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Why I Blog (And The Ups & Downs Of It)

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I’ve been working away on some BIG changes for this little ol’ blog of mine, and I can’t wait to share them with you guys. Until then, all the pondering about my blog has lead me to one ultimate question…

“Why Do I Blog?”

Because I had to ask myself this and dig deep, I thought it might be helpful to share with you guys too — whether you are a blogger yourself, looking to start one, researched techniques from websites like TrustRadius.com, or are just plain curious.

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Top: H&M (similar) | Skirt: H&M | Bag: Mango (old – love this) | Sunglasses: Le Specs (similar) | Bracelets: BaubleBar c/o | Shoes: H&M

I’ve been blogging since 2011, so a lot has changed over the past 6 years. I believe the root of why I started blogging has remained the same, but the blogging world has changed and I have changed as well. What led me to blogging in the first place, was many hours of browsing Pinterest. This led me to one blog, and then another, and then another until I was in this endless black hole of blogs. I eventually had a full reading list of blogs I checked every single day.

Because I loved these blogs and felt like I gained so much knowledge and community from them, I decided to start my own. Simple. As. That. I signed up for a blogspot account, came up with the name you see on the blog today, and slapped on a default layout (I changed the color to lavender. It was still really ugly). As time went on, I become more serious about blogging and how much time I was going to spend on each post. I knew this was the way forward if I wanted to create something successful. After looking into companies like NGP Integrated Marketing Communications and using their services , I began to understand that there was way more to the blogging world that I had ever thought. But I am glad that I know what I do today. People think blogging is just about posting photos and a simple article, but there is so much more to it which I eventually found out.

Then, I actually had the guts to start Pinning my own stuff on Pinterest and promoting myself on my Facebook. I don’t know if I would be so bold today, so I have to give props to my younger self. But in all honesty, if you want to start anything — a blog, a YouTube, an instagram, the first thing to do is to START. Don’t worry about followers or likes just yet, you can cross that bridge when you get to it. If that’s what’s stopping you, there are services like Nitreo which can boost your following pretty quickly! There really is nothing stopping you now, take the leap!

Stop questioning yourself. You are your own biggest critic and enemy.

The blogging world has changed a lot. Instagram was nonexistent when I first started and YouTube was just getting traction, (although the YouTube and blog worlds didn’t really collide.) These days you can have a platform anywhere you choose, and blogs aren’t the only place to look for inspiration.

While I go through my phases of loving and hating the blog, at the end of the day it’s my baby. I’ve been through a few career changes in my adult years but it’s the ONE constant thing in my life that I never get sick of. I started this blog to form a community, to inspire, to be inspired, and to maybe help someone learn something new from time. (Although I learn things from you guys just as much! I love ya for that!)

Blogging is more popular than ever before. Many say the market is oversaturated, and there’s no point in starting a blog, but I disagree. The market is oversaturated yes, but there’s always room for more. There’s always room for different and using services like Salesforce you can make any personal or business blog look stunning, unique and bring in new business!

Over the past few years I felt like blogs (including my own blog) started to become almost robotic. Posting an outfit. Talking about said outfit. Posting affiliate links. “Hey buy this sweater! In every color!” When everyone is telling us to buy the same Nordstrom sweater, are we really getting inspired?

My original blog posts, cringeworthy as they may be, offered helpful information.

Which is why I felt the need to make a blog shift. You may have noticed in my recent posts, I don’t really talk about the outfit. You guys have eyes, you see what I’m wearing. If I feel it’s something helpful, I’ll talk about it, but other than that, I want to engage with you on things that bring value to your day. Not tell you why I think floral print is the “print of the season”.

Don’t get me wrong – there are some bloggers who do the shopping and styling thing REALLY well, and I’m not knocking any other bloggers here, I’m knocking myself. I started to lose my identity. For that I am sorry to you, and sorry to myself.

So here we are. Why do I blog?

I blog to express myself. My fashion, my mind, my heart. I want to take bits of my life where I feel like I’ve learned something or realized something, and pass it on to you. I want to feel free to be creative here in my writing and my imagery. It’s why I read other people’s blogs too!

I would love to know, (if you blog) why do you blog? Do you agree or disagree with any of the above?

Love you all, thank you for reading!

Photos: Gabi Wells

10 Comments

  1. Thursday, October 26, 2017 / 5:27 am

    I absolutely love this. Blogging is so much fun, and it’s great to stop and think about not only why we started, but our motivations and aspirations in it, too! Despite all the rises and falls!

    I hope you’re having a great Thursday!
    Michael
    https://www.mileinmyglasses.com

    • Thursday, October 26, 2017 / 11:51 pm

      Thanks Michael! It’s always good to revisit that, to reignite the flame! Hope your week is going great 🙂

  2. Thursday, October 26, 2017 / 6:43 pm

    I 100 % love this article! It is so easy to get caught up with what everyone else is doing. You inspire me to be simply, me! Thank you!

    • Thursday, October 26, 2017 / 11:53 pm

      Thank you Shantell! I’m so happy it resonated with you! Hope you’re having a great week so far. xo

  3. Thursday, October 26, 2017 / 9:07 pm

    I have asked myself this question too. I blog because I want to learn, grow and escape from the misery I feel at my day job, every day. I blog because I want to be more creative, less bored and boring and to inspire others to live a simpler life. It is easy to lose yourself in the blogging world/process though, i agree to that. And, sad or not, people do go after the fashion a lot. My ultimate goal is to create a simple, genuine community beyond fashion. Love the post! ❤️

    • Thursday, October 26, 2017 / 11:56 pm

      I feel you!! It was my escape from my day job as well. I love that you have a similar goal! Keep it up 🙂

  4. Thursday, October 26, 2017 / 10:27 pm

    This post really connected with me because I am also a blogger, and I first began with blogspot.com around 2010. I started it to simply share my spiritual journey with anyone who could use some encouragement, and to reach others to assure them they are not alone in whatever they’re facing! After reading your post, it was a rewarding exercise for me to remember why I started blogging in the first place. Thanks so much for this post – I admire when people keep it authentic

    • Thursday, October 26, 2017 / 11:57 pm

      I love this so much!! Thank you for sharing!

  5. Friday, October 27, 2017 / 4:33 pm

    I totally agree with this post. I only just recently started blogging because I needed a creative release while I was in PA school to take my mind off medicine. I got inspiration the same way you did from other bloggers but I’ve noticed a big switch in some of the bloggers I’ve known your years to be constantly posting giveaways to gain followers and pushing products down your throat (when you know they don’t really use it). I know most go that route because it’s a faster way to gain followers on social media but I just feel like many have lost that genuine unique touch which is what you want from a blog. I love to hear that you are going back to the more meaningful posts and content! I find I get the most joy when I post about random stuff in my life like marriage, hair, and random trips to the grocery store lol. It might not be the fastest way to a following but I definitely feel it’s a more genuine and true reflection of me. Can’t wait to see your new stuff!

  6. Saturday, November 4, 2017 / 10:25 am

    Hi! I really like the authenticity of this post. 🙂
    I started blogging about a month ago in order to really immerse myself in the vegan community. I’m basically documenting my journey and I find it really cool to look back (even two weeks ago) to see what I’ve done. I agree with you, that while the blog world may be oversaturated, having a blog is a creative outlet and a great way to express yourself. I would encourage anyone to start a blog if that’s something they wanted to try!

    Also – I love the Vegan View! I normally watch when I’m making dinner 🙂

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