Blogging is certainly one of those things you don’t really understand until you get involved. Yes, we write about stuff we like. Yes, we do take some pictures but blogging is so much more than just pointing a camera and typing on your computer. I only realized that when I actually started to do it.
Blogging takes times | A lot of time. I never in my life thought blogging would take me so much time. I mean, proper blogging. When I started I would just take a photo, type away on my computer and upload when I’d feel like but since having a schedule, wanting to post the best quality content I can and trying to take the best photos I can, a day should have more than 24 hours honestly. You’re reading the words of a perfectionist which means everything needs to be (at least similar to) the way I want or I’d rather not put up any post at all.
Photography is a lot more important than what you might think | In the beginning I didn’t really understand this and I thought that any photo would do. It doesn't. Not for me anyway. Now that I have been blogging for almost two years I pay attention to every detail. “Oh that product is not in focus.” “No, that photo has too many shadows.” “That one is too blue and I can’t fix and make it look natural at the same time.” We could play Never Have I Ever right now and I bet most of you would be drinking, am I right?
Followers won’t fall from the sky | You can’t click “Publish” for the first time and expect to have dozens of followers the next day. You have to promote yourself the best way you can and you have to work hard! It might sound scary but it’s worth to let everyone know that you have a blog and show them what you’re doing (without spamming). I blogged for a year without sharing a link on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and I would wonder myself why I didn’t have that many followers. Guess what? Nobody knew I had a blog!
You will never be able to stop | Unless you started for the wrong reasons. I’ve seen a few people making the question “For how long do I have to blog until I can get free things?” and “I’ve just started a blog, how do I contact brands?” Let me tell you: if you’re starting a blog for the free things, you can give up now because you won’t last. Blogging is way too much work for someone who just wants “freebies”. You need to love it.
Talk to fellow bloggers is scary and amazing | Honestly there’s nothing scarier than putting yourself out there and starting to talk to people that you don’t even know. But it’s the most amazing feeling when you see so many people going through the same challenges you do, loving or hating the same things you do and you can just say whatever you want, bloggers won’t judge.
It’s a community but everyone does its own thing | There is one thing that I absolutely love about the blogging community: you get amazing support from people that aren’t doing the same things as you and that is ok! You don’t need to do what that really awesome blogger is doing. Just do you.
Some people will use you for promotion | I never thought this was a thing as I never did it myself and I never even thought of doing it but it happens. Thankfully I don’t receive that many spam comments but it does annoy me whenever I do. Why? It’s so disrespectful!
Brands can make you feel like you need them | I think it’s really easy for brands to think that we need them. We don’t. Most of us started this because we enjoy it, just for fun but some of us can be very influential and actually make a living out of it. I think it’s amazing how powerful this is! As you can see, the word influential was linked to the blogger, not the brand.
Sometimes you wish you lived near some fellow bloggers | Honestly in the beginning I never thought I could call any of the girls whose blogs I followed of friends and now? Well, now I wish I could be with some of them regularly even though I’ve never even met them before. Weird? Maybe but it’s really easy to like most bloggers as everyone is so nice and you can actually relate to most of them.
There will be times you’re not going to enjoy yourself | I think blogging is all about the image and I’m not talking about photography but the entirety of it: your photography, your blog design, the way you present things (both text and photos) and some blogs just make me think “Oh mine is just crap” but it isn’t!! I’ve learnt that I can never compare my blog to anyone else’s blog as we’re not the same person but there will be times you're going to feel more down and that is ok too.
Blogging is addictive | I don’t mean addictive in a way there you will be forever a blogger but in a way that you kind of adjust your mind to think like a blogger. “Oh that notebook that I clearly don’t need would look amazing on a photo”, yes, that’s the type of behaviour I’m talking about! Maybe the notebook on the photo above was the case…who knows? ;)
Can you relate do any of these things? Is there anything you never really thought it would be the way it actually is?
Love, Rita
