365 Blog Topic Ideas by Dana Fox | Book Review

I don't know about you but I often find myself going through fazes of complete writers block where no matter how hard I try, I just cannot come up with any blog posts that leave me feeling inspired or write a post that sounds coherent. I'm pretty sure all bloggers have been through this from time to time so that's where Dana Fox's new book '365 Blog Topic Ideas For The Lifestyle Blogger Who Has Nothing to Write About'* book comes in very useful. Dana writes the blog Wonder Forest and I've been a big fan of it for years now - she has a beautiful layout, stunning photography and she posts about a variety of topics from beauty to DIY and blogging advice. With this being said, I was very excited to here she'd released a book and felt slightly proud (is that weird?) that such a great blogger was doing great things. I think its so important for bloggers to support each other and I wish her all the luck in the world.

Dana kindly sent me the book to have a look at so I thought I'd write up a quick post as I know it will be helpful to a lot of bloggers out there. The first thing I'll say about this book is that it has a very basic concept. The book has a different blog topic idea on each page and nothing else - no other writing is included. I like this format as its straight to the point - it gives you a title for a blog post and you can then go away and adapt a post from it or put your own spin on it.

I also love how the book has topic ideas that fall under the 'lifestyle' category as that means all genres of blogs can incorporate them in some way - wether you run a fashion, food or beauty blog, you'll be able to get inspiration from this book. So you can get an idea of the kind of ideas you'll find in the book, I've popped five of them below. Obviously this is only a very small glimpse into the book as there's another 360 ideas in there but you'll have to grab yourself the book to find out what they are ;).

- A typical day of your life in 10 photos

- How to do something on a budget

- Your favourite apps

- How do you stay productive

- Your newest obsession

There's not much more I can say other than this is a great book that I think all bloggers should own as its great for those moments when you're lacking in inspiration and need a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing! You can get it here from Amazon for only £8.45 and its worth every penny in my opinion.

Will you be getting a copy of this book?

Working with PR Companies | 10 Things To Consider

I really enjoy writing these advice posts and it seems you guys enjoy them too. My Instagram tips post received over 900 saves on Bloglovin (thank you all so much) so I'm going to try my best to incorporate these kind of posts into my blogging schedule more often. I love sharing my advice and things I've learnt over the past three years and I know how helpful I find these posts myself. Even to this day, I love to read a blogging advice post as they always encourage me to be the best I can and develop myself and my blog further. 

Working with PR companies and 'free samples' is something that not many people talk about as its seen as a controversial subject. The idea that bloggers get sent 'freebies' isn't welcomed by some but at the end of the day, that's just how it is. Companies are always going to want to promote their new products and bloggers are always going to want new things to try and share on their blogs - the two go hand in hand. I often get emails from new bloggers asking how they can work with companies so I thought I'd put this post together with a few tips. I hope you enjoy!

1. Free samples are only a small part of being a blogger 

I feel like a lot of people, especially new bloggers get very consumed by free samples and feel they signify your success as a blogger. I was guilty of feeling the same when I first started and whilst it is very exciting to be gifted lovely products, it really is only a tiny part of being a blogger. The amount of effort and passion required in blogging completely outweighs any amount of freebies and if you don't enjoy what your doing, all of that effort won't be worth it for any amount of free stuff. Its important to remember that before starting a blog - if you're in it for the wrong reasons, it won't be something you can stick to.

2. Samples are limited
When brands release a new product, they have a certain number of samples they can send out to bloggers and press. Now if you think about how many blogs and press are out there, there definitely won't be enough samples for everyone. Even now as a blogger with over 18,000 bloglovin followers, there's plenty of things I'm not sent that other people are. That's just the way it works - when brands are researching bloggers, they might not come across yours due to the huge volume of them out there. Don't take it personally or think your blog isn't as good as other peoples just because they got sent something and you didn't. 

