If you’re reading this, it means I finally started the project that I’ve been wanting to start for years.

How We Even Got Here

Fun fact: I’ve actually had this domain (chipowrites.com) for about two years, and I had no idea what to do with it. All I knew was that I’m a person who likes to do many things. I already have a professional website (chipofaith.com), but I also do a lot of writing and speaking that some people might not call “professional” per se. I write my feelings, I write my thoughts, I get vulnerable, I get curious… and I didn’t want all of that under the same hub.

I also know there’s fictional work I want to do (short stories, maybe poetry (we’ll see), and longer stories) and I wanted a hub that was just for my writing. Not professional writing. Not how-tos, not to-dos, not “xx gone wrong with your productivity.” Just real-feel, real-feeling writing. Because that’s something I think we still need in this world; especially now, with a lot of AI (unfortunately, I’ll call it slop) and people trying to get ahead to be thought leaders. We don’t actually have people thinking anymore.

Not to say I’m the best person around with all the thoughts, no. But I’ve had the opportunity to write for audiences I built over the last 13–14 years online.

A Little Throwback

I had a blog before this called The Chronicles of Every Woman. I built that to about 11,000 total users (probably more views) with zero paid social media, no SEO knowledge, nothing. It was just me, my relentless Facebook sharing, and a dream.

I closed that blog because, while people say “keep your old projects so you can see how far you’ve come,” I personally wasn’t trying to keep certain eras alive. I had a lot of growing to do… from a feminist perspective, from a grown-woman perspective. I started that blog at 19/20, so at 32… there’s a lot you look back on and think, “Oh girl… you almost had it.”

But anyway.

Life Lately (Or, the Last Ten Years)

The last ten or so years since that blog were filled with school, life, relationships — the kind of things the oldies call the school of life. Trying to balance school and work and finding a space to create… and then trying to find the energy to write when most of your job is writing… yeah, that’s difficult.

Full disclaimer: these are transcriptions that I edit. I use a transcription tool to listen to what I say, but none of my content is AI-generated. I’m very strict (and I intend on staying strict) about that on this blog. I’m all for AI where it’s needed, especially if your company requires you to use it. And do I believe in using it as ethically as possible? Of course.

But when it comes to my work — especially my heart work — I’m very intentional about how it’s written. If you see the odd em dash, it’s probably mine (or maybe the transcription tool suggested it and I said “okay, cool”). But you can 100% know this is me. This is Chipo. Everything I’m saying here is thoughtful. Maybe rushed, because I’m doing this on my coffee break, but still thoughtful.

The Long Road to “Starting Again”

I say all of that to say: there was a long journey that led to starting again. I didn’t know what I wanted this space to look like. Even now, I don’t fully know. But I reached a point where I was like, “Just get started. You’ll figure it out along the way.” Which is something I always say to people but sometimes it’s hard to actually do it for yourself.

I wondered: do I build this on my own? What tools do I use? And eventually I was like… go back to what you know.

So here I am on WordPress.com, starting the same way I did years ago — except now I have a little bit of income to add a bit of flair here and there, get a domain, choose the design I want. Which is great. But ideally, I’m here to share.

Why This Isn’t Just a Newsletter

I’d like to do this every week. I’ll probably keep these gated or not publicly shared. If you’re seeing this, it means you’re from the Pop Notes and I dropped the link in the newsletter.

If you’re in Pop Notes, you might remember that months ago I mentioned a project I was working on. Well, this is the project. The blog is back.

I love my newsletter and I’m continuing it (yay), but there’s only so much you can put in one email before it becomes too much. Sometimes I have a lot of thoughts (a lot) but I don’t want to overwhelm people.

And also, not everyone wants to be part of a newsletter. Some people just want to come onto a website and read something with no strings attached. So this space is also for that.

There are times when I’m writing a newsletter and I’m like, “I have more. I have more to say.” Now people can choose whether to click the link and continue, or stick with the short email and move on with their day. Both are fine.

Writing, Speaking, Sharing — All of It

I’m really happy that this is happening, because this is what starting again actually feels like. Writing has always been my first love. Yes, I’m speaking right now and this is being transcribed — but it still counts. It’s sharing thoughts. And sure, I could’ve gone the podcast route (which I actually started), but until I can outsource editing… yeah, that’s not happening. Trying to fit that into my schedule right now is impossible.

And yes, this is a lot of yap. But that’s exactly what this space is. One thing I’ve always prided myself on is being as real and honest as possible. In the information-sharing space, people tend to slip into sounding like high authorities, unintentionally. That’s not me. And if you’ve been part of my newsletter crew, you know that 125%.

I want this to be a space where you can read, feel connected, and carry on with your week. If you want to share it with someone, go for it.

For Anyone Sitting on an Idea

I also want this to be encouragement for anyone who has started something (or has sat on a domain name or an idea for years) thinking, “When am I ever going to bring this to life?” It took me two, three years to get this here.

But I’m glad I took that first step of getting the domain name. If I hadn’t, this would’ve been a much longer process. And also… chipowrites is cute. It explains me. I was even surprised it was available.

Here’s to the Beginning

Here’s to starting again.
Here’s to seeing what this adventure looks like.
And here’s to more of my mind, my heart, and of course — a bit of my madness.

Let’s go.