The journey from A Traveller’s Wish List to Queen of Treasures was a planned move in alignment with my personal transformation. Join me as I take you through the journey of self-discovery, growth, and evolution that led to this momentous decision.

Rebranding provides a fresh start and serves as a catalyst for growth and innovation. All change entails taking a leap of faith. Old is comfortable, but new is rejuvenation. My blog is nourishment for my spirit, enrichment for the mind, and pleasure for the heart. I hope, the new avatar will be the same for all those who read and follow it.

Why I felt the need to make the change

My journey into blogging was a stroke of time. When I started blogging, I was a confused spirit, unsure of the path I was walking on. As a magazine journalist, I have been the jack of all trades and master of none! The visual appeal, the long-form in-depth articles and multiple aspects are the mainstay of magazines. The web is different with its clutter of choice, ranging from few words to few paragraphs, the layouts are vertical and there is coding.

With compact teams, you do end up multi-tasking in magazines. I have been involved in reporting, editing, design and production, rebranding, redesigning. So, you will pardon me when I say that the blog was a confusing entity for me. Until, I figured out that it needed the same creativity and I went hands-on to learn photography, videography and grappled my way with technical stuff such as SEO, algorithm, SERP, meta tags and descriptions.

You will probably say that it would have been simpler to take a formal crash course to learn all about the digital world, but you see I never planned to leave the print media. It just didn’t take the route that I was trying to steer it in, and I moved at a snail’s pace with the blog. It has taken years to understand digital means selfies, videos, reels and carousel posts, learning new terms and creating more content with bullet points.

To cut a long story short, it’s been 10 years of observation, reading, and evolving. Change is the only constant and time is always in motion.

Why I was unhappy with my previous blog, A Traveller’s Wish List

I did not want it to be a site that did just food reviews (which I thought didn’t interest the readers, as stats didn’t rise) or cover products randomly.

My travel stories did not have the punch, probably weren’t useful for the readers. I needed perspective on what I was writing and why people would want to read those stories.

I didn’t like my writing style, which was in absolute contrast to what I was writing for print media.

I didn’t think I was touching upon the subjects and verticals I would like to talk about in-depth.

I didn’t like the design and was lost on technical aspects.

There didn’t seem to be anything cerebral or cultural or my personal interests standing out.

It didn’t match the strength of my 25 years of journalism experience. I have done cover-to-cover projects, travelled the length and breadth of the country for those, even clicked pictures at times, and worked with designers before sending the book/magazine for production.

Simply put, the blog lacked a strong identity, diversity, inclusivity, punch, creativity and expertise. My inner critic got into action during the COVID-19 lockdown. Stillness and introspection are the key aspects for all change to manifest.

The beginning of change

With the Internet storm, we were blown away. From intellectual pursuits to individual traits, globalisation changed professional know-hows, especially in media. The individual voice has gained momentum, organisational voices are in the background. I was more than my published articles and editorial pursuits. That needed to come out.

An idle mind is a devil’s workshop, so I put it to use and began to plan a master strategy that would help me establish a strong identity and highlight my strengths—writing, visual appeal, solid information, and easy readability. A SWOT analysis helped me gain clarity.

I told myself that age is a number that Google doesn’t pop on my screen; it doesn’t care, it only likes algorithm and consistency. I could do it, and I spent four hours daily learning via YouTube and reading technology blogs. I finally began to understand SEO, SERP, and algorithm.

I put my old brain to use and built new neurons and bridges. I killed over 1,000 posts and turned the rest into readable listicles. This took me all of 2020. But my writing is more than listicles, it’s an inner journey, my identity.

In 2021, I was ready to share all my interests and learnings and turn the blog into a mini-magazine with a variety that would be useful for anyone who found me on the web. Well, variety is the spice of life.

I thought until I got tired of thinking, then plunged into change with renaming, rebranding and launching on October 19, 2022.

Crafting the New Identity

With a clear vision, I focused on developing a brand that reflected my expertise with an ability to create lasting memories and appeal to readers of all ages and at all stages of life.

Building a Cohesive Brand

The rebranded blog serves as a platform for exploring new ideas, experimenting with different formats, and continuously evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of my readers.

The new name: Queen of Treasures

Our planet Earth is our Queen Mother with a bounty that keeps regenerating. It is abundant, nourishing, cherishing.

The new name was integrated into every aspect of the blog, including the logo, colour scheme, typography, and overall design.  

Rani Pink is the colour of joy and prosperity; the flowers signify the ability to regenerate as they contain seeds; our time is all about happiness, light and beauty that is within this circle of life on the planet.

Inspiration

Two magazines that stand for quality and evergreen content: Reader’s Digest and Time.

Both are over a 100-years-old and have appealed to generations of readers, thanks to their evergreen content. Time has the most fantastic covers.

Vision for Queen of Treasures

To bring stories that are a powerhouse of information and resources, adding value to the readers’ lives.

Mission for Queen of Treasures

To see the world without prejudice, spread my wings to take the readers to new places, introduce them to new cultures, open minds and hearts by sharing my learnings.

Main Categories/Brand Equity

My focus is sustainability, that is long-term impact, which is why I keep a moderate pace to generate high quality content.

Travel: Slow, mindful travel for absorbing experiences, soaking in the culture, meeting the natives, enjoying local dishes, preparing guides and itineraries, giving recommendations after personal experiences, and letting the serotonin flow.

Lifestyle: Promoting sustainable and planet-friendly living. Talking about food and drinks that are good for health, wearing clothing that lasts longer yet is stylish and chic, owning accessories that generate livelihood and are planet-friendly, wellness therapies that promote well-being, reading that generates knowledge, watching programmes that make the spirit happier, and resetting the brain for dopamine release.

Life Lessons: Lessons learned, accepting emotions that cause upheaval, sharing knowledge learned from guides and mentors, and walking the path of holistic well-being.

Environment: Taking care of the biodiversity that thrives on the planet and talking about critical issues related to climate change and other nature-related features.

Fiction: Stories are like dreams; they never have an end and they never have a beginning. The more you tap into them, the more dreams you find and the more you weave. Crafting stories keeps the dream alive, which is why reading, writing, and connecting are the doorways for the dream weavers.

Hopefully, I will be as dynamic as the universe, introducing more friendly podcasts, immersive videos and stunning photography.  

I look forward to your support. I hope you will remain with me on this journey of discovering new treasures and subscribe to stay connected.

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Dr. Preeti Chauhan.