3. Introduce yourself but have something to back up your proposal

If you do see a product doing the rounds that you'd really love to try and feature on your blog, why not introduce yourself to the PR company who looks after that specific brand and let them know you'd love to work with them in the future. Its important to not go in all guns blazing and demanding free samples as that will come across rude but if you're simply introducing yourself and making them aware that you're interested in their clients, that's absolutely fine. Just make sure you have something to back up what you're saying - let them know a bit about you, your blog and your stats. For example, if you just started a blog that day and approach a company, it won't look great. Wait until you've built up a loyal readership and then get in touch.

4. Some will ask too much, know your place

As a blogger, I often find that brands think its okay to try and take advantage of our influence by demanding a whole list of things in order for them to send you a sample. In these instances, I often say thanks but no thanks. If I'm being asked to do three blog posts, various social media posts and a giveaway, that's a lot of work and a freebie just isn't worth it in my eyes. They wouldn't get that much exposure for free in a magazine so why should we as bloggers do a lot of work for not a lot of reward. Always know your place as a blogger and never let someone take advantage of you 'just because your a blogger'. Blogs are a large part of the media these days and can often have more influence than traditional media so if they aren't willing to play fair, its their loss, not yours.

5. Set out some guidelines

Following on from the point above, its important to set some guidelines when agreeing to review something on your blog. A lot of PR companies will send an item and expect you to review it within days but that's just not how it works. For example, I also have a full time job and a flat to maintain so blogging isn't always my number one priority. Working full time also means I can only take photographs on the weekends so if I receive a product on a Monday, it won't be photographed until the Saturday and I then need to give it a good trial before it even makes its way onto my blog, especially skincare products. This means it can take up to 3/4 weeks for me to blog about something I'm sent so I always tell them that before they send the product - that way I don't feel rushed to post within a few days. I feel its very important to be clear about the way you work or you will only end up getting stressed out and trying to do too much at once. Bloggers have lives to lead as well as a blog and I do feel some PR companies forget that. Be fair but also firm I say!

7. Don't accept everything just because its free

Its very tempting when you first start blogging to accept every freebie you get offered as it can be a bit of a novelty. However, this is a bad move because if its something you're not all that interested in, you're not likely to feel inspired to write about it and that will show in your review. Instead, the best thing to do is to only accept products you have a genuine interest in and feel your readers would be interested in too. I get a lot of emails offering me free products and turn down a good 50% of them as they don't suit my personal taste.

6. Thank and acknowledge gifted items

If someone has been kind enough to send you something for free, be sure to say thank you and show your appreciation. I always say thank you for any gifts I receive in the post whether that's by sending an email to the person who sent it or tweeting / mentioning the brand on Instagram. I think this is common courtesy and good manners. As someone who actually sends samples out to bloggers (I work for a fashion brand), it's always so lovely to receive an email being thanked for the sample and it makes me much more likely to work with those people again.

8. Tweet

If you've posted about a product you were sent, tweet the link and tag the brand as well as the PR company who sent you it. That way they can see it and report back to their client with the link. I always do this when tweeting about my new posts and I find most PR companies have Twitter accounts.

9. Send a link

Much like the above, when you've posted about a product you were sent, its always nice to send the person who sent you it a quick email to make sure they've seen it. It can be hard to do this every single time if you're super busy but its important to try and let them know one way or another.

10. Disclose and be honest

If you're working with a brand, its important to be honest with your readers about this. I don't see anything wrong with bloggers reviewing samples they've been sent or writing a sponsored post but I do have a problem if it isn't disclosed. It makes the blogger appear dishonest and this then makes me question their post too - are they lying about liking a product just because it was free? Whenever I feature a gifted item in a post, I add a * next to it which is explained in my disclaimer. If a post is sponsored I'll add something to say so at the bottom of the post. For example, I was recently sent the Real Techniques Bold Metals brushes and I stated this in the post. I also still gave my complete honest opinion and said that I was disappointed with the brushes. Whether the product is free or not, its so important to be completely honest as I wouldn't want to influence my readers to purchase something I don't really like myself.

Is there anything else you would add to this list?

My Tips for Better Blog Photos

I get a lot of emails from my readers asking how I take my blog photos and whether I can share any tips. Its also the thing I get the most compliments about which is so flattering as I certainly don't consider myself a photography pro. I often look at other blogs in total awe of their photography so trust me when I say, we're never happy with our own photography! However, I know when I first started out, and even now, how useful photography tips posts can be so I thought I'd put one together and hopefully offer a bit of inspiration. With this being said, I hope you enjoy reading ...

