Last night, I stayed up until around 2am picking faults with my blog and comparing myself to other bloggers. The “big” bloggers. The ones who have “made it.”
I can honestly say that it’s not something I normally do. When it comes to blogging, I focus on my own journey rather than everyone else’s. I’m usually too absorbed in what I’m doing to worry about other people. Not in a selfish way, I do take interest in others. But not so much that it consumes my life.
Sometimes I’m pleased with my photography and other times, I hate it. So when I’m doubtful, I look at other bloggers’ amazing photos and think why can’t my photos look like that?! Why can’t mine look more professional? Why can’t I get the lighting right all the time?
Most of the time, I like my writing style. It’s the strongest aspect of my blog. But then, there are occasions where I read other blogs and I start to think things like: Should I be more personal? Should I stop holding back as much? Should I use trendy slang which seems cool now but will make me die of cringe in years to come?
Then, there’s my blog design. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s clean, simple and easy-to-navigate, which is all I could ask for. But in a sea of monochrome blogs, I’d love to stand out a bit more. When I click on some blogs, they jump out and pull me in with their vivid colour and eye-catching designs. Do I switch things up or have an “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” attitude?
Needless to say, I went to bed feeling pretty rubbish. But when I woke up, I refused to become Negative Nancy. I sat down and put things into perspective.
- Sure, my photography isn’t perfect but it’s a million times better than when I started and keeps getting better. I don’t have expensive equipment or Photoshop but I do have a good quality camera and can edit using decent free software. I also forget that some bloggers work with professional photographers so no wonder their photos look amazing!
- My writing style is exactly that. MY writing style. As long as I’m happy with it and it’s clear to read, who cares?! I’m never going to be deeply personal because I’m quite a private person. I don’t have to share everything I’m doing. If I want to use full sentences and correct grammar, I will. It doesn’t make me a less credible or cool blogger.
- A blog design isn’t for life. I can change it at any time. A couple of tweaks here and there could make me fall in love with it again. And let’s be honest, almost every blogger is trying to stand out so I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling like mine doesn’t look good enough. It’s simply a case of being happy with what you have.
This post wasn’t planned but I felt like I had to get it off my chest. I’m hoping to write more impromptu content like this so please let me know if you like it!