What 6 Years Of Blogging Has Honestly Taught Me

So here is it...my sixth year in the blogging world and there are so many things that I've learnt along the way. I can't help myself when we roll around to July but to look back on everything that has happened in the last few years and reminisce. Over the years I've very much felt a shift in the blogging world and this year I've found my feet more than ever but there have also been a few drawbacks too. So here are some honest thoughts on blogging that the last six years has taught me.

YOU MAKE YOUR OWN COMMUNITY

Something a lot of people discuss when it comes to the blogging world is the community. And it's a large part of the blogging process there is no denying that and maybe 6 six years ago you could start a blog and feel instantly immersed in whatever community surrounded your niche of blogging. But now the world is so vast it can weirdly feel incredibly lonely and you have to find your own tribe which isn't always that easy. As a very shy introvert, I know how difficult it can be to meet new people and strike up a conversation but it is possible. Throughout the years I've met some pretty incredible ladies in the blogging world and have my own little community who I know I can always connect with as well as interacting with the people who visit my blog on a daily basis. It's not easy by any means to interact with others even online but a lot of the scariness is taken out of it.

IT CAN FEEL LIKE A RACE, BUT IT'S NOT

Blogging is an incredibly competitive industry and there are some people who will step over anyone they can to get to the place that they want to be. Of course, that's a generalisation and it's not the case for everybody but it does happen and it can be so frustrating. Not everybody wants the same thing and blogging should never be a race to a certain point as ultimately the end marker will always change. Personally, I've always loved to blog daily but that doesn't mean it's the only way to do and everyone has their own process. If I love someone's blog it doesn't matter how often they post I will always tune in. And I know it's a fear of many people that if they don't blog daily that they will be forgotten about or won't do as well. But being completely candid the majority of people who would be considered the biggest bloggers in the world certainly don't post daily and by most people's standards, they've done well for themselves. Instagram is something that is terrible for making it feel like a rat race especially since they introduced the algorithm and it feels like 90% of your audience is never seeing what you post. But over saturating your feed and ultimately creating something that you're not pleased with just for the sake of posting is no way to go.

YOU HAVE TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT FOR YOU

There is a lot of pressure in the blogosphere there is no denying that and as much as I might like to think you can do whatever you want without worry, it's hard. And maybe some people can but it's not something that I've ever found myself being able to truly master. There is always going to be pressure to fit in or do things a certain way but that doesn't mean that it's not the right thing to do. I'll admit there are still things that I feel the pressure to do but for the most, I try and do my own thing as much as possible. And it's even more difficult when you feel like the only things that do well in the blogging world are things that are pretty similar or just one type of content. But it's not always the case and there are some incredible people out there who do their own thing.

THERE REALLY ISN'T ANY FORMULA OR GUIDE TO BEING THE BLOGGER YOU WANT TO BE

We've either written or consumed blog posts all about how to 'make it' in the blogging world. And there are always some useful things to take away from that type of content there is no denying it. But there is absolutely no formula or guide to becoming the blogger you truly want to be. It's something that takes years and is a journey full of twists and turns and ultimately we're all constantly evolving. Like I said, those posts can be useful for some things but following them, word by word will just equate to you being the same as someone else and I don't think anyone really wants that.

SOMETIMES IT DOES FEEL LIKE YOU'RE NOT GETTING ANYWHERE

Whether we like to admit or not I'm pretty sure we've all felt frustrated by how we're working day after day only to feel like we're not getting anywhere and it can be hard. And then it feels like other people either don't put in the hard work or everything seems to happen so easily for them. We've all been there and it can be so disheartening but we never know the entire story and there are always going to be situations like that in life no matter what industry you're in. We all get jealous at some point or another and something I've realised is that sometimes I feel envy even before I know what I'm feeling jealous of. In a sea of tweets all about 'exciting e-mails' or 'oh my god, I can't believe this is happening'. It can make you feel a little down and question your own success but that is when it's so important to know what you yourself truly want rather than what you're being told to want.

WRITING ABOUT THE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU IS OFTEN THE MOST REWARDING

I started writing about more lifestyle based topics a few years ago and it's easily the best thing that I could have ever done for my blog. I adore beauty, of course, and you can connect to other beauty lovers on a somewhat deeper level as I think I've made it clear that I don't think beauty is just a surface level conversation. But there is only so much you can talk about beauty opposed to other topics. And I have certainly felt awkward writing about certain things but whenever I put out something that scares me the response is awesome and I always find myself having incredible conversations with essentially complete strangers.