What I Learned In My First Year As A Full Time Blogger
I’ve anticipated writing this post for a loooong time now and ultimately decided to wait a whole year, ya know, just in case the whole thing went south (no pun intended, she writes from Georgia) but now that I’m sitting down to flush out all of these thoughts, I’m at a bit of a loss for words. I truly can’t believe that a year ago to the date, I put in my last half day at work and drove home feeling a strange mix of excitement and nervousness. Obviously the world had other plans for literally everyone, but we all know how that story goes.
So today’s post is a celebratory personal milestone moment mixed with more than a tinge of sadness as I reflect on a year since the pandemic completely uprooted our foundations and destroyed all sense of normalcy and business as usual. Sound fun?! No, don’t worry, I won’t go too much into all that. It’s just too soon in my mind, as we’re still very much out here surviving a pandemic a whole year later. But I couldn’t write this post without mentioning the obvious.
Today I want to keep things relatively light and share some lessons I’ve learned in my first year as a full time blogger. I hope this post will ultimately inspire you to keep showing up to that side hustle that you think nobody sees, or finally get started on that project that makes your heart beat a little faster when you think about it. The world desperately needs more people doing what they’re truly passionate about (even if just on the weekends) and as we’ve all learned, there’s no time like the present to do what you love. So let’s get into it, shall we?
Going Solo At The Start Of The Pandemic
Now for a bit of backstory, although I’m not quite ready to fully relive last year so I’ll spare you the bad bits and keep it brief. The day I left my 9-5 job I had planned an entire trip to London and Paris, which I was about to leave for about 36 hours later. As it would turn out, my initial plans flew out the window as WHO declared COVID a global pandemic a couple of days later. Everything about the timing of that week was surreal and very scary.
I really don’t mean to come off as insensitive or downplay how completely nightmarish that week (and the following months) must have been for so SO many, as people lost their jobs, insurance, childcare and general sense of stability all at the drop of a coin. All I can really speak to is my own experience, and I bring this up mainly to reiterate how shockingly unexpected the timing of this decision was even to myself. Believe me when I say, I wouldn’t have made this change if I’d known what the next 24 hours and beyond had in store for us all. Maybe that’s why it felt necessary to wait a whole year to even write this post in the first place.
I could have felt really stupid for willingly letting go of my job, and I could have easily seen it as the worst possible timing ever. But something about making that decision for myself (and the two weeks prior of preparing to make the change) eased me into it and ultimately reinforced in my mind that I had made the right decision, despite the circumstances suggesting otherwise. I don’t know, it still honestly feels wrong to even attempt to spin it into a positive situation but I think my blind faith and stubborn optimism softened the blow at least a little. And I’m sure there’s a lot more to unpack there eventually but we move.
Now that we’ve addressed the elephant in the room, I want to get into the part where I share some lessons I’ve learned in my first year as a full time blogger. I’m hoping that these will be somewhat transferable to your own industry or personal project. And at the very least, I hope these lessons will just encourage you to keep on keeping on when things start to feel heavy. Feel free to bookmark or pin (down below) this post and refer back to it when you need a little pick me up.
Go At Your Own Pace
I want to start off by stating that everyone’s career path looks really different. One big lesson I’ve learned over the past year is to release expectations around where you think you should be in comparison to others, especially in an industry that’s so new and ever-evolving. If you’re working hard each day and making time to continue to learn and hone your craft, then you’re in good shape. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Everyone has their own flavor of messy life circumstances they’re working through that you’re likely not even aware of. Stay in your lane and focus on your own growth.
Know Your End Goal
My own progress has felt very slow, what with building a following online. I’m fully aware that my following is very small compared to others who have made this their full time gig. But one early insight I pride myself on attaining is that if your ultimate goal is to make it your job, it’s important to set up your online platforms as a business from the start. I was somewhat aware of how the “business of blogging” worked because I had seen the way so many others made a living from it while still creating authentic and interesting content. For however dark and seedy social media marketing can appear, there are so many creators out there who are really transparent about how they make money online, if only for the express purpose of proving to others that they can do it too.
Get Comfortable With Insecurity
This career transition has brought up all sorts of insecurities for me to work through, and one in particular that I had never experienced very strongly in other areas of my life before, that of envy. And what is envy, but the utter lack of appreciate and gratitude for all that you already have? It’s natural to compare yourself to others and trigger some insecurities when you’re sharing work that feels so personal. But if you can graciously accept those feelings of lack and sit with them for a while, I guarantee you will eventually make peace with them and feel all the more confident and resolute in yourself for doing so.
