WHY I STARTED BLOGGING: MY TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY
July 10, 2017It's hard to believe that two years ago, after weeks of debating, changing my mind and eventually planning it out, my own little space on the internet was created. Today marks my two year anniversary of blogging, and although I'm still a little fish in an ever-growing pond, I couldn't be more proud of how far I've come on my blogging journey. Therefore, I thought that I would give you all a little glimpse into why I decided to take the plunge and create my blog. I also want to share what motivates me to keep going, why I haven't given up yet and why blogging has made me happier.
I've always been a writer, but I've always found it difficult to share my ideas with other people, particularly in real life. When you're an insecure teen, unsure of yourself and where you fit in in your environment, the thought of sharing personal things, or doing something creative for yourself is absolutely petrifying. I know that personally, even to this day, no matter how hard I try to get over it, I have a massive fear of rejection and judgement. Which is probably why I waited to leave high school before starting up my own blog.
I also truly believe that social media has been a key influence in allowing me to open myself up both inside and out. I share pictures of my life practically every single day, with personal captions and expressions of myself. Around this time two years ago, my Instagram following was expanding day by day, (a totally different story today, but now I don't really care so much) so I set myself a goal - "if / when I hit 10k followers, then I'll start my own blog." It was something I had always wanted to do, but my anxiety had always stopped me in my tracks; "What if no-one even reads it?" "What if people I know are going to laugh at me for taking it so seriously? I don't want people to think that I think so highly of myself." I wanted to wait until I felt like I had a large enough audience that would actually want to read my posts, because to me, if no-one read what I put out there, then one of my biggest goals would fail and I genuinely didn't believe that I would be able to cope with that failure. The blog would be deleted, and I would never talk about it again.
Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised and really excited to see my blog take off right from the beginning. Every new post got hundreds, upon hundreds of views and I just could not believe that people were genuinely interested in my words, pictures and opinions. I got sent products to review, I was given discount codes to promote and I even got to attend an event at the company I now work for. But I'm not going to lie and say that since then my blog has been a roaring success. I discovered about six months into blogging that my photos were being used to catfish people on a social networking profile in Russia, and that led me to completely stop uploading fashion posts and pictures of myself to a space that was supposed to be personal to me. Eventually my audience began to dwindle and due to real life matters; university, my job, my poor mental health, I started to find it really difficult to put out good content that people would enjoy.
As I started to distance myself from my blog I started to remember why I originally created it - for me, myself and I, no-one else. I started this blog because I love to write, and it took a long time for me to bring myself back into that mindset. I couldn't care less if something I write gets 30 views or 300 views, that's not what this is about and it should never have become that. Posting sporadically became a source of respite because I didn't feel pressured to put out content continuously, and I felt like I could actually take a step back from social media and actually enjoy my life. In doing so, ideas naturally started to spring to my mind and I documented them because I felt like doing it, not because I anticipated the amount of attention that post would receive. This in turn made me much happier, and meant that I was able to improve on myself and the quality of my posts, even if it was something as basic as a bath bomb review, or a personal post about my life.
In the last few weeks, I've started to integrate into what my fellow bloggers call the "blogosphere," an online community where bloggers, vloggers and other independent creators uplift and support each others work. Since then I've been introduced to so many wonderful and supportive people that have made blogging a more enjoyable experience. It makes me feel good that people like to read my thoughts on a wide range of subjects and that I've managed to engage with some truly lovely individuals. But, I've also noticed that feeling of envy and competitiveness creep back into my life. I now feel like if a post doesn't get over 100 views, then it's a failure. If people don't like or retweet my latest post, no one is ever going to read it. I know a lot of people wouldn't admit to feeling like this, but it's inevitable that we all will at some point. It's a big world out there, and some bloggers are only focused on how many sponsored posts they can do with companies and how much they can gain from blogging. It's sad, and it's frustrating that I feel like that sometimes too, and more often than not I just want to give up and pack it all in, but it's important to remain focused on why I started this blog in the first place - for me.
I know my blog may not be the most stylish, I don't have the most followers or viewers, I'm not dedicated to spending my time constantly editing pictures or my blog, and I certainly don't want to spend a fortune on updating to the latest computer software or digital camera so I can stay relevant and attract a larger audience. But two years on, I'm so proud of how much my little corner of the web has grown. I started all of this for myself, and it was a big step to put as much of myself out there as I do, but I would never go back. Not in a million years. People in real life and online may love, hate or feel neutral to what I do and what I'm trying to achieve through this - that's fine with me. All I want to do is make myself happy, grow as a person and become a better version of myself one post at a time. Creativity and positivity, that's what my blog has always been about, and that's what blogging should be about for everyone.
So, whether you've read my content from day one, or this is the first you've ever glanced at my writing, whether you love what I do, or I constantly annoy you with my shameless self-promotion, each and every one of you have been a huge part of my blogging journey. Two years ago I never imagined that I would still be blogging, let alone that I would have become a part of a community that's so much bigger that it appears. Thank you for everything.
Thanks for reading and continuing to provide me with love and support. I will never be truly able to express my gratitude, but I hope it comes across in future posts.
Until the next time,
Rachel
14 comments
Loved reading this and I can relate so much to it! I am so much happier blogging now that it doesn't bother me as much who reads and whether i'm going to be spent products! I just enjoy writing and producing content I hope others enjoy reading! Lovely to read x
ReplyDeleteThank you, that's exactly how I feel and as long as I continue to enjoy what I do I'll continue to enjoy it. Thanks lovely! x
DeleteCongrats on your second year blogging anniversary, it's my second year anniversary too! I hope you continue to love blogging x
ReplyDeleteKayleigh Zara 🌻🍂www.kayleighzaraa.com
I saw your post (Disqus was being super annoying and wouldn't let me comment!) congrats to you too my lovely! All the best for the year to come x
DeleteI loved this. As a newbie it's really encouraging to read posts like this to inspire and keep you going. Thank you for writing it and keep doing you x
ReplyDeleteAw omg thank you so so much! I hope you continue to keep going and make the most out of blogging x
DeleteGreat inspiration!! Thank you!!
ReplyDeletewww.juderivers.com
Thanks for reading! x
DeleteHappy Blog Birthday!!! I think blogging should be for yourself first and foremost..since joining the blogosphere I feel so much better at blogging there are so many supportive people out there
ReplyDeleteRonnie
www.veronicabizzarri.com
xx
Thanks Ronnie! I couldn't agree more, I was a bit nervous at first about fully immersing myself into the blogosphere but I'm so glad I did. I really think and hope it's made me a better blogger! x
DeleteSo happy you're on 2 years! I've been blogging for around 2 years as well, it's been hard focusing on all the wrong things but, it has gotten so much better now!
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely tricky trying not to get consumed by everything and distracted but there are so many positives that keep me grounded! x
DeleteThis was such a cute and positive post to read. Hope to see more from you
ReplyDeleteJessica & James | www.foodandbaker.co.uk / www.foodandbakertravels.co.uk
Thank you! x
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