A Blogger's FAQs
As a blogger, there are multiple questions I get asked, some a lot more than others. I've included a 'Frequently Asked Questions' page which is a permanent fixture on my blog, if you're interested you can read that here. However, there are more sentimental questions I get asked about my blog and what I write about, so I thought I'd write this for you :)
Let's get started!
How did you come to start your blog?
I started writing on this blog back in 2012. So I've been doing this for a long time, but I only published two posts throughout the whole YEAR back then. I started because I had read other blogs and YouTube wasn't really a thing I had wanted to get involved with at that time (I dabbled in it a little but you can no longer view any of my old videos). Seeing as I didn't want to go down the video road, I wanted to do something which was equally as creative.
I loved the idea that I could write about anything, and take photos of anything. My face didn't need to be a catalyst to get my point across. My writing was. It still is. I don't want to say I feel detached from my readers, because I don' at all. But there's a lot less pressure for me personally. With YouTube, you would, nine times out of ten, have to talk to a camera, so you'll want to make yourself look presentable. Then, there's the editing of the video. I find there being less pressure in the blogging community.
I'm not saying that YouTube is harder to do than blogging, because I think both platforms require the same amount of work, and it isn't the easiest of hobbies. But if you enjoy it, carry on with it. I know I'm going off on a tangent slightly, but I found an equilibrium with blogging. It was a platform I was comfortable creating content for and I still do. So I guess that's why I started blogging in there first place :)
How would you sum up your blog in just three words?
Fun. Varied. Colourful.
How has your blog evolved over the years?
I would say it's become a lot more sophisticated. I was 17 when I started writing my blog, and I'm still writing it now as a 21 year old, so I've developed as a person, I went through the last of my teenage years writing for this blog and now I'm in my twenties, so that's something which has changed. Since starting I've done a Creative Writing A Level and I've started doing a joint honours degree, half of which is Creative Writing, so I've developed as writer as well as developing as a person.
The design has changed a lot since I started writing this blog. I can't remember quite how it looked before, but it was very busy, whereas I feel like this design is a lot more simplistic, and more mature. I haven't really been writing posts which are overly different. Since I started I've been mixing the topics up slightly, doing a few beauty posts in-between more lifestyle-y type posts, throwing in some fashion bits every now and again. I also like to do monthly instalments of things like 'My Month in Instagram Photos' which is only a relatively new feature to my blog, I only started doing that around a year ago.
I think my content has become a lot more creative. Not only in terms of what I write, but also in terms of photography. Over the years I've got better at it, and I finally got a professional camera to snap some shots with, I think they've become more interesting visually as well as the reading material (I hope ;) ).
Would you share your three favourite blog posts? Why are they your favourites?
This will always be one of my favourite blog posts. It's bright, colourful, sunny, and I was at my most confident here. I look back on it often and think about the day I took my camera up to our local park, together with my dad, my sister and my dog, and I remember what an amazing time that was. Sadly, my lovely doggy is no longer with us as he passed away aged 14 just before Christmas (2015), so I also look back on this post and remember him as he can be seen in some of these photos. It doesn't make me sad at all. I enjoy looking back on this wonderful evening filled with sunshine and whenever I go back and read this, it makes me smile :)
This post holds a special place in my heart, mainly because it was a day we shared as a family, and our two friends had come with us as well. It was a hot, sunny day, and we were just enjoying ourselves. I can't remember really having anything to worry about when we on this little day trip. I was just content with life and with my family and I felt so lucky. I still feel lucky. The whole day just revolved around family and friends and sharing a beautiful day with the people I love most in this world. Cheesy I know, but I'm a very sentimental person, and so naturally, family and friends are a big and paramount part of my life.
This is one of those posts I look back on with fondness. My mum and I go to the Splendour Festival every year (we have done since 2013). This was the first time I really marked the day on my blog. I may make it a yearly thing, we'll see, it depends who's headlining that day and what the weather is like. But If you're not sure what Splendour Fest is, it's like Glastonbury, only a lot smaller, with more C list singers and artists, and in the middle of Nottingham. So you still get the festival vibe, but only from ten in the morning to ten in the evening, so no one stays the night in the mud, although porter loos are pretty much all you get in terms of civilised toilets. But I can put up with that once or twice throughout the day.
This was a lovely day, I had a great time with my mum, we just sat in the sun, drinking pear cider, eating mini scotch eggs and listening to great, live music. It's one of a few days I look forward to every year. Fingers crossed I make it this year :)
Which topic do you enjoy writing about the most?
I really enjoy writing about days out, or reviewing little cafes. I love to just pick up my camera and snap photos of everything and anything. Whether that be a walk in the park, or a trip to Covent Garden, I love to document it all, sometimes I may choose to share those days on here with you guys, and other times, I like to keep some bits and pieces private for family or personal social networking sites like Facebook etc. But I really do enjoy going out, doing and trying different things, and just having fun outside of the room where I snap photos of makeup for a 'monthly favourites' post. I also think my readers enjoy that too :)
Do you enjoy reading other people's blogs? Do you take inspiration from them?
I do read other people's blogs, whether they be more widely known, or a friend who enjoys doing it as much as I do, and I do draw inspiration from them. Often it motivates me to be more creative with posts or gives me fresh isdeas for photos etc, but I don't copy posts other bloggers have done, unless of course it's a tag post for example. But I love reading blogs as much as I enjoy writing mine.
Which social media platform do you think depicts your blog the best?
I believe that Instagram represents my blog rather well. Not all the photos I post on there are from my blog, so all my Instagram followers get a double dose of photos sometimes. But I do think it gives new followers or potential new followers a flavour of my blog and what to expect before they've even clicked on the link in my Instagram bio!
Was there a particular blog post you enjoyed planning/writing more than the others?
This is a very hard question, because my posts span over four years, it's hard to pick just one, but a 'Note to My Fifteen Year Old Self' stands out the most for me. It didn't require any planning. It's one of the few blog posts that I actually wrote off the top of my head. I think it made it more authentic. This is possibly one of the most personal posts I've published in my blog's four year history, but it's also one of my most genuine and that's why I love it.
Any tips for someone wanting to start a blog, but are unsure or are in two minds?
Don't put pressure on yourself. You can write about whatever you want, you don't have to follow a pattern or fall into a category. You don't even have to be an amazing writer (I sure as hell am not one of those), you just have to be creative and have vision. You don't even have to go out and buy an expensive camera, use the one on your phone, take photos of the things you love and post those. You don't have to WRITE anything. You could turn it into an online photo album. That's the great thing about the blogging world, you can do whatever you want with it, be as quirky as you want. Publish posts when YOU want to, fit it in around your everyday life, do it as a hobby. Just have fun, you'll love it :)
I hope you enjoyed this post. It's a little different to anything else I've published recently, but I really enjoyed answering those questions for you! I will see you next time with a brand new blog post for you all!
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WHERE TO FIND ME
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