Compared to other bloggers, I am fairly new to community, having only started my blog back in 2015. In that time I’ve learned how it’s not just a hobby for people to do when they get home from work or on the weekends from the comfort of their beds, but it is a flourishing industry that many popular bloggers have turned into a full-time job. When I started blogging I had no idea that it was a valid career choice, nor did I really care about that, but as I learned more about how you could spend your days at home, creating content and getting paid for it, the more enticing that online world seemed.
In 2017 I left my awful full-time job, not specifically to pursue blogging, but I told myself that I would give it the ol’ college try for a while and see how it went. In March of 2017 I blogged almost every single day and I was getting contacted by companies to promote their products. While this was incredibly exciting at first, I quickly realized that if I did this full-time, day in and day out, I would begin feeling very trapped by the obsession to gain more followers. After that, my relationship with blogging has been very up and down—some months I’m super into creating as much content as I can (such as this month) and others my passion dwindles and I get a little fed up with the constant comparison trap and issues with self-worth I tend to fall into.
For today’s post I wanted to talk a bit more in depth about what I love and hate about the blogging community, how I plan to approach this hobby going forward, and also link a few of my current favourite blogs as a way to share the love.
I Love That It Inspires Creativity
The main thing that motivated me to start my blog was that, at the time, I felt like I didn’t have a creative outlet where I could discuss my thoughts on certain issues and topics. I love thought provoking content and how it can completely change your perspective on an idea that you may have never even questioned before and that’s what I initially wanted to focus on with my blog. However, as time went by and I discovered more bloggers and delved deeper into the blogging community I learned that you can literally blog about anything you want and there will always be people out there who will read your content. I consider myself a lifestyle blogger because I couldn’t really fit myself into a niche when I started out, and still cant, for that matter. I don’t think you should have to fit into a niche at all because we are all individual in our own way and a blog allows you to explore all facets of your personality. You can talk about a controversial topic one day and then discuss your current makeup favourites the next—it’s all in your hands and you are in control of what you put out into the world.
I also think that women are often forced into accepting only certain identities for themselves, sometimes making them feel like they have to choose between liking makeup but also wanting to discuss more though provoking content, and I genuinely believe that a blog allows you to bridge that gap. You don’t have to be seen as just a beauty enthusiast because, let’s face it, some days we really don’t care about how we look. Furthermore, a blog allows you to dabble in creative functions other than just writing. You can learn new photography techniques to brighten up your posts and even pick up some basic coding to make your blog reflect the exact aesthetic experience you want your readers to have. It is a hub of ingenuity and freedom that you are the master of.
And, lest we forget, many men and women have been able to turn their blogs into full-time careers simply based on the fact that they are so passionate about what they blog about. You can have enough of a reach in the online world that major brands will want to partner with you to spread the word on new products or services that some people may have never even heard of if it wasn’t for a specific blogger. Blogging has changed the game when it comes to doing what you love or even just pursuing a creative release to the point of making it something that can also help you live the ultimate life that you want. That, in itself, inspires me to continue to share my thoughts on anything that I find relevant or intriguing, to push my creative boundaries, and to connect with those in the same community.
I Hate That It Promotes A False Notion Of Perfection
The main thing that turns me off from the blogging world and has me questioning the direction of my blog every few months is the notion of perfection that is often perpetuated by certain bloggers via their site and social media. Because many try to snag those sponsorships or PR packages (no hate; more power to you!) they tend to have to sugar coat a lot of their life and make it out to be constant cozy nights in or all-expenses paid vacations to the most insta story-worthy places in the world. I am not perfect and so I do not relate to those bloggers and their content. However, I do like aesthetic posts and an obvious effort made by a blogger to make their reader’s experience something beautiful and unique and those bloggers are usually very honest about the not-so-aesthetic aspects of their lives as well. They don’t shy away from posts about their mental and physical health or when they are struggling with any mundane issue that most of us probably struggle with and I appreciate that.
What I don’t appreciate is being made to feel inferior because my life is not picture perfect all the time or that I do not have a valid voice because of how I approach my content. I know that this may all just be in my head, but it is how I perceive certain parts of the blogging community and it has really left a sour taste in my mouth. I started blogging thinking it was very simple and straightforward, then quickly learned that there was also dark underbelly that you can very easily fall into if you are running your blog for insincere reasons. Because of this I have lost inspiration countless times feeling like my content isn’t worth it because it isn’t driving hoards of readers or brands my way and I don’t like thinking about it like that. There’s a purity to blogging that I think was lost a lot time ago and I really want to strive to rediscover it in myself the next few months without the pressure of numbers weighing on me.
Current Favourite Blogs
Whenever I do regain my inspiration and motivation with blogging I also rediscover my favourite bloggers. They remind me that creating content can be fun and not just work, even if it is their job. They also show me that it is okay to be human and to express it on their blogs because that is what having a platform is for!