Hi, my name’s Emma. I’m the writer and creator behind Earth & Emma. There’s so much to come on this journey, and I’m stoked you’re here… welcome to the adventure.
A little bit about me.
I’m 23 years old, born and raised in California, and at this point in time, I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing with my life:) I left California to go to the University of Michigan when I was 17, and I graduated in December of 2023. I studied a bunch of different things during my time at UMich, but I graduated with a degree in environmental science with a specialization in sustainable business. Going into college, I was certain that I was going to graduate with a degree in education and become a teacher. My path changed more than once when I was at school which made me realize perhaps I have no clue what I want to do with my life after all. Now, I’m certain I have no clue what I want to do, but I’m trying a bunch of different things out and making the most of every opportunity that comes my way.
My life has always been full of adventure, and so far, my post-grad life has been a thrilling journey on a road less traveled. A cocktail of twists and turns has led me to where I am now and is undoubtedly guiding me to where I’m going. Starting Earth & Emma has been one of those amazing, unexpected ventures. Continuing the journey has been all the more exciting.
So, why did I choose to start a blog? And when?
In the summer of 2023, the best summer of my life, I was working an internship back in California for a company in the sustainability field. I really enjoyed making an impact through a sustainable business, and working for an environmental company was everything my education told me to reach for. Yet, I found myself hoping for more. I started regularly bringing my laptop to coffee shops and libraries after work; looking for inspiration but lacking direction. I was in search of dreams I didn’t even know I had.
One of those afternoons, I felt nothing short of a calling when I saw an internet post on how to start your own blog. Within an hour, I bought my own website space on the internet and a domain name and designed a few potential logos. I pretty much blacked out and gained consciousness an hour later with a whole new future in store. Earth & Emma was born. After the initial excitement of, “Holy cow, I’m actually doing this,” I still had one more semester of school and work. Finally, in January of 2024, I finished constructing the website and wrote my first few posts. The waiting was over, and Earth & Emma was launched into the world.
Why call the blog Earth & Emma? What does that even mean?
Instead of taking the typical blog route of finding a niche by funneling down all of the elements that come to assemble my existence into one, I decided to go anti-niche. I’ve kept all the elements that assemble the topics I like to write about and housed them under two categories.
The Earth side of this blog is home to all things adventure, environment, and anything related to time spent with our planet. I write about my travels, travel tips, and how to live more sustainably. “Earth, by Emma,” is where I introduce environmental science concepts into bite-size lessons. The part of me that still wants to teach is stoked to make environmental science lessons accessible on the internet.
Emma is, contrary to first impression, not a section all about me. Rather, it’s a capitalization on an alliteration opportunity for a title and a category for the human experience. Whether it be neurodivergence, lifestyle, or cycle syncing, you’ll find blog posts about human things under Emma.
I love both of my “niches” equally, and having multiple topics to write about allows me to stay excited and write creatively. The only real rules are the ones you choose to follow, and in the case of “blogging rules,” I’ve decided to leave them in the dust and do what works best for me.
What’s on the horizon?
As I was pouring more time and soul into creating this website, the vision I had for Earth & Emma started to become clearer, and I knew I wanted to give this thing everything I had. 2024 was the year of making this blog happen. I traveled all around the world and wrote as I went. Before I monetized Earth & Emma, and even thereafter, I was living off of the savings I worked to keep since high school, while also working seasonal and freelance jobs. My nomad adventure was an amazing journey, and 2024 is full of heartwarming memories, but the globetrotting came to an end when my funds inevitably ran out. Now, I’m back in California and discovering what it means to adventure in place, and so far, I kind of like where things are going.
Though my seasonal job journey, which took me around the world and introduced me to new people and cultures, has taken a break from my timeline, Earth & Emma is still alive and well. Seasonal work, nomad-ing, and the community they attract are beautiful contributions to Earth & Emma’s uniqueness, and I will continue to write about my travel adventures, past, present, and future.
Even though I’m dyslexic, I’ve always been drawn to writing, and I am beyond grateful to now be writing blog posts for the internet and the ever-stoked Earth & Emma community. I openly take requests and suggestions for new topics on both my contact page and my Instagram DMs – I want to write about what you want to read about!
Life is a crazy journey, but it is also beautiful… and blog-worthy. I’m so glad you’ve found your way here<3 If you want to stay in the loop and receive the E&E Weekly in your inbox, you can subscribe here.
Stick a straw into life and chug!
Xx
Emma