Why I’m a Blogger/Content Creator/ Influencer, whatever you may call it

I’ve been having some really great conversations as of late. Not just with my husband and family, but with colleagues, new acquaintances and other passerby’s I’ve met in this wonderful world of “blogging”. I feel like the term “blogger” is one that I have to be careful when using. Not everyone is per say a “blogger”. Many consider themselves content creators, creative directors, influencers etc. This industry has developed and changed so much from the days when it was simply guys and gals running an online blog to share their day to day lives and of course their outfits.

After quitting my job and pursuing this career from a full time level I really thought to myself, what is the big picture here, why am I doing this? Of course the flexibility, creativity and potential income are all valid reasons, I started thinking back to why I started all of this in the first place. To me, it was always all about making connections, something that I feel has been a little lost in the hustle and bustle of what is now an actual industry. As with any “job” there is competition, and competition can bring out the best and honestly the worst in some people. Things turn from cheering one another on to meticulously overanalyzing, judging, and comparing to one another. I really looked forward to creating friendships in this industry because I did come from a group of friends who just weren’t as passionate about this space as I am. While that’s totally fine, I wanted to find a great community where we could share tips on the best online shops to visit, new designers we’ve come across, and getting inspired by new ways of styling.

I’ve been telling my origin story a lot since I quit my job now that I’m having more time to partake in events and meet new people and it was pretty shocking how a lot of individuals were surprised that my response to why I started this blog was to make friends. I guess growing up as an online child who dabbled in Neopets, Xanga, Livejournal, etc. it’s not so surprising to me but a lot of people’s responses as to why they started was strictly that this was a business for them. They saw the potential of what this industry was bringing and they jumped on it. While I commend them for being the business savvy individuals they are, it still took away from what I consider the main reason a lot of the original “bloggers” came to be, which was really to find a space to be themselves without judgement, to connect with individuals like them and learn about new things.

We go through waves of feeling down about our Instagrams, seeing individuals in the industry for the wrong reasons and growing at exponential rates we can’t even seem to fathom. But the bottom line is that I realize not all of my outfits will connect with everyone, I know that some people may see something and say “I could never pull that off”, but at the end of the day this platform is also for myself. As much as I want to support my followers and bring them everything they need, I also hope they had come to my platform to see my particular take on style, to see an outfit and say, this makes me feel confident that I can wear that color, print, or structure. If people can find some way shape or form to find a connection to whatever I’m posting it means I am succeeding in my job. If it will make someone rethink taking a risk in their day to day outfits, or try something new, or even wear something old, that is why I do what I do. Connection is everything and I’ve realized as of late that it’s really the one thing that ultimately brings me joy in this.