SHATTERING THE BLOGGING ILLUSION: IT'S OKAY NOT TO BE PERFECT!
September 07, 2017There's a certain amount of pressure within the blogging community to keep up appearances and be on the top of your game 24/7. Social media is, without a doubt, one of the great inventions of our time. We're able to communicate openly and honestly with strangers across the world, sharing our emotions, achievements and day to day anecdotes in a constant stream of tweets and photos. As enjoyable as this may be, we all can admit we've felt the pressure to stand out amongst the crowd. With more and more people of the opinion that blogging is becoming a saturated market, and with brands expecting more from the average blogger than should be deemed necessary, sometimes we can become stuck in a rut and fall out of love with blogging.
This post is definitely not coming from a place of bitterness, or ill fortune to those who are able to keep up with the direction the blogging community seems to be heading in. Quite the opposite in fact. Yes, I do get a little touch of the green-eyed monster when I see these fabulous, well-dressed 20-somethings, signed with a great PR company scoring opportunity after opportunity. They travel to places I only get to see on TV, and receive an endless amount of post from different brands and companies (seriously, how busy must their postman be?!) and they continue to create wonderful content that takes their stat count to numbers I could only dream of seeing, whilst still keeping focused on family, work and turning blogging into a business.
I don't get those opportunities, but they have various factors that enable them to do that. They have time. The vast majority also seem to have some experience in marketing / business / PR or something else to that effect. They have disposable income that allows them to purchase the latest Apple products, HD DSLR cameras and every other piece of modern technology and equipment you would associate with blogging. I don't have that luxury, many of us don't, and that seems to be something that has been lost within the wider blogging community today. I see so many tweets or posts written with a tone of envy and nastiness towards these seemingly "perfect" bloggers. In today's post (my 100th, to be exact!), I want to shatter this illusion of perfection and tell each and every one of you, being perfect isn't a necessity.
Blogging for me has always been a hobby. I never felt under pressure to take incredible pictures with a great quality camera, or fit every possible prop into a bright, clear arrangement for a flatlay photo. I'm a known outfit repeater who usually takes pictures in her back garden. I didn't know that you could even schedule tweets, grow your view count into five figures or reach out and speak to brands at will. I've always placed emphasis on my writing and I do my best to ensure that no matter what the content of a post centres around, my writing should take priority. I would go months without publishing anything because I simply didn't have the time to spare and dedicate to my blog, or I got bored halfway through writing a post. That was until I joined the blogging community.
I'm a 20 year old student, who attends university full-time and works pretty much every weekend. I have always been painfully average at everything I do. I may not have a lot of time on my hands, but I do have certain privileges that other bloggers may not, such as a little bit of money to spend as I see fit and since moving I'm lucky enough to have these incredible views right on my back door. Asides from that, I'm pretty much in the same boat as a lot of other bloggers. I don't have that much money leftover after bills and rent, that enables me to buy every single item from the latest lifestyle or beauty collection. I try to keep to my schedule, improve my photography and create content that makes me happy. But sometimes it still isn't enough.
I don't wake up to brand opportunities flooding my inbox, or parcels arriving at my doorstep every day. I'm certainly no Annie Leibovitz when it comes to photography, and I definitely won't be winning any blogging awards any time soon. I don't have a Mac, or whatever that fancy camera is that everyone seems to have. I very rarely have the opportunity to attend events every night. None of those things give me some time of "special snowflake, look-at-me-I'm-not-like-other-bloggers" complex, don't worry about that. Do I feel down about it sometimes? A little, but that's a natural feeling I guess. When people are constantly tweeting about their view count, or the amazing opportunity a brand has just approached them about (which I am totally guilty of doing btw, sorry!), it does leave me feeling a little down-heartened. I'm often left wondering, "Where am I going wrong?"
However, with that being said, I'm certainly in no hurry to start changing every aspect of my blog to keep up with what everyone else is doing. I have schedule that I try to stick to, but I'm open to being flexible. I'm happy with the content I'm producing, the pictures I take and the words I put onto paper. Above everything else, I will always support bloggers who are making a positive impact on the community, and who work their asses off to create incredible content. As for those bloggers who continue to "break the glass ceiling" as Holly put it, they were like all of us once. In years to come perhaps we will be the ones to set the bar and inspire others to follow us. But I would never want anyone to feel pressured to enter into a metaphorical competition where the "winners" already have 10+ gold medals, and the "losers" are left wondering what they're doing wrong.
"Crucible" is one of my favourite words. When I was in high school, I studied the play, and used the title in a history essay. My history teacher was so impressed, it became my class nickname. It has a lot of definitions, and is more commonly referred to as a "melting pot", but in this circumstance it meant, "a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development." That's how the blogging community feels sometimes. There are lots of silent trials, and tests, where we are expected to adhere to a set of unspoken rules and create content that leaves readers in awe, and inspires them to do the same. Sometimes I feel like I fail these tests, and I fall out of love with blogging again.
I am not a perfect blogger, sometimes I feel like the farthest thing from it. And I know I'm not alone in feeling like that. We shouldn't feel like that. Blogging is personal, and it shouldn't be about who gets what opportunity, or who hits x amount of followers and views first. Real life can take over, and we can get caught up in our every day lives. That's normal and it's healthy, and we shouldn't feel ashamed about neglecting our blogs.
The only influence or change that should matter, is how we positively grow as individuals, and a wider community from supporting one another and creating content that we love and are proud to post. You don't have to keep up with appearances, and you definitely shouldn't feel pressured into doing so. It saddens me that so many of us are affected by this, and that I even had to write this post.
You are good enough. You're great at what you do, and as long as you continue to love and appreciate that, you will succeed. I promise.