Equipment  

Before you start taking any photographs for your blog, you're going to need a camera. I feel like one of the biggest misconceptions about blogging is that you need a big fancy pants DSLR to take good photographs or to be considered a 'proper' blogger. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not denying the fact that DSLR's are amazing - I use mine daily and can't imagine blogging without it. However, I didn't start blogging with the intention to get a DSLR or buy one specifically for blogging. I was actually very lucky and my dad managed to get me the Canon eos 600d through his business while I was visiting him in Australia a couple of years ago. However, before receiving the camera, I'd been blogging for almost a year and not doing a bad job with the Canon IXUS HS 115 - a standard digital camera. Yes my technique was a bit dodgy looking back at older posts but the image quality itself was perfectly acceptable for someone starting out in the blogging world. I've even used my Iphone for quite a few posts (the main photo in this post was taken with my Iphone) and as long as you get some decent lighting (which I'll talk about soon) and focus, it works perfectly fine. I also don't think there's a huge need for fancy lenses - yes they can help add a different look to your images but other than the 50mm lens which I use for outfit photos, I manage just fine with the basic kit lens.

Image source: Link

Look at your settings

The biggest photography game changer for me was working out how to actually use my camera and how to achieve the kind of photos I want - light, bright and clear. Although the auto settings on a DSLR work perfectly fine, they won't create the light and bright images you want, despite the lighting / equipment you have. To really get a control on the lighting, you need to change your settings. I always take my photos on the AV setting and then use the AV button on the back of the camera to up the lighting. All you need to do is turn the dial on top of the camera to AV, hold in the AV button of the right hand side next to the main camera screen and then scroll up or down with the thumbwheel on top of the camera until the lighting is to your liking. I usually set the lighting to around 1 (on that dial in the right image) so my images come out lovely and bright. I know lots of bloggers take their pictures in the manual setting but that's just far too complicated for me and AV seems to work just fine!

Take your own photographs 

This may seem like a fairly obvious one but I still see a lot of blogs using stock photos (images that can be found via google) instead of photographs they've taken themselves. For me personally, this is an instant turn-off as it looks lazy and it isn't personable. The only time I would ever use a stock photo is for a wish list post as I clearly don't have the products infront of me to take the photos. Lets face it - anyone can go online and search for an image but it shows you've put effort in and your personality if you take your own. Even if you put a lot of effort into the written content of your posts, a lack of images will reflect badly. Just something to think about!

Lighting & Exposure

Its probably the most obvious photography tips of all but natural light is your best friend when taking photos as it allows your camera to pick up more detail and make images appear crisp. Take photos by a window or outside if the weather is nice! I take my images on my dressing table as its right next to a window and allows me to create bright and detailed images. Admittedly its harder in Winter when the weather is dreary but a bit of editing can solve that which I'll talk about shortly. Its also important to ensure your images have the right amount of light - you don't want them to be over exposed or under exposed like the images above. You can usually adjust the amount of light your camera lets in on the settings.I do this using the AV setting as I mentioned above.

Don't shoot into the light

Its important to remember that when you're taking photos you should always shoot away from the light and not into it. What I mean by this is make sure the light is in front of the object you're shooting and not behind it. As you can see in the photos I've taken above, when the light is behind the object, all the camera will pick up is the light behind and not the product itself. However, when the light is in front of the object, it will ensure the product is the focal point and all of the necessary details will be picked up.

Avoid Flash

Unless you really need to use it, try to avoid flash at all costs. Flash has a habit of washing things out or reflecting off surfaces and creating an unattractive glare. If you want your photos to be really crisp and pick up the true colour/detail of a product, natural lighting is key! As you can see in the example above, whilst the left image isn't bad, the flash has created a glare on the bottom half of the lipstick and reflected onto my dressing table. Its also created a reflection off my lipstick holder in the background. In the right photo, the focus is completely on the lipstick and the packaging looks nice and even in tone.

