What I’ve Learned in a Year of Blogging

Bloggers.

You love ’em because they’re creative little beings who bring the the best out of life or you hate them because they’re standing in front of your pretty pink door for the perfect Instagram shot. Regardless of your personal feelings about those who’ve turned themselves into a brand, it’s hard to deny that they’re some of the hardest working groups of people out there. We are multitaskers, writers, photographers, videographers, editors, receptionists, managers, CEOs, event planners, social media managers, creators, influencers, models, collaborators, and the list can go on.

In my first year of blogging, I’ve had many ups and downs. I’ve met some incredible people throughout the world and have pushed myself to my limits. I’ve spent hours on work with no payouts but have also had some collaborations that I’m grateful for. I like to think after the experiences I’ve had this past year, I’m able to pass on some credible tips to you, in hopes that you find your way quicker than I did.

Here’s What I’ve Learned in a Year of Blogging:

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Sometimes You Have to Be Your Own Cheerleader

One of the hardest things about blogging is the lack of recognition you get for all your work. You could spend days working on one single post and hours sharing it across your social media and, in the end, the only person who read it was your mom. Not every post is going to be a hit but, regardless if it gets 100 views or not, you have to have a sense of pride whenever you push that publish button. You can’t rely on other people to congratulate you on a job well done, sometimes you have to do that for yourself.

Nothing Happens Overnight

You hear the stories of bloggers who made “15K in their first month” and, I’m not saying this is false or impossible, but in all truths, it’s not reality. There’s no quick-fix to anything with blogging. You won’t gain a million Instagram followers overnight and your blog won’t magically be making you a full-time wage the first month. It takes a lot of hard work, patience and perseverance to grow your space.

You’re Never Done Growing

Speaking of growing, blogging is a major learning process. With each new photo shoot or edits that I make I always come out thinking “these are the best yet.” Then, a month or two will go by and I’ll look back like what I’m doing now is SO much better than what I was doing back then. I’ve come lightyears with my blog in the past year and, believe it or not, I’m still growing as we speak!

You Have to Figure Out What You Like Just as Much as Your Followers

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve changed my blog’s theme, fonts, layouts, editing style, etc… I could go on forever. I guarantee what I’m doing now will probably change in a couple months too. Finding your preferences is just as hard as finding an audience who likes what you do.

You Can’t Force Inspiration

Sometimes your brain just isn’t in the writing mood so you decide to take a break and try again tomorrow. Tomorrow comes and, the ideas are flowing but now you’re having a hard time formulating sentences and sound like a robot. When that happens, don’t force it. As soon as you start making yourself do it you’ll begin to resent it and I think that’s a huge reason why so many people stop blogging.

Engagement Really is Key

You’ll never get anywhere if the support is one-sided. You have to connect with others, get to know your followers and build actual relationships with them to the point where they’re just as excited for your upcoming trip as you are! Not only is engagement key but it is the BEST part of blogging. I’ve met so many amazing people throughout the world this past year.

Blogging is a LOT of Freaking Work

Bloggers are multitaskers, jacks-of-all-trades, if you will. If you’re aware of the realities behind blogging, skip on down to the next lesson, otherwise, let me sum up the work that I put into creating ONE travel post:

I start by taking the photos in a shoot that can last anywhere from 10 minutes to 8 hours. Once I get home, I upload the pictures to my computer and go through them, one by one, setting aside my favorites. Sometimes you can have 5 photos to go through and other times there may be 1400 (Told my husband to never take that many shots again!) After picking out the favs, I upload them into Lightroom and go through them again, one by one, trying different edits with them and seeing what works best.

Once I have my pictures laid out, I start brainstorming purposes of a blog post. Do I want it to be informative or more like a travel diary? Let’s say we’re going with an informative post like A Guide to Porto, for example. So, I start typing away, hoping that my ideas flow out easily today. Inevitably, I get to a point where I can’t remember the name of a restaurant or how much those ferry tickets were so I then spend an unnecessary amount of time popping around on Google searching for just that. After writing out my content, I go through and start editing the text, making it uniformed with the theme of my blog, adding in various links here and there that lead to other blog posts or Instagram pictures. Once I finally press that publish button the job is only halfway over… on to promoting it! I’ll include the article link in a tweet a couple of times throughout the next couple of days while also sharing pictures and info about it. Then I’ll pop over to Instagram, change the link in my bio to that blog post, formulate an Instagram post that captions that I have a new post and then throw it on my stories. You can’t forget about the Pinterest graphic! I head to Canva to create a Pin for that post, which can take anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour, then post that on Pinterest. The process basically gets repeated over the next couple of days.

Blogging Pushes You to Your Limits

I’ve always been a perfectionist. I work incredibly hard at something and, if it isn’t up to my par I’ll most likely start over and try again. I’ve always considered myself quite good at everything I set my mind to but my blogging journey so far has really tested me. Being more academic-oriented my entire life, I feel like I truly missed out on a chance to discover my creative side at a younger age. I didn’t discover that I could actually be inventive until this past year with blogging. I surprise myself on a daily basis by how hard I’m able to push myself to reach my full potential. I was always camera shy but now I’ll throw on a dress in the middle of a crowded street and twirl around until we get the best shot. Privacy has been a big part of my life for the majority of it but now it’s as if I share almost every little thing that happens to me with my followers. Blogging has shown me that I’m just as innovative as the next gal beside me.

Blogging is the Best Outlet for Your Creative Passions

Never did I think that I’d have a space to be myself, 100% completely, and people actually still like me. My blog has given me the outlet I’ve always needed.

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