New Rising Media Turns Seven

So, New Rising Media turns seven today. After 2555 days of doing this, now’s a good time to look back, thank you all and give you a quick update.

I know I’m supposed to be taking a break at the moment, which I will go back to straight after this. But there’s no chance I’m missing out on blowing out the metaphorical candles on what has been another interesting year for New Rising Media.

Not only for NRM, but for my work in the broader nerd journalism space - visiting the world’s first space nation in Vienna and exposing an entirely unchecked industry of gamer energy supplements. In some small ways, I’m beginning to live my dream of entering this editorial space, and it feels bizarre to say the least.

These publications, who I looked (and continue to look) up to as the bastions of geek reporting that I’d never possibly stand a chance of being able to write for, I am now writing for. Weird, right?

It taught me one thing. Your hobby takes time to develop. 

Seven years down the line, I’m only really at the beginning of embracing the incredible opportunities put before me - both freelance and through my own blog. Sure, there have been some amazing trips/products to review over the years, but only now have I entered into a regular stream of these events and products - making great friends in this field.

It’s a humbling reminder to never feel the pressure of over-ambition. Never put yourself down because of the amount of time taken to achieve something. Take things in your own stride.

And so, dear reader, I thank you. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to live out my dream hobby. Thank you for sticking around from my longer haired days of running this site in the early 2010s, to see me grow into who I am now (so weird to see how I’ve developed through my writing). Thank you to the list of contacts (friends) I have gained over these years for the amazing opportunities you have granted to me. 

Just in general, thank you to everybody who has spent any amount of time to read/watch/listen to what I make. I am beyond lucky to have what I have here, and it’s all because of each and every one of you.

Finally, to give you an update on when I will return. While there is no set return date, it will be soon. Beyond my own drive and desire to get writing again for you lovely bunch, I have commitments to review some new tech in the very near future.

The main reason for my break, as indicated in the previous blog is one of looking out for my own mental health. Turns out my happiness and positive self esteem was linked intrinsically to what I do on here, which kind of makes it similar to the use of a drug - you just can’t get enough of it.

That comes at the detriment of my happiness and confidence in other areas, as I slavishly invest my time into the site and become blind to what’s going on around me. This short break is to make me open my eyes to everything else going on in my life and disconnect my self esteem from the blog.

Already, it is beginning to work - I’m beginning to appreciate different elements of life like my friends, my family and the life this nerd’s incredibly lucky to have. Not only that, but I’m beginning to explore other enjoyments in my life like Dungeons & Dragons, more heavily investing time into video games and going for walks around the serene surroundings of the River Trent.

Taking time will allow me to get back to something that kind of resembles an actual human lifestyle, (hopefully) rebuild my confidence from the depths that it’s in now, and teach me to ration my time better - focussing more on life as a whole rather than dedicating greater and greater amounts of hours to a hobby that can become life-consuming, if unchecked.

I’ll be back with more news about my return…

In the meantime, here’s a slideshow of some of the sillier moments in my experience blogging.