My 4 Year Blogging Anniversary
On this day, four years ago, I published my very first blog post. I had no clue what I was doing or getting myself into. I didn’t have any social media aside from my personal Facebook. I didn’t even know what a hashtag was! It’s been quite a journey and there’s always so much to learn. But now here we are, four years later, celebrating my fourth blogging anniversary!
Looking back over the past year, I’d have to say it’s been the most challenging one yet. Though I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished and the work I’ve created, it’s obvious (at least to me) that my passion and motivation isn’t what it used to be. I think that’s a result of not only challenges in my personal life, but also hitting a block in my creativity. I definitely think one leads to another, no matter how much I try to keep them separate. It also doesn’t help that my blog is very personal. Sometimes it seems almost impossible to keep the two worlds separate.
I have to learn how to mute my personal challenges and use my blog as therapy. While I do have a passion for honesty and love sharing lifestyle content, it might not be the best decision when my mindset isn’t as balanced as it should be. One thing I need to change moving forward is to focus on what makes me happy (meaning beauty and makeup) to take my mind off unrelated struggles in my personal life in order to create more high-quality content.
One change I already made earlier this year was to reduce the amount of work I put on myself and only publish two, instead of three, new posts per week. That has definitely helped lighten my workload and create more time for other needs, but I still have to get out of this rut and transition back to a more imaginative mindset when it comes to creating new content.
On a more positive note, I have passed some “big” milestones this past year. Even though my content wasn’t where I personally would’ve liked it to be, I was still pretty happy with the overall blog and social media statistics. It’s almost impossible to believe that this is my 600th blog post!
After four years, I would like to start seeing more monetization from my blog and social media. I haven’t done many sponsored posts or collaborations in the past. It’s something I’ve always been intimidated by, but it’s time I work on my confidence to make that happen. I would never let sponsorships affect my authenticity or any of my original content, but it is something that I need to feel more successful.
I’ve worked with some amazing brands and received many wonderful PR packages, but at this point my media kit is built up enough and it’s time I start monetizing my work. Most companies only want to send free products without any other compensation for time and effort spent on content. That’s just not right and can be very discouraging.
Four years ago, I had no idea where my blog would go. I didn’t start it for any reason other than wanting to share my beauty knowledge and honest reviews. Self promotion was (and is still) insanely difficult to overcome, website creation and photography skills were more complicated than I ever would’ve imagined, and oftentimes the constant social media presence can be suffocating. It’s the most demanding job I’ve ever had, but I love it!
I love writing and sharing all of my posts. Even more so, I love connecting with my readers and social media followers. I appreciate every comment and message. It’s the most rewarding thing to hear that I helped someone or that my recommendations were useful. Thank you all for reading, following, sharing, commenting, and connecting with me. I am beyond grateful for all of your support. ♥
XO ♥ Christina ♥
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