Focus, Focus, Focus!

Another obvious one but I still see a lot of blurred/out of focus images on blogs and like the stock photos, its an instant turn off. As you can see in the example above, the out of focus image just doesn't look appealing - you can't see the detail of the product and it looks sloppy. I guess the reason out of focus images are such a turn off is because it comes across like you've not put any effort in. I always try to take at least ten photos of the same product just to make sure I've got one that's nice and crisp. It takes a bit more time but it will pay off!

Angles & Composition
I'm a very creative person and love photography so playing around with different angles is something I enjoy. However, if this isn't your thing it can be easy to fall into a trap of plonking a product on to a plain surface with no thought put into the angles or composition of the image. Its so important to remember that a photo speaks a thousand words so let it tell a story. Add props (flowers, candles, ornaments) into the surrounding areas and take your images from various angles - a birds eye view shot, one straight on and a close up are always good ones to go for. A range of images will make your blog post a lot more interesting! This also brings me on to composition which basically means how much space there is around your image. As you can see in the photos above, the left picture isn't focused on the product - there's too much space and distraction around it whereas the right image is focused in on the product which is what my blog post is about.

Background & Props 

Its important to think about the background you're taking your photos on as this is the basis for the whole photo and will give your images a personal touch. I've done a lot of experimenting with image backgrounds since I started blogging as I often like to change things up and make my images more interesting. A few backgrounds I'd recommend include a glass or plain white surface, a wooden floor or some pretty bedding. I used to take my photos of the TV stand in my living room because its glass and I now take them on my white dressing table. I find glass or white backgrounds look lovely and bright which makes the overall image more pleasing to the eye. Bedding, wallpaper and tile samples, fluffy rugs, flowers and cute items blurred in background all look lovely too!

De-Clutter
As I mentioned in my previous point, its sometimes nice to add some pretty accessories in the background of your photos but there's a huge difference between strategically placed accessories and clutter. By clutter I mean general mess that we don't really need to see in the background of an image. You can see what I mean by the photo above. Make sure you find somewhere clutter-free or have a tidy up before you start snapping. For example, the dressing table I take my photos on is often covered with makeup, perfume bottles, cotton pads and what not but I make sure I tidy most of that away before one of my photo taking sessions.

 

resized to same width as the post

Resize 

Most of my favourite blogs have one thing in common - large images. Images are one of the main features of a blog and the first thing our eye is drawn to so make sure they're large and clear. You can resize images using the standard 'Large' 'X Large' tabs when you hover over a photo but the way I increase the size of my images is by flicking over to the HTML tab when composing a post and changing the 'widths' and 'heights' of my photos. Its best to have a play around until you find a size that suits you and the design of your blog. For reference, the width of my photos is 765 as this matches the width of my post header. 

Keep it Consistent

I also think its important to ensure all images are the same width. I'm not sure why but I find it really off putting when reading a blog if the images aren't lined up nicely. What I mean by this is that some of the images will be wide and line up with the font and others will be tall and skinny so they don't match up with the others. If you look at my posts you'll see that all of the images are the same width across as I find it makes my blog look more symmetrical and pleasing to the eye.

Before cropping and adjusting brightness, shadows and contract on PicMonkey

Editing 
After you've taken your photographs, the next step is to edit them! I don't spend a great deal of time editing but I do make a few basic changes such as cropping, brightness, contrast, shadows and highlights. I do most of these thing on iPhoto but I also use PicMonkey as I find I can get my pictures nice and bright without over exposing them. I also use PicMonkey if I want to add text / a shape to my image or make a collage. I edited all of the images in this post using PicMonkey. Its super simple to use and does the job well. 

Renaming

Not a lot of people realise how important it is to rename images. I never used to do this when I first started blogging but I read a post about SEO and it mentioned that search engines won't find or list your images if it has a name like 'D54802' which is standard with most cameras. If you want someone to find your post about a MAC lipstick, rename your images 'MAC lipstick Review' so google and its little spiders that crawl our blogs for info will know what the image is. I also like to add a little summary of what my post is about into the 'properties' section of my images too. I've popped an example from this post above!

