I’ll just come out and say it—I’ve fallen out of love with my blog. I began writing in this little corner of the internet back in 2015, originally calling my blog Katsomething. I wasn’t really taking it seriously, mostly just wanting to write freely about topics that interested me. It was only after I was introduced to other blogs that were doing such innovative and inspiring things that I really fell in love with the hobby and put a lot of effort into it. I began pre-planning blog posts, bought a DSLR camera to combine my love of writing with my love of photography in a more professional way, and for a while it really helped my blog get off the ground.
But after a few years passed I started losing momentum and losing the direction I wanted to take my content in. I have always considered this a lifestyle blog, but I was running out of ideas to write about and felt like maybe everything I was creating was just trivial in the grand scheme of things. So, I stopped posting what I had been and less frequently, mostly aiming for once a week. It was only after I rebranded it as Katerina Writes that I started getting a bit more of my inspiration back and realizing that a blog doesn’t have to be about one thing or focus on serious topics in order to make an impact—it can just be about having fun and a creative release.
For today’s post I wanted to talk a bit about falling back in love with your blog and a few techniques I’m implementing to achieve that.
Create What Inspires You
One thing I’ve had to remind myself of over and over again is that it’s okay to create whatever it is that I like. If that’s a post about makeup I’m into, then that’s just as valid as one about mental health. It doesn’t have to always be doom and gloom; there is room to have a bit of fun. I’m making it a point going forward to create what inspires me and what I like to read on other people’s blogs.
Of course, everyone’s style is different, but there are topics that I find myself gravitating toward and phases that I tend to go through. For instance, right now I’m really into makeup so I’ve been playing around with a few new products that I hope to share on this blog soon. Would that post make as much of an impact as one about politics? Probably not, and that’s okay. I am allowed to have fun with my hobby.
Put In Effort
I noticed a significant pattern with regards to how much I liked/disliked my blog and it usually revolved around how much effort I was putting into it. If I was just taking sloppy pictures in the hopes that I’ll have something to post for the week I would stop feeling inspired to create fun content because my blog wasn’t reflecting the style I wanted it to. It’s only after I get myself into the habit of taking a bunch of photos and pre-planning my posts that I get that surge of excitement to put up new content. Going forward I want to work harder on creating a space that interests me more than anything and hopefully others will recognize it as well.
Share Your Work
I’ve never really liked the act of self-promotion because it can feel a bit icky to constantly be pushing your work on others. But, sharing what you’ve created is incredibly important for me with regards to how I view my blog. If I feel comfortable sharing my work, then I know that I’ve created something I am proud of and that feeling surpasses any of the awkwardness of self-promotion. I can confidently show others what I’ve made, knowing that it is something I’ve put effort into and aligns with how I want my blog to be perceived.
Treat It As A Priority
For many people, myself included, blogging is a hobby, so it can be tricky to factor it into our everyday lives as much as we’d like to. However, once I start prioritizing it and adding blog posts to my to-do list for the week, the more confident I feel about my blog and the more excited I am to cultivate it. There are times when I’m in a slump and post last minute in order to put something up for the week, and that rarely makes me feel inspired. Right now, I have planned out the blog posts I want to put out for the next month and a half and that act alone is motivating me and making me excited to get creative and share my work.