5 Things About Blogging I Wouldn't Have Believed Before I Started

It is. Really. For some of us, we can't stop even if we could. Not going to kid you, it's not been all roses and fluffy clouds for me. There have been times when I was tired. There have been people related lows. There have been brand related lows. It just never made me want to fully stop longer than a couple of hours or days at best. And I never really fully stopped so far, I just slowed down some on occasion. Which is the same with karate for me.

So, I suppose, it is for every other activity that has turned into a passion. Goes to show, once you've found your thing you're turning into a freight train. Think of Steve Jobs and keep searching. Once you've found it, do what you can to make it your main thing, even if it's with small steps. Okay ... I'm getting side tracked here...

I don't think it matters much whether you are a fashion blogger and constantly in front of the camera or not, blogging, publishing your work and receiving positive feedback boosts confidence. Keeping at it, sticking out the rough patches, creating something from scratch, that too boosts confidence. This is very similar in Karate when you work towards black belt. At first, it's all excitement and good going (provided you like it after the trial classes), but then there'll inevitably be set backs. Making it through those, not giving up, can teach you a lot about yourself. And boost confidence...

The only thing on top of that for fashion bloggers is that they are also showing their face and body on a regular basis. You are learning that you are okay just as you are. And that no matter what, there'll always be naysayers, but that it's not as bad as you thought being criticised and scrutinised.

In more ways than one. First well, straight to the point, when you are lucky to be offered some products for review, it might well be you get to try things you haven't ever tried before. But that wasn't entirely what I ment. I was talking about things you get curious about because of blogging. Or things you do to make your blog better that you've never done before. It pushes you out of your comfort zone in a rather gentle and often funny way.

Case in point, take the picture for this post. When I got up, the lightning wasn't good enough yet in the room. So I ended up refilling the coffee cup and getting a new cookie, because by the time it was, I had already finished with the first set (I do proper breakfast later when everyone is out of the house). To get the right angle, I went into a nice kiba-dachi, in my nightie. But I'll be totally redoing it I think...

But mostly for me it's about fashion related things. Discovering always new facets of my personal style.

And I'm not talking only blogging related stuff here like for example basic html or photography. There's a lot of things I've learned that have nothing to do with the "Business of Blogging". Random things, funny things, strange things, opinionated things, sad things, stylish things, lovely things.

Reading other blogger's work, being exposed to other blogs, inevitably broadens your horizon, so long as you aren't taking the utmost care to stick to your very narrow niche. You shouldn't. Don't box your poor mind. You'd be missing a lot of the world's awesomeness.

This is one of those cases of "you don't really know it until you do it". No amount of reading how it's not easy & quick & stuff prepares you for the one thousand little things that suddenly want to be done if you aren't planning to blog in a vacuum. At the same time, if you really enjoy it, doing those one thousand little things often won't matter, because it's part of the package. 

Sure, some of them I enjoy less than others, some I have an easier time with keeping up, on some days it flows and on others it's a drag, but overall it often doesn't feel like "work". The only thing I wish is that it is more broadly accepted that indeed it is a lot of (hah) work that goes into each post, beyond just what is seen on screen.