So there we have a few of my photography tips! I know most of them are fairly simple but sometimes its the simple things that really do make all the difference. Let me know your top tips in the comments below :)

Blogging | A Few Things To Remember

Image Source

I was recently thinking about being a blogger and the things that often come along with it - the thoughts and feelings we have or the actions of others that can leave us feeling a bit 'meh' about the whole thing. I think its really important to remember to always try and remain positive when blogging so I thought I'd offer a few pieces of advice from my own personal experience below. I hope you can relate to some or maybe even all of them on some level ...

You will be judged unfairly. Take it with a pink of salt or as Taylor Swift would say 'Shake It Off!'. Don't feel like you can't be true to yourself just because a few keyboard warriors like to pick on everything and anything you do. Ignore them, move on and keep being you. I've developed a pretty thick skin over the past twelve months and I think this is really important as its impossible to please everyone on the internet. People will dislike you for no reason at all and my advice would be to not let the opinion of those you don't care about affect your day.

You will have moments of doubt. You will have times when you feel like your blog isn't 'up to scratch' and everyone around you is producing better content. I've been there many times, its only natural. However, you have to remember that we're all different and if every blog was the same, blogging wouldn't exist. What makes blogging so amazing is that we're all individuals with our own style and stories. Have confidence in your own work and if you love it, others will too!

Social media isn't real life, don't let it suck you in. That girl who appears to have the perfect life on your Instagram feed has her own problems too. Its SO important to remember that nobody leads the perfect life and as the saying goes 'stop comparing your behind the scenes with everybody else's highlights reel!'. We can all take pretty photos of our 'best bits', stick a filter on them and share them online - it doesn't mean that behind closed doors everything is peachy. Most people just choose not to share the dull, boring and stressful moments with the rest of the world.

Cheating will always end badly. Yep that's right, unfortunately people do this across all platforms and it makes me sad that its almost becoming the norm. Not only because its unfair on those who have worked hard to build a genuine following but its also sad that people feel the need to 'buy' followers in order to gain something like freebies or 'fame'. As soon as you stop concentrating on numbers, you'll enjoy blogging a hell of a lot more. Plus, cheaters always get caught out eventually.

Some people won't get it. If your second cousin or Bill down the road don't understand why you're blogging and aren't willing to listen to you talking about it, that's fine, don't try to justify yourself. If people don't understand that blogging takes a lot of hard work, passion and effort or understand why you'd spend so much time doing it, let it be. As long as you enjoy it, that's all that matters. There will always be ignorant Ian's (no offence to anyone called Ian intended) in the world!

Keep your dignity, always. Blogging is developing quickly and there are more and more opportunities cropping up where brands want to pay bloggers to endorse their products. I think this is great as it allows bloggers to turn their full time hobbies into careers. However, never ever accept an offer just because there's money involved. If you post halfheartedly about things you're not all that interested in, your readers will be able to tell. If you wouldn't spend your own money on it, don't accept it.

Don't take it too seriously. I guess blogging is 'serious' in the respect that it can become a full time career and is developing into a well recognised form of media. That's all well and good. However, when you begin to take it too seriously, you lose the enjoyment. Take blogging for what it really is - an outlet for you to share your passions and something you enjoy doing. Don't let it become a chore. Let go of the stress and expectations and just be yourself, its a lot more enjoyable.

There's no right or wrongs. If you fancy sharing something a bit different to the norm on your blog, then you go Glen Coco! Don't feel like you have to be the same as everyone else to 'fit in', you really don't. I know its hard to be totally unique as a blogger but as long as you're passionate about your content, that's all that really matters.

Its not a race. If you're a new blogger, its important to remember that those established bloggers you look at and think 'I'll never be as successful as them' were in your shoes once. Everyone starts somewhere and blogging is anything but easy - it takes hard work and dedication to gain a loyal following. I'm going to throw another quote out there (nothing like a quote for some inspiration) but its true that you shouldn't 'compare your chapter one to someone else's chapter 20!'. Just work hard, enjoy it and go with the flow!

Do you agree with any of these points? Are there any others you'd add?

