“But when I am doing my work, I am alive and I am me. It’s what I do. I’m sure that there are other versions of happiness, but this is mine.” – Lynsey Addario, It’s What I Do
What am I passionate about?
- The environment, e.g. climate change, sustainable energy, future repercussions of human impact
- Traveling, e.g. write about places you want to travel to, how you’ll budget for trips, when you want to go
- Coffee! Review/critique local coffee shops (depending on how many passion blog posts we must have)
I feel like the strongest possible topic I’ve brainstormed thus far is my coffee blog idea. Because I enjoy coffee so much, I really like going to new coffee shops and trying new types of coffee, tea, and espresso. I’ve already been to Saint’s Cafe, Barranquero Cafe, The Cheese Shoppe, Cafe Lemont, Rothrock Coffee, Irving’s, etc., but there are so many other coffee shops in the State College area to explore. This would be a really great way to actually focus on what shop has the best drinks, rather than just go in and mindlessly order a drink solely to help boost energy levels to cram for an exam.
I am very passionate about traveling as well, and I think it’d be unique to write about traveling to different places that I have yet to visit. This type of writing could offer a connecting point for people who have that feeling of wanderlust inside them, making them able to relate to others who have that very same feeling but have yet to fulfill that longing to travel. Most travel blogs are written by those who have been, but what about a blog written from the “hasn’t been (yet)” perspective? I could write about my limited travel experience and how that has prompted me to want to implement my desire to travel in my life. This blog could review certain criteria that specific travel destinations stack up against each other, and I could attempt to research and find the best, cheapest, most fun travel destinations, not only for my audience’s purpose but for mine as well.
Although I am passionate about the environment, I don’t think I would be interested in doing both excessive and extensive research just for blog posts; I’d rather my blog be of a more fun and lighthearted topic.
Either a coffee blog or a travel blog would definitely be of interest to myself and to various audiences, as both of these topics rely on collected information and opinions to succeed. Hopefully, one of these topics would be of value and interest to readers.
Olivia,
Your ideas are definitely developed and have a clear sense of direction. In my opinion, the coffee idea stands out for a couple reasons.
The feeling of wanderlust is certainly extremely universal, so maybe the “hasn’t been yet” perspective is more common than you might think. Just my logic, you’re probably more knowledgeable on the topic than I am.
That aside, the coffee idea presents an interesting wrinkle because I think you could take the unique perspective of that of a young adult and relatively new coffee drinker. Not only could you discuss the drinks themselves, but also the impact coffee has had on you as a new drinker and your generation. In my mind, coffee critics are largely long time drinkers who make up long winded and complex lines to sound more knowledgeable than they actually are. From a college student’s perspective, you could definitely analyze coffee in a unique way. The inner scientist in me would focus in on the coffee process itself. I know when I went to Hawaii they advertised Kona Coffee, saying that the thin strip of land it was grown on had a special kind of volcanic soil that stripped the alkalinity out of the coffee bean, resulting in a smoother, less bitter brew. These Kona Coffee Beans were sold at 3-4 times the price of regular beans. Is this just a total scam? I don’t know. This adds an interesting economic complexity to coffee, you can consider going in this direction as well.
Anyways, the point I’m trying to make is to develop your ideas in one of a kind perspective, no matter what you write about. One way you can do this is to focus in on a specific aspect of your topic: Kona Coffee, Real or Fake? or some other idea, which you’ve already done a good job of. I’ll definitely be looking forward to reading your blog, good luck!