Ari's Blogger Watch List

 The blogosphere is a world all its own. It is growing in popularity and the content that is being put out is as diverse as the bloggers themselves. I started my very first blog, The Culinary Chronicles back in 2010. As a foodie and lover of culture, I wanted to explore the world right from my kitchen, through flavor.  I often say my kitchen is my place of solace when the world around me gets to be too much to handle. I cook away the stress and I along with my beloved family reap the benefits of the meals I create.  Two years after, I created a second blog entitled "Simply Ari." Simply Ari began as a blog back in 2012 during my junior year of undergrad at Mount St. Mary’s University. My idea for the blog was to create a space online that was uniquely my own. A space where I could share my thoughts and ideas with the public and attempt to gain a decent readership.  As I penned and crafted each blog post, I began to discover my writer’s voice.  Writing had always been my safe space, and now, I was allowing others to come into my world. No hoopla, no gimmicks, just me, Simply Ari.  I wanted to see if anyone outside of my beloved family and friends was interested in what I had to say about the world. Turns out people were reading and commenting on different posts and it ignited something in me that I now understand to be purpose. 
This blog as you may have guessed was the precursor to what is now Simply Ari Media.
But there was still something missing. My relationship with God has always been really important to me. There is an ugly stigma that plagues our society from the inside out that Christians don’t go through hard stuff. That simply is not true. What I desired to do through, my third blog On Reserve: A Blog for the Modern Day Esther, was to minister to young women who are dealing with self-esteem, singleness, self-worth, self-doubt, hurt etc. All of those emotions are real, but for me, the most important aspect of those difficult seasons of life is to remind others of who God says they are and rest in the knowledge of those life-changing truths.  It took me a long time to get to a place where I felt that I could be vulnerable enough to share my testimony. The Lord showed me little by little that my testimony is not for me, it’s for His glory to be seen through me to minister to others. Through blogging He blessed me with an opportunity to do just that.

Check out my list of  “bloGAListas” to watch and follow below:

1.    Simply Ari Media- Simply Ari Media was birthed out of a vision God gave me back in 2014. It is a platform that seeks to bridge the gap between faith and life. We are consumed with news every day. We watch it, post it, share it, talk about it, write about it, and rarely does it leave us uplifted and inspired.  It strives not to change the conversation, but rather redirect the conversation in a more positive direction and offer a different perspective to the world; looking at and experiencing life through the lens of Christianity. It touches on a plethora of topics: Pop Culture, Hard News, Sports, Lifestyle and Community but it is always a faith-based conversation because faith breeds hope. And that is what I want to bring to the world, a restoration of hope and encouragement to those to whom I am called to be relevant.
2.  Truthfully Yours Dahlia- Dahlia is a life and style blogger whose goal is to inspire her devoted readers to be rays of sunshine in “a world of dark clouds” She explores life through fashion, travel, and food creating an experience that is holistic, authentic and relatable.
3.   Joyce Meets World- in her own words, Joyce Phillipe has a “passion for telling stories that inform, entertain and inspire others.” If you are looking for a blog that beautifully intersects hard news, current events and popular culture, then Joyce Meets World is the blog for you.
4.   Health in Her Hue- this blog is insightful and informative and targets a market and a demographic that is underserved.  “Health In Her HUE is a space for black women to be informed and empowered when making choices pertaining to their health.” It’s founder, Ashlee Wisdom is just a passionate a person as she is about the topics she discusses.
5.  5.  The Narrative of Nic- Nicole Santa is a fashion and lifestyle blogger whose passion takes her around the world where she seeks to creative a narrative that is uniquely her own. The Narrative of Nic gives you a glimpse inside of Nicole’s world, readers have an opportunity to get to know “who she is through what she wears and the lifestyle that drives her.
6.   Ask Eryn- Erin Chris Cross is a visual artist and a lifestyle vlogger. Erin is equally witty as she is personable. She has such a heart for people and desires through her vlog to be a sounding board for her peers.  
7. Being Her- these twin sisters, Hermon and Heroda are travel, fashion, and lifestyle bloggers. They navigate their lives through a sensory level. Though they are deaf, their story causes people to want to  hear what they have to say, listen to their point of view, see the world from a different vantage point, feel the excitement of the cities to which they travel and experience life right alongside them.  
8. Empirical Press- Amber Lea Marie is “a traveling photojournalist searching for the heart of every story.” Her blog depicts the narrative that is reflective of the things that she values as important. Her editorial skills and knack of capture the simple things and making them beautiful is truly a talent, one that she has nearly perfected.

 
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