My blog has looked exactly the same for three years. When I first set the theme, I loved the color, simplicity, and atmosphere. In many ways, I still love my blog’s theme, but I’m also starting to feel the itch for something new. As my writing and creative pursuits grow and evolve, it seems only fitting that my blog reflects the changes of both myself and my muse.
The problem is I can’t decide what kind of changes I want to make. Do I want something sleek and modern? Or colorful? Or minimalist? The possibilities are endless and its hard to pinpoint a style that is both progressive and reflective of my creative interests. All I know is I like color (subtle, not bold), horizontal headers, and a simple layout.
It’s tempting to go with what I traditionally prefer, but I’m also considering a massive departure from the norm. I spend so much time on my blog, I’m curious to see how a drastic change might shake up my muse. Perhaps, my muse will be inspired to try new and exciting avenues of artistic creation.
While a foray into something new could open up new doors, there is something to be said staying true to myself. I don’t want to wander too far away from who I am or how I want to express myself. The last thing I want to be is fake blogger who represents one thing but thinks another. This blog has always been and always will be about following my muse.
Am I over thinking this? Probably. It’s as simple as picking a theme and clicking a button, right? Wrong! If I choose a theme that is too different from my current layout, I’ll have to go back and re-format over 600 posts. I may even have to reconfigure my footers, widgets, and menus. Nothing about that sounds fun!
Despite my misgivings about having to re-format, I am well aware that my blog is starting to look outdated. Pretty soon, it’s going to occupy the same shelf as cell phones with buttons and heavy laptops. No one wants to visit a blog that looks like a relic from the past (unless it’s a history blog!), nor do they want to spend time navigating a site with an archaic set-up.
As I contemplate the prospect of change, I’m reminded that things always do and must change. The last thing I want is for my muse to stagnate in a vortex of “sameness,” so I better get busy and start making some big decisions. If my blog looks a little strange over the next couple of weeks, chalk it up to experimentation on my part. I hope you’ll stick around for the remodel!
Here are some of themes I’m considering at the moment:
What do you think?
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c.b.w. 2014
C.B. Wentworth 
I know, I know, I worry about the same thing. We need to change change change while we share our writing – keep it fresh and interesting. But it’s work and moving us out of our comfort zone. Can’t wait to see what you decide.
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I hate being stuck in that space between loving my blog’s layout and knowing it’s time to try something new! I’ll probably take forever to make a decision, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. 🙂
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Been there myself a couple of times. Never seem to find the time to a) make the decision, b) make the transfer. But good for you! And good luck!
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Well, I tried a few previews and so far I’m liking how my blogs current format transfers to some new layouts. For the most part, it looks to be an easy process with only a few adjustments. 🙂 Decisions, decisions!
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I like your blog the way it is, but I can understand your desire to change. It has to be something that you feel comfortable with, that expresses your feelings. I like a minimalist approach. You might think of another color scheme that is brighter if you want to attract new readers. A combination of navy and gold seems to beckon people I am told.
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I like my blog the way it as well, but I fear becoming bored (as I’m already starting to feel the beginnings of stagnation). I’m hoping to settle on something that is clean and fresh, yet with a touch of subtle color (as you can see I like teal!). It’s a decision I’m thinking about very carefully and it just might be that I won’t change a thing! We’ll see. 🙂
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You may not need to change your blog theme – have you toyed around with different background images and such yet?
I personally get the hankering to change my blog theme once or twice a year, and usually cave into the urge. I’m trying to NOT change mine for at least one year, but am updating header images and such so to keep it feeling ‘fresh’.
Also, according to theme.wordpress.com, the one you’re currently using is retired, so if you switch from it you probably won’t be able to switch back if another theme ends up frustrating you.
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I played with the settings and customization section, but I didn’t like any of the outcomes. It always came out too dark or freakishly bright. Ick!
Part of the reason I’m thinking so carefully about this transition has to do with what you mentioned – my theme is retired. There is literally no going back, so I’m using the preview feature at a feverish rate. I have to fall in love with something before I make the change! 🙂
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I don’t like any of the other choices. This one isn’t my favourite theme, I have to say, but it’s comfortable. I miss your open-road avatar though.
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I have to stick with free themes, so my choices are quite limited. I don’t “love” any of them, so I’m looking to switch to something that will allow me to try new things.
With the Fictive theme, I can upload the open road in the header. It would sit right behind my gravatar compass and I think that would look pretty cool. I miss the open road, too!
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‘Fictive’ looks quite ‘clean’. I like that in a site/blog, as you can no doubt see from mine.
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I get this itch every year too, I’ve had The Misty Look Theme for 6 years now. Being a list kinda gal I tend to make a list of what I like about my blog style and that of others and consider the themes that are around.
If you have a text heavy blog that you want people to linger over and read lots (like mine) I’ve steered away from anything too busy as that can be not only distracting from the topic in hand but also visually tiring. What I like about Misty Look is that you still get the main header which is customisable with your own graphic. So you can change that image from time to time if you want a change but the main text area is white so anyone using an coloured overlay will make reading easier. The background is a calming grey on which you can glance over and rest your eyes when the white gets too much.
