Five Things I’ve Learned from One Year of Blogging.

Hello, friends! Happy Wednesday! And guess what??? I have officially been blogging for ONE WHOLE YEAR!!! That is so crazy! I remember starting it and really having no idea what to write about, or even the direction I wanted to take it. And to some extent, I guess it’s the same now, but I’m having so much fun using blogging as a creative outlet. So, I thought I’d compile a list of what I’ve learned thus far!

Enjoy!

Quick note: some of these may not be universally agreed upon, and that’s OKAY. At the end of the day, we must do what makes us feel creatively satisfied. This is just what I’ve found to be true! 🙂

1. Blog about what YOU want. It’s SO easy to be swayed one way or the other by what you THINK people want to read about. And believe me, I had that problem for awhile. I was so caught up in what I thought would be popular, but then I realized that my posts were just better when I was writing about something that I was genuinely passionate about. It’s okay to write about topics that are trending, but if you decide to, make sure that you have an interest in it! There’s nothing wrong with liking things that are popular, but make sure you’re being genuine in you interests, and how they are featured on your blog! ❤
2. Quality over quantity. I know there’s a big push for CONTENT, CONTENT, CONTENT!!! However, I don’t quite agree with going about creating this way. I think that we can and SHOULD write every single day, but I don’t think that means that we have to post every single day. I think it’s best to post a couple really great blogs a week, instead of mediocre blogs every single day. And if you’re proud of the posts that you’re making, and you’re able to post every day, then do it! Just don’t feel as though you HAVE to do this to be successful or creatively fulfilled. I enjoy writing for my blog, but I also enjoy journaling. I think that journaling helps us sift through ideas and feelings that we have, and allows us to decide what will work for a blog post, and what will be better as a journal entry.
3. Set a sustainable schedule. I think that once I set up a schedule that worked for me, it really helped me to create better blog posts. This may sound quite vague, but it’s important to find a schedule that doesn’t overwork you, but it does challenge you just a bit. It’s good to stretch those creative muscles, but not at the sake of wearing yourself thin. It may take a little while to figure out a schedule that is compatible with your life, which is totally okay. You may also need to switch it up as your life changes, and that is also okay. Just remember, as always, you must be honest with yourself about what works for YOU!
4. Don’t become too obsessed with other people’s blogs. It’s great to find inspiration from others, but make sure that you’re not getting too caught up in comparing yourself to them. And this is SO hard. I definitely struggle with this quite a bit, and I know I’m not alone with this. However, the people who follow you follow you because they enjoy YOUR point of view, they followed you because they find you and your content unique! In a world where putting yourself out there is so easy, you have to find out what makes you unique and what sets you apart from everyone else out there. Looking to others for ideas is okay, but make sure that you are not obsessing over what they are creating. Allow yourself to have your own creative process.
5. Don’t spam/self-promote! I know that this may be tempting to do, especially at the beginning of your blogging journey. And I’m sure you know what I’m talking about, following people only to unfollow them soon after, commenting stuff about YOUR blog on THEIR post, and private messaging someone repeatedly to buy a product. I think that a big part of blogging is creating mutual followings with people whose content you genuinely enjoy. Follow people that you would follow even if you weren’t blogging, and if you like their content, reach out to them! Tell them that you enjoy what they post! If they enjoy your content, they’ll follow you back! And even if they don’t follow you back, you can still enjoy their content just for the sake of enjoying what they post! I don’t think that everything has to be transactional. I really don’t like that way of thinking at all. And like I said earlier, everyone has a different creative process and way of going about things. Which is totally fine. I just have found that I personally don’t enjoy participating in that.

Thank you so much for reading this blog post, my dear internet friend. I’m so thankful for all of the people that I’ve found throughout my year of blogging, and I feel so blessed being able to share my life with all of you.

XOXO,

Mattie Mae