Confessions of a New Blogger

I'm doing a bit more of a person post today since I've realized a few things since I started blogging. When I first started my blog last March I never realized just how much went into it. Of course, there is the obvious parts (writing posts, taking pictures, ect.) but there is so much more that I never really thought about.

I began my blog as a creative outlet for myself. My blog was a place where I could talk openly about things, or if I didn't feel like talking I could talk about something I loved. Fashion has always been something I was extremely interested in, and my family members always tell me that I'll go broke because I buy too many clothes.

A few years ago, a new friend introduced me to a few of the many blogs she followed, and this opened up a new world for me. I became instantly obsessed. I loved reading about their lives and going into stores and seeing outfits that they posted about. However, I never really thought about creating my own blog. I alwasy assumed that my friend who introduced them to me would start one since she had been following them for years before me. One day, I asked her why she hasn't and she turned to me and said that she absolutely hates peole taking pictures of her so it is not something she is interested in. After a minute, she looked up at me and said she's surprised that I haven't.

The thought of having my own blog floated around my mind for a little while. It just wasn't something I thoguht I would be good at. A month or two later, it was still something I thought about a lot. I went to the mall one day in January and when I walked into a store, the salesgirl complemented my outfit (a white sweater, navy vest, blanket scarf, jeans, and ridiing boots). After mentioning how much she liked my outfit a few times, she asked if I was a blogger. When I said no, she responded that I should because she would definetly like to follow it. I thought this was a nice complement, and I ended up telling my mom the story. Without even hesitating, she told me I should, and mentioned it several times in the weeks after.

FInally, I decided it couln't hurt to give it a try. After a few months, I realized just how time consuming blogging was. I needed to set aside time to write, take pictures, and put together the final post. Also, I quickly saw that I needed to diversify my posts. Not all of them could be personal, and not all could be purely outfit based. Another thing I realized was just how hard it is to gain followers and readers. I became a little frustrated while reading other blogs I followed. Most have professional websites and photographers, and mine just couldn't compare. Suddenly, I was so focused on making my blog seem as professional as possible I feel like I lost the personal touch. Over my many years now of reading blogs, I discovered that a good blog makes the reader feel asif you have a connection with the person you're reading about. Through their posts bloggers become real people with personalities, thoughts, and interests.

One day I looked at my blog and saw that I was trying to do what everyone else was doing instead of making my blog more personal. I realized that being a new blogger doesn't have to be a negative, so from now on one of my New Year's resolutions is to focus on what I can do instead of competing with established blogs.

#lifestyle