HOW I'VE PROGRESSED AS A BLOGGER
December 01, 2017
It was just over six months ago that I finally began to take my blog seriously, and immerse myself in the online blogging community, and I think it's pretty evident that since then, almost everything about my blog has improved to a standard I never believed possible. However, I do continue to feel a little inadequate when measured against the success of others that I admire and look up to (but then again, find me a blogger that never feels like that.) The only way to overcome this insecurity, is through self-reflection, and looking back on where I used to be, and making a note of the changes to my blog and my own happiness. What better way to demonstrate this, than by taking a look back over the last year of my blog and reflecting on the huge progressive steps I've made.
CONTENT
My blog has never really fit into any genre of writing, which has always been the case even since its creation (and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.) I also pride myself on being as open, and as personal as I can possibly be, and although I'm not exactly creating revolutionary, ground-breaking material with every post, I'm happy and proud of the content I try to consistently create. This is definitely a stark change from my previously casual attitude towards my blog. For example, during the months of July-December last year I posted a measly 12 times; and I definitely wouldn't be content with producing and promoting that kind of content today. My posts mainly consisted of poorly constructed reviews and sporadic personal updates, and even though I produce similar content today, I dedicate a lot of effort to it. Whereas this year, I posted 12 times in July alone, and I've managed to stick to a regular posting schedule as and when reality allows. Now, I also put a lot more of myself into my writing. I'm no longer afraid to lay myself bare and let my readers pick apart every word I write, without the fear of being judged. However, I still try to throw in a few fun, niche and cliche posts that every blogger has to write at least once. Hopefully over the next year, I can focus on producing more original and unique content, but until then I will do all the tag posts I want, thank you very much!
OUTFIT PHOTOS
I still have yet to get the knack of looking "naturally poised" in my outfit pictures. I also rarely manage to find the time to dedicate a whole outfit to one post that is totally unrelated, and then find a brand spanking new outfit for the next post. I have the greatest admiration for anyone who has that kind of dedication to fashion, but I simply cannot manage it right now. But that's not to say that I don't take a keen interest in it, after all when I created "creativity and positivity" I had every intention of following in the footsteps of every other fashion blogger. Armed with my boyfriend, his iPad and my back garden, I proudly posed in my back garden to capture outfit photos such as these:
FLAT LAYS
A year ago, I didn't even know there was an Official Term for placing a variety of objects on your bedsheets and taking photos of them, which is pretty much all I was capable of doing until the summer. I never once contemplated using backgrounds, unnecessary props or fairy lights, nor did I realise how essential these things are to perfecting the one thing every blogger struggles with. I just laid items out on my wrinkly sheets, snapped one photo and added it to the post. Despite the massive improvement I've made with my flatlays (even when I look back at my flatlays from six months ago!), I think everyone feels slightly insecure about their photography. I have developed my own style of photography, which is something I never thought I could achieve, however I hope to improve over the next six months. That might even mean investing in proper backgrounds and not just relying on white blankets to create that crisp background to lay various items on.
NUMBERS
No matter how often I tell myself that numbers don't matter, it definitely boosts my confidence when I smash the stats of a previous month. At the very beginning of my blog, I was lucky to even get and handful of views per post - if I managed to break twenty I was relatively happy. Since I began to put more effort into my blog, the content I produce and the photos I take, I've noticed a sharp rise in my daily, monthly and all-time views. This of course, is in part due to the discovery of some truly wonderful accounts that go above and beyond to share content with the wider blogging community, and I've also discovered some wonderful bloggers through those accounts too. Moving forward, I'm trying not to let numbers dictate the direction of my blog. I may not hit my rather unrealistic number goals by the end of the year, but I've made my peace with that, and hopefully I will learn to release myself from the hold digital numbers have on my life.
TIME AND DEDICATION
Back in the beginning of my blog, I could throw a post together in 30 minutes, including photos, and hitting publish; nowadays writing one post takes at least a couple of days. I spend most of my time planning, taking photos in bulk and meticulously organising my content so as not to have too many similar posts in close proximity to each other. I'm constantly snipping and editing posts I'm unhappy with, whereas a year ago, even if I wasn't happy with what I was writing, I published it anyway just to take the pressure to produce off of my shoulders. Now, if I'm in a slump, I'm in a slump, and I'll wait until my writers block passes to pick up where I left off. Blogging is all about the ebb and flow of our own personal emotions, and sometimes life gets in the way of what we hope to achieve. Again, this is something I'm still trying to learn and I only hope that will begin to allow myself the me-time I so desperately need now and again.
COMMUNITY
When I started my blog, I was very reluctant to get involved with other bloggers. I've spent and documented most of my life online, and although I've always had online friends, I have never fully immersed myself into any type of community or fan-base for a number of reasons. Partially, from my own haughty complexes and competitive need to be the only person doing something ever and if anyone shares my hobby I will absolutely destroy them (but I'm over that now, I promise!). But this reluctance mainly came from my own feelings of insecurity and fear of never fitting in with others, especially with others who share the same hobby and succeed at it in ways I could never imagine. However, by becoming apart of the blogging community, I have been welcomed in with open arms, and found a sense of confidence in my blog that I never felt before. I have been able to improve and do better every day, thanks to the support of the fabulous people around me. Thank you to each and every one of you.
I hope this post will serve as a reminder to myself and all of you, that sometimes in order to feel better we have to look back on the momentous steps of improvement we have all made, in all areas of our lives. I know I'm not at a perfect standard yet, and I still have long way to go regarding every aspect of my blog, however that's for another post which may or may not feature in my Blogmas line-up. Let's hope I make it that far!
Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you'll stick with me every day this month!
Until next time,
Rachel x
12 comments
Great post so interesting to hear about your progression. Also... HAPPY DECEMBER 1st!!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you! x
DeleteI'm super proud of your progression and you should be so proud of yourself too! I can't wait to see all of your festive posts. I also LOVE the two outfits from your older photos x
ReplyDeleteAlice www.accordingtoalicex.com
You're literally the cutest person, thank you so much! I love them too, I might even update my photographs on the older posts, or recycle outfits in new ones x
DeleteWell done for keeping up the good work, and Happy Blogmas! We can do this!!
ReplyDeleteMichaela | www.aureliablush.co.uk
xxxxxxx
Thanks love - best of luck to you for Blogmas! x
DeleteSuch a lovely post, reflecting is always great and your photography is looking amazing! I'm hoping to make my blog more personal and get it away from being solely a beauty blog, as that is not what I'm all about, there is so much more to my personality x
ReplyDeleteLily | Covet Luxe
Thank you so much my love! That sounds fabulous, you are amazing at what you do, but sometimes a bit of a change can leave you feeling much more refreshed x
DeleteGreat post! You are so right about progression! I discovered you through Twitter: ) Hello from California!
ReplyDeletexoxo,
Bri
www.soulofstripes.com
Thank you so much! x
DeleteLovely post!! :D
ReplyDeleteWell done on your progress! What I liked when I read this psot is that you haven't rushed to reach a certain standard, you've just enjoyed learning and growing. That's so important, and it's nice to see that you're so proud of where you've come xx
ReplyDeleteWhatLydDid com