It's hard to believe that it's been three years since I started a blog.
When I started this site, I was in such a bad head space in my life. Struggling with school, roommates, home life and of course, like any teenager, becoming a young adult. I had so many fears that were fueling my anxiety and I came to the realization that I needed a space of expression.
I never started this with the thought of "I want to make money" or "I want to be famous one day." It was purely a place of expression and still is. But, blogging wasn't always fulfilling for me.
Since the start of this blogging journey, my biggest struggle has been consistency. Which is normal for most bloggers. But I wasn't so much struggling to be consistent because of my school and workload. It was all about how I felt about myself.
I was struggling with insecurities stemming from a few different areas in my life. One of them being a lack of body confidence (aka not feeling good enough to post photos of myself on Instagram) and the others revolving around feeling like I couldn't compete with other bloggers.
Now, after all these years of being inconsistent, I always come back to blogging. Because I'm willing to work through any issues I have and my blog is the perfect place to do that.
I genuinely find happiness in blogging and I believe that all bloggers should feel that.
I genuinely find happiness in blogging and I believe that all bloggers should feel that.
So, whether you're a new blogger or you've been around for a while, I think I can offer some insight into the blogging world from a realistic perspective.
It's not just about writing
You might be the best writer in the world, but not many people will read your writing or care about it.
As a journalism student, I've had to hear this for a while now and it's heartbreakingly true. In this industry, building an audience is no longer just about what you have to say. It's also about the image of yourself you put out into the world.
If you haven't gotten it yet, I'm talking about Instagram.
Blogging has now moved from being solely about your writing to being more about your visual representation. It's about what your feed looks like, the kinds of activities you partake in and who your friends are.
That's not to say that your thoughts are unimportant, it's just no longer the sole factor in building an audience.
So, when thinking about how to go about being a blogger, keep in mind that it requires a level of openness and vulnerability. You have to be willing to let people into your personal life in order to get them to care about your writing.
Don't do it for the money or fame
Sure, there are plenty of bloggers that are making bank right now, but I believe that they're a special case. The blogging world is so saturated and for bloggers, that constantly brings up the idea of "how can I stand out?"
The bloggers that are making money from this have been around for years, which is how they stand out. Their following has been growing for a long time and they've had to grow while working with the ever-changing internet.
Because of this, most new bloggers won't make money for a few years after starting. Shoot, I haven't made diddly-squat and I'm three years in. So, if you're new to this whole blogging thing, please do your best to ignore all of the those Pinterest posts that claim you can make money starting from the jump.
I'm not saying it's impossible, but it takes a lot more than adding ads to your website to make it happen.
Also, if you're blogging for the money, you're doing it wrong.
Blogging shouldn't be for your wallet. It's about sharing your thoughts and ideas in order to better someone else's life. If you go into this thinking about your target audience and the positive impact you can have on that audience, it should be enough to keep you going. Because of that, the money is sure to follow.
This crap is really hard, but it's worth it
I mean, seriously. Blogging is so freaking hard.
It's all easy in the beginning because you're excited about all of the possibilities, but once you get into the motions of it, it gets really hard.
Not only do you have to be consistent with your blogging schedule, you have to remember to make one for your social media as well. And, let me not forget to mention that most of your time is spent editing, whether that be pictures or posts or emails.
So, it's all very glamorous from the outside looking in, but it takes a lot of time to make posts or stay consistent for longer than a month.
However, I don't want anyone to take this post the wrong way.
No matter how long I'm gone from blogging, I always come back to it because it's where my heart lies. Blogging, if you're really dedicated to it, is such a wonderful thing to do. I have a lot of pride in calling myself a "blogger."
Bloggers make an impact in the world, even if it doesn't always seem that way. We can change the way someone thinks about themselves and help improve their lives. And, for me, that's the goal. I want to make a difference in the world and I know my blog can let me do that.
So, here's to another year of blogging.
Going into year three I really hope that I can stick with it and I hope that you'll stick around too.
