Dear Just Curious Reader
I hope you are having a wonderful start to the year 2015. It feels different already… to me at least. I guess it has to do with all the changes around me and with that I will go straight into that heading, Not A Gossip Queen… Anymore. The short version is that I don’t want to write about gossip anymore. That is simply because I do not have the same passion and excitement for it that I had before and one of the many things 2014 taught me is that if you insist on doing something you don’t like, it will not be as beautiful as it could be when done by someone with the passion for it. Which is why I am not closing down the blog but rather using it as a platform for those who still have the passion for everyday blogging to continue writing, learn, and have fun like I did in the last 8 years. I realise it is bigger than me and what I (don’t) like.
I had been feeling like this for most of last year and I think I mentioned it to you guys but my Aha! Moment came on 22 August 2014 when I watched Oprah’s Next Chapter with Tina Turner. When Tina Turner talked about retirement, how she felt whenever she had to go on stage.. how she would be so exhausted but would have to get up on stage and dance her soul away because that was what Tina Turner was. She said that she was tired of dancing but could not change & get on stage with a ball gown and sing a ballad because that was not what she had sold her audiences, they fell in love with the crazy Tina who danced on stage but doing that now took so much away from her. So she had to retire.
I recognised so many of the emotions Tina expressed and knew then, that I had to retire from being a Gossip Blogger. How she felt each time she had to go on stage and perform is exactly how I felt whenever I had to open my laptop and start writing because it was “expected”. Whereas before it was fun to do, it had now turned into a chore I so wanted to avoid. I found out that I really don’t like focusing on celebrity gossip anymore… this was more evident two weeks ago when I was on a radio station talking about 2014 gossip stories… Boy did I roll eyes at the things I said! It felt like an out of body experience of some sort… I know now that I don’t wanna do that anymore. That I actually had to say it, so that there is no expectation from me to continue being a Gossip Queen. There is nothing wrong with it of course, it’s super fun but not for me at this point in my life. #OldAge.
Last year we tried to change things around here but watching Tina’s interview made me realise that we had made our name as a Gossip Blog so giving you something different, must have been confusing/disappointing for our readers so if there is a change, it has to be declared. So I am retiring for the above reason but also because I have decided to focus on my education, which is an area of my life that suffered while I was conquering the Blogosphere. I feel like I can’t add the student role to my life without needing to remove another.
This is a long explanation, I know, but there are readers here who have followed my writing since the TVSA days and the least I can do for them is to explain why that writing has changed. But most of you guys will get it, because if you were there from those days, a lot has happened in your life as well and the way you consume gossip has changed too.
The team and I had a workshop at the beginning of the month to discuss the future. They are super keen and enthusiastic to run with things so maybe from here… let me try and answer the questions you’re probably asking yourself right now…
- Will JC shut down?
No, there is a team, Kiki, Audacious, Zeeba, Amy (our new fab intern) and Picay Photography who will continue to provide our readers with content. We will still have Guest Bloggers who will contribute different opinion pieces / reviews now and again. I will be available to the team to offer help and guidance, and I’ll be supporting them behind the scenes. .
- So Brown Shuga will no longer write?
I can’t say I will not write, when there is something I find interesting and there are no exams/assignments, I will write. I may want to share things from the Spiritual Corner, talk about love and life now and again, I enjoyed doing THIS interview, so I think I’ll do a couple of them this year. Now and again I will also be contributing in our new feature #5Things (and if anyone wants me to travel somewhere, school can wait lol) but I think I will now write under my name… Brown Shuga is retiring after all 
5 Things is one of our newest feature, one which I’m really excited about. We’ll be getting a lot of these from different people across different industries. So I’m not leaving, you’re just not going to see my writing as often as you have in the past 5 years.
- Will there no longer be gossip ?
Blogging in 2015 is very different to how blogging was back when we started JC in 2009. So for us to be relevant today, we acknowledge that there is a lot that needs to be done differently and as far as possible, the team will adapt. To answer the question, the bloggers will still do the usual news round ups so our readers get a summary and thoughts on what stories are doing the rounds. However going forward, our focus will be more on bringing you the best events coverage in SA entertainment.
- Events?
Events and the Social Scene. Events in the entertainment industry will never grow old because it is never the same thing, and people are not always wearing the same clothes, and our readers love checking out what celebs are wearing. So, we will cover events, beautifully and with gorgeous pictures. We will report on these as soon as possible after they take place. No more delayed events coverage.
- And entertainment news?
As stated above we will still cover interesting news and provide a platform for our “ bloggas” to discuss anything under the sun…
- So who do we speak to about JC related stuff?
Anything that has to do with site content can be directed to kiki@justcurious.co.za / our new and trusted Editor She is Boss Lady now and I know she will be great at it. I will be behind the scenes helping with the creative direction and business side of things. Hopefully will find time to do a few JC Events and find sponsors for our new features so we can pay Kiki her millions. lol
What happened to the Blog Revamp?
Eish this topic neh! I hope to have an update on this in the next few weeks, it has taken way longer than it should have but I’ve been assured we are now on track after all the delays. When we do reveal the new site, we will also highlight the new features that we’ll be doing going forward.
So, THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me as a ” Gossip Queen”… I’ve really enjoyed the journey & I’m looking forward to this new journey I’m on now… Please help me support the team going forward!
Love,
Lelo
Contact: @MsLeloB/ lelob@justcurious.co.za