A LITTLE ABOUT ME & LAOISE ONLINE

Hi there. Welcome to my first blog post! My name is Laoise. (Years of passion for writing and one lockdown later, I'mfinally typing these words). For the longest time I've thought about building my own site. A fusion of journalism and my personal thoughts and passions, whist still trying to achieve my own aesthetic. After a long two months locked in doors, this is the final result. So who am I? I'm a nineteen year old from a small village in Ireland. Last year I moved to Belfast to study Broadcast Production in Queens. It felt completely foreign to me at the beginning. Now there's something really unique about driving up to Belfast- cities never sleep and I love that about them. There are always so many interesting people. Perfect if you enjoy a bit of people-watching like I do. Walking in beautiful places is another hobby of mine. My friends and I always meet for a walk. It's so good for clearing your head and making you realise how small your problems really are. Music, second only to writing, is also something that makes me, me. I also love to express who I am through the clothes that I wear, the possessions I own or how I design my space or social media. But maybe that's just everyone.

As daunting as it is to write to whoever visits this site, there is something special about creating a space of your own. I've always tried to make my social media authentically me. I like to see it as an online scrapbook, posting pictures of the places I travel to or about things I am passionate about. This caused me to make different Instagram accounts or sites to design when I was younger. I really needed to pour that creative energy into something. I'm hoping that I've finally hit the nail on the head with Laoise Online, a site I can be content with. This is somewhere I can go to create, whether it be an interview or editing what you see here. Weirdly, I find it therapeutic. Even as a little girl, writing poems or songs and designing my own little notebooks was an outlet for me. I have always had a pen or book in hand. I'm so glad that my love for words still remains as it is such a big part of who I am. Hand in hand with that passion is my love for people and their unique lives. I'm curious about all that is happening in this everchanging world in 2020. I hope for Laoise Online to be a diverse site- brimming with different topics and the opinions of many people. I'm very excited to see the shape that it takes in the next few months. You can expect to see anything from profiles of interesting people to some of my favourite places to visit. I'm as uncertain as you probably are about what will come next. ​ This site is an online portfolio for me as a young journalist. I want it to be a space I can turn to and hopefully, it may be somewhere you learn something new. Most of all, I want you to feel that, when you click onto my site, you are visiting your friend. I want you to have that feeling you have when you're knee deep in a long refreshing conversation with someone, over a cup of tea, leaving feeling slightly lighter just for having seen them. If you have gotten this far- thank you so much for taking the time to read my first blog! As nervous as I am about this, I am so excited to keep writing and cultivating this site. Love,