Lots of love,

TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | INSTAGRAM

The Best Things About Being A Blogger: Part 1

Pinterest

Meeting like minded people

This has to be the best thing about being a blogger - meeting so many lovely people who have the same interests as me. Before I started blogging, I used to ramble on to my friends and family about beauty products or my latest MAC lipstick purchase and for the most part, they weren't all that interested. Not because they're not interested in what I have to say but because that isn't their passion - unlike me, they don't have drawers and drawers full of the stuff! However, I love nothing more than chatting to fellow bloggers on Twitter or Instagram about my latest beauty find or lipstick love - its so much fun! Its also nice to have so many people to talk to at all times of the day. Its like having thousands of virtual friends!

Discovering new brands

Before starting my blog, I'd only heard of the big name brands. Take MAC, NARS, Bourjois, Rimmel and Maybelline for example. Now as much as I still love those huge brands, blogging has also allowed me to discover smaller but absolutely fantastic brands. I'm not going to name all the brands I've discovered here as there's just too damn many but yes, its safe to say the brands I now use has hugely expanded since my early blogging days. I may do a post all about my favourites soon.

Awesome opportunities

One of the really lovely perks that comes with being a blogger is being given the opportunity to do things you'd never have the chance to do otherwise. Some people get funny about bloggers being sent 'freebies' or getting to attend events but if a blogger has worked exceptionally hard on their blogs, which are free for anyone to read, I don't see anything wrong with them getting rewarded for their effort. Lets face it, most bloggers don't make any money from their blogs but put in just as much, if not more time than they would working part or even full time. So yes, I'm here saying it loud and proud that being given the chance to go and see a concert, attend a cool event or receive a new release from a beauty brand is one of the great things about being a blogger. As long as you're not blogging for the sole purpose of getting free stuff, I don't see anything wrong with that.

Helping/inspiring others

I've wrote a few lifestyle posts on my blog in the past about my own personal experiences (anxiety and bullying to name two) and the response I've received to them has been overwhelming. Whether its tweets, comments or emails - the fact that something I've wrote has helped or inspired someone has to be one of the most rewarding feelings ever. I've even received emails from girls who said they went to get help after reading one of my posts or that reading my story and knowing they're not alone got them through a hard time. Knowing these things makes blogging SO worth it!

Developing my skill set

Since starting my blog I've learnt so many invaluable skills that I wouldn't have otherwise. As a blogger we play so many different roles - content creator, editor, photographer, social media updater and decision maker. Taking on all of these different roles over the past (almost) three years has allowed me to get a glimpse into what its like to do these things for a business and it even landed me my new job which I'll be doing a post all about very soon!

There's so many other things I love about blogging that I've decided to split this post up into two parts. Keep your eyes peeled for the next installment!

What are your favourite things about being a blogger?

Lots of love,

TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | INSTAGRAM

Blogging: Serious Business?

Okay so this is a bit of a different post to my normal beauty rambles but its something I feel I need to get off my chest and share with you guys. Perhaps I can get your opinions on the matter too? It’s probably something we’ve all thought at one time or another. So, here goes. My question is ... When did blogging become so serious?

Back in 2011 when I sat down to write my first ever blog post – I didn’t imagine for one minute that even ten people would read what I have to say, never mind over 11,000. With this being said, adjusting to the constant pressures of blogging has been quite tough for me. I know everyone says ‘you should blog for you and not care what anyone else thinks’ and although I don’t particularly care per-se, there’s still a pressure lurking over me that I have to always be the absolute best version of myself because if I’m not, there’ll be people waiting to jump on my weaknesses and pick me apart. I just find it pretty sad that blogging has gone from something I did to escape the pressures of day to day life to one of those pressures itself. Whether its feeling like my photography doesn't compare with other bloggers, feeling like my posts aren't interesting enough, not being able to reply to tweets or emails as quickly as I'd like or not having flawless makeup and hair in an Instagram photo - there's always a pressure of some kind. I wish it wasn't like that but unfortunately, it is. Standards are set in the blogging world by some phenomenal bloggers - people who do this as their full time jobs and people who are constantly pushing out creative and inspiring content. However, as someone who blogs on the side of a full time job for a bit of fun (which is the majority of us), the pressure of feeling like I have to keep up can get too much. 