The font style is of huge importance to me anything too fancy with a lot of serif’s is hard to read with dyslexia so unless you are a paragraph n pic kinda person, simple clean fonts make for easier reading of longer posts.
Try visiting your favourite blogs and noting what you love most about them, is it just the subject matter or is it some element of their theme? Make a list of what you like and what you don’t like and it might just help you sift through the many options.
Good luck with your decision, I’m really bad at choosing 😉
Best wishes
Billie
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I like the Misty theme, but I find I don’t like headers that are mostly graphic or photographic. I like a simple, clean header that just showcases the title. I think it works well for others, but not for me and my style.
I’m so bad at decisions, too! There’s added pressure on this one, too, because my current theme is retired. I can’t get it back once I switch! :-O
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Hey … it’s been a while 🙂
I’ve changed themes so many times, so it feels like I know them all, inside out! I liked Fictive when it was released, but then again … I don’t like how the menu is displayed.
It all depends on what you want. I like the ‘infinite scroll’ feature, so that’s a must for me. Then I want my theme to support post formats, but you might not be interested in that with your type of blog. Bon Press says it supports infinite scroll but that’s not true … it doesn’t.
I have the paid customization, and in all my ‘research’ of free WP Themes, I’ve found Twenty Eleven and My Life supports what I want. Don’t think I would say that unless I’d been able to change the colours … guess I’m a little obsessed with that.
When Sorbet was released, I really loved it, but then again … how many people will «get it», how the menus and widgets are hidden under the hamburger icon?! It’s really cool, but still …?!
Here in my colderweather blog I have the Twenty Twelve applied. It’s nice and clean..
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Hey, it’s good to see you around these parts, again!
I’m not a fan on infinite scroll, so I’m steering clear of themes that have that as a default. Spending money really isn’t an option, so I have to stick the free and basic themes. For that reason, it has to look good and have all the features I want right out of the box!
I liked sorbet as well, but the menu thing turned me off. I like “word” menus instead of symbols. People who read blogs can read menu titles, right? 😉
Your blog is beautiful and I may have to give Twenty Twelve another look.
Thanks for the input!
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Three years of posts… you are very brave! Back up your current blog, play it safe! 🙂
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Everything is all backed up! 🙂
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Of your choices, I’d choose Fictiv because it looks like more fun than the others, and fun would match your personality. I use 2012 because it’s clean, customizable, has a responsive layout (for smart phones and tablets) and is made by the WordPress team. I also wanted a front page template to act as a type of landing page. Can’t wait to see what you choose!
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I tried 2012 in preview and it just didn’t suit my blog, although it looks great on yours!
I’ve obviously picked a new one, but I may change it couple more times before settling on one I’ll keep. 🙂
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I like how it looks, but do have fun trying out the others. This one really lets your words and photos shine.
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Don’t worry. You’re definitely not the only one to belabor the process of choosing another background. (I’d rather not say how long it took me to choose mine last time.) It’s part a reader’s first impression of us, so it’s important. All of the above are great (though I did cast a vote), but whichever you choose, it’ll be awesome!
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I’m liking the change I’ve made so far, but there are things I want to fix. I guess it’ll be a couple of weeks of experimenting! 🙂
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I love it! Can’t wait to see how it ultimately turns out!
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It can be a little worrying changing a theme, I put off changing mine for about four months, because I could never decide what seemed better than what I already had. But I found the right one in the end, and I’m very pleased with it. I did have to sort a few posts out, but there weren’t too many mess ups!
One thing I did before I pressed the button for a complete change was to open another blog, not post anything on it, and then make sure to set it private so no-one could see it. I then went on a selection spree for blog themes. That really helped to find the right theme quite quickly because I could mess around with it, and try out header ideas without being concerned I’d make a terrible error in the process. You can even copy posts in seconds from one blog to the other by highlighting the entire post in the dashboard, then copy and paste. It gives you a good idea what they would look like in the new theme.
It certainly taught me never to buy a blog theme, because if you go down that route, you don’t get the opportunity to mess around before you buy, once you’ve purchased, your stuck with it. Unless of course you go for the top price package, which allows you choice of any premium theme, in which case you would be able to change it as often as you want. But it’s quite a lot of money per year for a little smidgen of internet space!
Good luck with finding the right theme and all the tweakings! 🙂
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I’m having fun playing with Writr. There’s a lot to get used to, but I like how it’s challenging me to construct posts in new ways. It is literally forcing me to rethink how I present what I write and my photographs, which is already leading to some creative ideas. 🙂 I don’t know if I’ll stick with just yet as there are other themes I’d like to try. I guess we’ll see!
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I’ve been thinking of changing also so I know what you are going through…have fun experimenting and decisions will come.
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So far, it’s been fun. 🙂
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