COAT: PRIMARK
TOP: NEW LOOK
SKIRT: EXHIBIT
SHOES: PRIMARK
Have you ever felt pressure to stand out within a certain environment? Do you sometimes feel left behind in the blogging community?
I hope you enjoyed another glimpse into the ramblings of my brain. Thank you for reading.
Until next time,
Rachel
23 comments
Yes yes YES!!! I really can't express how much I agree with pretty much everything you have said... #preach!
ReplyDeleteaaah thanks my love! x
DeleteYou really are a gem and I relate to this so so much - especially what you said about the metaphorical competition where the "winners" already have 10 gold medals, and the "losers" left wondering what they're doing wrong. I feel like this all the time but am really trying to remember that you can't compare your journey to someone else's in that way because so many factors come into play. It's easier said than done to apply it to yourself though! Great post gal, your writing is excellent and to me that is the most important aspect of a blog xxx
ReplyDeleteSophie | Sophar So Good
You're the best Soph. I totally agree, and that kind of relates to your taking your own advice post! It's so hard trying to bear all of these things in mind when you feel completely off and distanced from the community. Thank you so much xx
Deleteit can be a little disheartening to see other bloggers doing so much better than you, but ya gotta rememer to just keep doing yo thang! they always say comparison is the thief of joy, don't they? i try and only really compete with myself...2 new followers?? YAY ME! another like on facebook - woop woop treat yoself!! haha
ReplyDeletei really, thoroughly enjoyed this post. such an important thing to remember and you express yourself beautifully!
katie. xx lacoconoire.com
That's the most important thing Katie! Hehe thanks gal x
DeleteOmg yes! This happens to me on IG, most of my blogging friends are getting invites to event and getting parcels and I'd feel envious. I always try not to though but I'd always think of where did I go wrong etc. But I also have tjose days when I don't give a shit about others haha and I actually like that.
ReplyDeleteBut ya, thanks so much for this post Rachel. You made me confident that maybe it's just not my time yet. :) I'll get there to where successful bloggers are now too. ❤️
Thank you Glazia! I believe in you, it's just frustrating that it can end up being a waiting game for all of us! x
DeleteLoved this post! I completely agree it's easy to become overcome with jealousy and the major factor is how you deal with it. I often catch myself comparing the state of my blog and lifestyle to others but purely have to remember I'm only 16 and the opportunities others have may come to me later. This post was so inspirational and really makes you think before you judge who other people are!!
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work
Ellie
www.headintheclouds.me.uk
And I think what you do at 16 is way better than what I could ever have accomplished at that age Ellie, so you should be so proud! x
DeleteI absolutely get what you mean. With some people being so successful and you doing your best, you just wonder how and why you are not doing as well. I think at the beginning we have felt a bit left-behind but we were still searching for our niche so we didn't know where to sit. But now we are all good and doing at our pace! xx corinne
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that Corinne! x
DeleteTHIS IS SO TRUE! I've been in the blogging game for a long long time, and when I first started it was just so much fun because people didn't care about getting sponsored products or being flown across the country, it was just a way to write down your thoughts! I admit that I do get jealous too, but like you said, everyone's different and at different stages in life and it's completely fine. In fact, I'm glad that I'm not one of those high-profile blogs... I'd hate dealing with the pressure!
ReplyDeleteLizzie Bee // Hello Lizzie Bee
Me too Lizzie! I don't know how they cope with the consistent expectations and standards they're held to x
DeleteI relate to so much of what you've talked about here! I started blogging to get back into the habit of writing but getting more involved with the blogging community has made me more self conscious about how my instagram looks and what photos I use in my posts. I need to remind myself that those things aren't the reason I started and there's no right way to do any of it.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post! And I love your photos
I can totally relate to that too Bronia, I feel constantly out of place when it comes to themes and the like, but I'm doing my best to focus on posting what makes ME happy, and I think that helps me stand out a little bit too! Thanks so much x
DeleteThis post is everything I have wanted to write recently. Like you, I'm often envious of bigger bloggers, but I have to remind myself that they've worked hard to get where they are. There's every chance that once, they were sat where I was, churning out posts for very little in return. Perhaps it was in a time where there weren't so many people blogging and sharing their lives online, but they worked hard nonetheless. I love that you're able to have a schedule but allow yourself to be flexible at the same time; I'm definitely working on not beating myself up so much when I miss a scheduled blogging day!
ReplyDeleteYou summarised it perfectly Rebekah, and I totally agree with everything you've said! x
DeleteYASSSSSS GURL! This is so so good! I completely agree, sometimes there is soooo much pressure in the blogging world. I find this particularly in the context of consistency, people are trying to produce more and more content incredibly frequently, and for me, it just isnt possible to blog every day or even every other day. I think now I just try to do my own thing - blog if and when I feel like it, and run my own race. Sometimes its hard to ignore everyone else, but generally, I feel much better for it! x
ReplyDeletewhatevawears.co.uk
Thanks Eva! I'm starting to find consistency to be a big problem for myself, I thought I would be able to keep on top of a schedule but sometimes it's just not that feasible. I admire that you go with your own flow! x
DeleteCan't remember the last time I related to something this much! It's easy to say we shouldn't compare ourselves to others but its definitely hard when we are constantly bombarded with images of people appearing to be perfect on social media!
ReplyDeleteGreat post lovely, could really tell you were being totally honest with both yourself and us! 💕
Thank you so much, I'm so glad you could relate! x
DeleteLoved this post! I definitely get a bit jealous of other bloggers and the opportunities they get but also I know they've worked hard to get there so I should be happy for them. Congratulations on your 100th post!
ReplyDeletewww.theemeralddove.co.uk