Be Authentic & Your Audience Will Find You
I’ve often grappled with the moral dilemma of being a “sustainable fashion blogger” and at the end of the day, I try to remind myself that what I’m creating will hopefully be a resource to those seeking it and that my readers will appreciate that which comes from an authentic place. That’s why I share all sorts of topics on this blog, because these are topics I’m genuinely interested in and would write about regardless of whether I have an audience or a sponsor for them. I had two years of weekly blogging under my belt before going full time. Honestly, I’m a little thankful that hardly anyone was reading my blog back then because I was still figuring a lot out, still am too. Basically, start sharing the things you care about now, hone your craft and your voice and eventually your audience will find you!
Seek Inspiration Regularly
The pace of online content creation is fast and I’m all too familiar with the burnout and self-criticism that comes with any creative work. That’s why I’ve developed a huge amount of respect for those who come up with beautiful and inspiring work on the regular. Many successful bloggers have been at it for 5, even 10 years and have achieved that level of work through lots of trial and error and consistent effort. Creativity is a muscle that becomes stronger the more you use it. So make it a habit to put a certain amount of effort into the planing, set up and execution of a creative project, whether it be one photo for the gram or a 20 minute long video for YouTube. Find others who are doing what you want to do and take time to study and appreciate their work.
Find Your Creative Mojo
One thing I think creatives tend to forget to do is to sit back and reflect on all that they’ve given form too. I’m not going to lie, it can be a grueling process to pour your heart into a passion project and feel like it’s not good enough or not of interest to anyone. And while that feeling maybe never goes away fully, I do think it’s something you learn to give less power to over time. At the end of the day I think a lot of creatives can relate to the statement that the creative process, first and foremost, fulfills a personal need, desire or impulse. If it resonates with someone else out there (and it likely will) then maybe that’s just the icing on the cake, or maybe that’s reflective of a deeper connection to our collective community. Either way, if you feel drawn to create something, then by all means heed the call!
Change Your Perspective From I To We
A big “a-ha moment” for me was when I decided to start creating content in a way that could be of use to you, the reader. At first it felt a bit counter-intuitive to use this online space as less of a diary and more of a resource for the like-minded reader, but now it just seems so obvious! Of course I love to peek inside the lives of my favorite bloggers but ultimately I seek out information online that will improve my own life in some way, even if that’s just to feel inspired by the life someone else has created for themselves. When I started to see my online platforms as a space of service to others, that’s when it really felt like I was working towards something of substance.
Refill Your Cup
Lastly I ask you to remember how easy it can be to give and give to a situation, a job, a relationship, anything really, and just feel completely drained and depleted at the end of it, wondering why our efforts weren’t reciprocated or blaming others for not being there when we need them. But there’s only one person who can truly care for you in the way you need and that’s YOU! No job or situation is worth emptying yourself for. If you’re ever going to be able to give to others you have to first fill your own cup. The more you do this, the more you fight to carve out space for yourself through daily self care routines and doing things that make you happy, the more you can show up for other people and vice versa. If you’re ever feeling like you have nothing more to give others, give to yourself first. When you develop that sense of self-respect and self-worth the world will reciprocate it tenfold, but it’s up to you to start.
Quince Cashmere Sweater | Laude High Rise Pants | Sandgrens Dublin Clogs | Missoma Coin Necklace | Ana Luisa Venus Hoops | Matthew Calvin Ring
And that’s all the advice I can muster from my first year of blogging full time. It’s truly been one of the most rewarding years of my life, despite being so dark and difficult. I want to end this post by taking a moment to let you all know how truly grateful I am for every ounce of support and positive energetic exchange you’ve shared with me; every Instagram like, every Youtube comment (those are my FAVORITE), every newsletter read and every time you’ve stopped by here on the blog to see what I’m up to. That fills me heart every day and makes my job so rewarding!
If you ever have a suggestion of something you’d like to see here, a question or any other fun random thought that pops into your head that you want to share with me, please do! My comment box, inbox and DM are always open and I’m eagerly waiting to hear from you! Thanks for making my first year of full-time blogging so incredibly exciting. Talk soon! xx Jessica
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