly all the free time I would have spent on other hobbies. The constant grind I forced myself into had me feeling guilty whenever I took a breather to watch a movie or play a videogame. Now, after a year of constant work, I’m burnt out. This pace isn’t sustainable.

The start of a new year is the perfect time to reevaluate our current trajectory. What I’ve found is this: I can’t keep this blog without giving myself time to recharge. I need to socialize. I need to have other hobbies. I need to have time to write fiction, for fun. Without these, there’s no way I’ll continue to create anything worthwhile. I love this blog, and I want to continue. Something’s gotta give. 

So, to make this blog better for both myself and you, dear reader, this is the plan for Tea Reads in 2023:

Book of the Month Club

Tea Reads wouldn’t be the same if I took away the “Reads” part! The Book of the Month Club is going to continue, though in a slightly different form.

I found that the way I ran the Book of the Month club last year made it difficult to join. By not announcing the books more than two weeks ahead of time (and even then, only if you were subscribed to the newsletter), readers were having trouble securing the book and finishing before the end of the month. We’re all adults here; life gets busy. To make the Book Club more accessible, the Book of the Month tab will now list every book for the year, their summaries, and their purchasing links. That way anyone can jump in and out of the Club as they please with no hassle. It’s already updated, so check out the 2023 Tea Reads Reading List for yourself!

Blog Posting Schedule

As I’ve said, a post a week is no longer feasible. I’ve decided to switch from posting four times a month to two. Book introductions will be done all together– they were the hardest and least satisfying to write of all the posts– and there will either be a tea post or a writing post each month. Fair warning: I expect more tea posts than writing posts. I would rather be writing something I’m excited about than writing about writing.

Posts will still appear on Sunday afternoons, so the new schedule will be as follows:

• 2nd Sunday of the Month: Tea or Writing Post
• Last Sunday of the Month: Book Reflection

The Sundays I post may vary based on how the month falls. Months with five weeks may end up with Reflections being posted on the second-to-last Sunday of the month. 

Instagram Posting Schedule

I don’t know if I’ve ever explicitly stated my Instagram posting schedule, but I do have one. Every week has four posts, which go up on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. To cut back on how many pictures I need to take (and to stop making picture-taking the object of my tea sessions), I’m now cutting that in half. There won’t be a strict schedule anymore, though it will amount to about twice a week. If you’re an Instagram friend, don’t worry! I’ll still be active and responding to messages daily.

Newsletter

As current subscribers already know, the newsletter’s main purpose is no longer Book of the Month previews, as the new Book Club tab has them all covered. Still, I’d like to keep in contact with you all, so the newsletter will be focusing on recapping the last few posts on the blog, sharing behind-the-scenes info, and spouting some fun facts, recipes, and the like. It’s also been shifted to the first of the month (if you’re subscribed, you should have it in your inbox!). If you haven’t subscribed, consider doing so at the bottom of this page! Newsletter subscribers are always the first to know about changes and upcoming giveaways, and it also gives you the chance to provide direct feedback. 

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My hope in making these reductions is to create more space for myself to breathe, relax, and think. In that headspace, I will be more likely to create quality content to share with you all, which has always been my goal. I want to thank you all for sticking with me this past year and for interacting with me and my work. It’s been a pleasure getting to know everyone as this blog has grown. Hopefully in 2023, I can find a way to better balance my love of reading, writing, and tea with the other important parts of my life. Here’s to another year of Tea Reads! Happy anniversary and happy new year!