Hello there, my beauties! It's been a little while since my last post; and if you follow me on Twitter, you might know that it's because I decided to take a short break from both blogging and social media. For anyone that's been blogging for a while, you are probably familiar with the feeling of burning out, and hitting a 'creative wall' with your content. This is something that I have been experiencing quite a lot, especially in the recent months. Blogging can be so awesome - it's a passion, a labour of love; but sometimes you get a little tired of it, and it becomes a chore. Maybe you aren't getting the traffic you want, or maybe you are struggling to come up with fresh ideas for your content (this is definitely something I am guilty of). At the same time, you don't just want to abandon it all because of all the time, energy and love that you have put into it. It can be disheartening, especially when you feel like it's all going nowhere. This is why I decided to take a little break from the virtual world, and try to figure out some ways to rekindle my love for blogging. A week of soul-searching later, and I feel a lot more positive about it all, which is what I want to talk to you about today. So, the question of the day is - how to fall in love with your blog again?
I may be the only one who feels this way, but I get a little tired of looking at the exact same blog template several times a day. In my nearly two years of blogging, I have gone through about four different templates - each one would mark a milestone, or a new beginning (for example, reaching a certain amount of followers, getting a new blog camera). There is something about completely changing the look of your website that feels so refreshing; a little like starting a new chapter in your blogging life. I have recently upgraded my layout to this gorgeous, girly pink template by GetPolished Creative, and it really gave me that much-needed boost of creative energy!
Of course, you don't need a complete overhaul of your blog to freshen things up. I find that even small changes can make a huge difference, especially if you've been stuck doing things the same way for a while. You could just change up your blog header, add new widgets, or even update your 'About Me' page (it took me years to even have one created!). Either way, I think that it's important to keep things fresh on your blog, not only for your audience, but for yourself, also. It really helps to keep that creative energy flowing, making sure that you do not become too bored with your blog.
As a striving beauty blogger, I find other blogs to be my biggest source of inspiration. Before creating my own little corner of the internet here at Shoes and Glitter, I used to visit all the well-established blogs like Into The Gloss or Zoella, thinking about how awesome it would be to run a beauty website myself. Of course, my blog completely pales in comparison to those; but it's the sheer idea of being a blogger that's so exciting, and I think that sometimes it's easy to forget that. I truly enjoy visiting other blogs; not only to support them, but also to remind myself about everything that's amazing about being a blogger. It's both motivating and exciting to see how much other bloggers have achieved and how far they've come; and it has really inspired me to try and aim higher with my own website.
I think that sometimes it's good to just take a moment and remind yourself why you have started blogging in the first place, and what it is that you want to achieve. Do you want it to become your full-time job, one day? What about blogging gives your the most happiness and fulfillment? And remember - just like with everything in life, it's always about the journey, not the destination. Blogging is a process, a learning curve; whether you've been doing it for five months or five years, there is always more to learn. And to be honest, that's half the fun!
During my little break from the virtual world, I had to ask myself the difficult question of whether I am actually interested in the topics I blog about anymore. I think that when you write too many of the same kind of posts (and I am definitely guilty of that!), there is a risk of repetitiveness and boredom creeping in. I write a lot of beauty reviews because I absolutely love makeup, perfumes and all things girly; however, recently I've become less and less interested in creating that kind of content. At times, writing reviews felt robotic and almost forced, and I worried that my posts might come across as a little 'soulless'.
If you feel like you're stuck in a rut with your blog content, it might be refreshing to experiment with topics that you don't normally blog about. It's all about trying something new - who knows, you might find your next passion! Perhaps if you are normally a fashion blogger, you could try doing a segment on makeup or travel? Personally, I would love to expand my content with more lifestyle posts, as they're always so much fun to write and you lovelies seem to enjoy them, also. Remember, your blog is your platform; your little virtual kingdom where you can get your voice across to any corner of the world - use that!
At the end of the day, sometimes things get a little much, we get burnt out and no matter what you do, you just can't get that creative energy flowing again - and that's perfectly normal! I believe that blogging should always be about the quality, not quantity. I used to really push myself to stick to a posting schedule no matter what, which meant forcing myself to write posts when I wasn't really into it. There is nothing worse than letting blogging become a chore, so if you feel like you might be heading in that direction - take a break! Sometimes it's good to just let yourself switch off, forget about blogging and social media for a few days, and then come back to it all with renewed energy. Blogging is a labour of love, but it's also hard work and just like with any other job - every so often, you deserve a holiday!
I hope that you find this post useful, my loves! It felt really good to write out all these thoughts, and now it's like we're entering a new chapter. Thank you for all your support, and I hope that you join me on this new and exciting blogging journey!
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