Happy February!
We have made it here at last, I feel it has been a particularly never ending, rather blue January, and I was so happy to see sunshine, real almost-warm sunshine this morning 🌞It is also over two years now since I started the blog, and it seems to be growing steadily, or at least more people are arriving on the blog in search of something.I am forever being asked, 'What are your stats like?', although I never answer this question, as first of all it's very nosy (I dislike people who pry) and secondly I currently have quite a resentment towards the dopamine fuelled social media numbers game, the way in which a photo on Instagram or a blog post is classed as 'good' or 'bad' purely by the number of 'likes' it has received. Of course I check my blog stats, and it's nice to see a post has been viewed by a lot of people. But it's always nicer and more rewarding to hear just one person say they really enjoyed reading a certain piece.For me the blog has never been a way of gaining followers quickly. It was initially more of a personal journey, first as a way of documenting my activities and interests, and of sharing other peoples ventures, and more recently it has become a platform of sorts, on which other people can share their stories, knowledge and experience.It is constantly evolving, 'growing organically' as someone (who loves a good buzz word 😉) put it, and at the moment I see it as a bit of an experimental space, a place to try projects out (I loved our Millennial Mega Babe photo shoot), where others can share their interests (Sarah Cape's piece on artist Alicia Gradon), one in which they can be creative (I am a big fan of Olivia Dueser's illustrations), and one in which they can share their experiences (Flo Wollstonecraft's piece on life in Cairo). And of course I am still writing lots, I am thoroughly enjoying interviewing people, and will be doing more, a particular highlight recently was speaking with Natasha Hulse.
And from March I will be mixing it up ever so slightly, with a bit more energy, and more content so do keep tuned in.
Below I have also shared a few things I have learnt about blogging over the last two years.
I hope you enjoy all the February posts and see you in March!
Alice xxx 💕👧
Blogging Realities
1.It is possible that for the first year, the only people who read your blog are you parents, your boyfriend, your dog and the boy who fancied you at high school but has never let on.
2.Some people will never understand why you are writing a blog (half of them think you are writing an open online diary, the other half haven't got the faintest idea what a blog is).
3. Some of your friends will never read it.
4.A lot of people you know will think it's just a silly phase.
5. Your Granny will however ask you regularly if you have done a blog this week, even though she can't see a computer screen anymore. This enthusiasm is worth all the silence.
6. It is incredibly easy to set up a Wordpress account and type out a few heart-felt posts. It's much much harder to keep up the momentum over a long period of time.
7. Blogging regularly is time consuming, particularly when you are fitting it around a full time job.
8. Having a blog plan is imperative,
9. And so is sticking to what you believe in.
10. The most reliable of people can be incredibly unreliable (best to move on), but the people who do take it seriously and share in your project make it completely worth it.
11. It is totally understandable that it is not the top priority on other peoples lists, although it is at the top of yours - you are constantly planning, reviewing, reassessing and moving forward with the next part of the plan.
12. Your friends will never accept that you can't come to the pub because you are 'blogging', best to say your at yoga or caring for your sick goldfish.
13. People don't 'just give you free stuff', you have to ask for it. If you are deemed 'too small' (too few followers) a lot of companies won't give it to you.
14. But then again, you're not writing a blog for 'the free stuff', this is not 1997.
15. Some people will however be incredibly kind, will help you out and will offer useful advice when they don't need too.
16. You will have many many blog crises, Why am I doing this? Why I am spending my time doing this? Why am I still looking at a computer screen once I've left work? Is it turning my brain to mush? When did I last read a book, do people even read books anymore?! Shouldn't I be moving offline completely? Isn't the internet an evil place?!
But then you will remember that really it's very enjoyable and really quite satisfying, and leads to many new and exciting people and opportunities.
And so I shall keep blogging for another year 💕😍
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The painting in the header is by Annabel Ridley