Now I’m not trying to say I don’t enjoy blogging anymore because that would be a lie – I absolutely love writing my blog. I’ve met some amazing people through it and have had some wonderful opportunities. I did journalism at university so writing has always been a passion of mine and I view my blog as a creative outlet – somewhere I can escape and write about the things I love. I just wish it didn't come with so many pressures. Blogging for me was never and never will be about the number of followers I have or how many likes I get on an instagram photo. I really couldn’t care less. Those things come gradually with time and although its amazing to know people enjoy what I write and I do feel proud of myself for what I’ve achieved, it really isn’t my main priority – just a nice bonus. Now I’d be lying to you all if I didn’t say I’ve had moments recently when I’ve thought ‘this is crazy’ after expressing an opinion or making an innocent comment only to be made to feel bad for doing so. Over time I've learnt to accept that this is just part and parcel of being a blogger but the point I'm trying to get across is - should it be this way? Have we found ourselves in a day and age where we can’t express a harmless opinion online and have to 'put up' with things just because we choose to write a blog? Would we put up with these things if we didn't? Probably not. I wish people could be kinder to each other and speak to one another with more respect. We’re all different people and we all have our own likes and dislikes in life - if we didn't, the world would be a boring place.  However, blogging is supposed to be fun and having a blog shouldn't mean we're a target for negativity. We're all still normal people after all. I bet most bloggers day to day lives really aren't as exciting as you'd imagine - mine certainly isn't - quite the opposite in fact! Just a bit of food for thought :)

I guess what I’m trying to say here is – what happened to the friendly blogging community I used to be part of? I always viewed it as a place I could  turn when I wanted a chat with fellow bloggers about the ways and woes of life or have a ramble about my favourite beauty products. I really think blogging gets taken waaaaay too seriously these days and bloggers are put on some sort of pedestal as people that should never dare do or say anything that might (unnecessarily) offend someone. If people would take a step back into the real world and realise that bloggers are in fact completely ordinary girls (and boys!) that share a passion they want to write about it, maybe things could get put into a bit more perspective. Life is way too short for that rubbish and I just want to enjoy writing my blog the same way I did when I first started - when nobody was reading other than my nanna and my auntie. After all - blogs are only a place on the internet where people write about the things they like or their day to day life - it shouldn't get so political. 

Blogging is something anyone can do - you don't have to have any special skills to get involved - just a passion for what you're writing about and the motivation to keep it up. My friends often say 'Kayleigh - how on earth do you find the time to work, blog and socialise - you must have serious dedication' and although it is a struggle sometimes, I continue because I love it. I also really enjoy getting to know lots of likeminded people but I'd much prefer to do that in a more friendly environment without any added pressures. If I want to make a lighthearted joke or upload a photo looking like a scruff - I should be able to do that without any repercussions. We should be supporting and encouraging one another - not putting each other down or making each other feel bad because there was a few typos in our latest post or we looked less than perfect in a selfie. Isn't there more to life?

I think its so important to just enjoy your own little space on the web and don’t get so caught up in everyone else’s. If there’s bloggers you love - make their day by telling them. Its nice to be nice. If there’s blogs you aren't so keen on, my advice would be... don’t read them. Its pretty straight forward when it comes down to it and everyone should be able to enjoy blogging in their own way and their own style without feeling compared to others. As the saying goes “you can be the juiciest peach in the world and there’ll still be someone who doesn’t like peaches!”. Just remember – this is blogging, not a competition. Its meant to be fun and enjoyable - a creative outlet, a hobby or our own little 'happy' place to share the things we love and enjoy in life. If we could all just appreciate that and more importantly appreciate that its okay to not be perfect or the best at everything, blogging included, the blogging community would be a much happier place. 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this and sorry if I'm coming across as a ranting Rita - I'm really just trying to be honest with my thoughts and I hope you can relate to what I've said in one way or another.

Do you wish blogging wasn't taken quite so seriously?

Lots of love,

TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | INSTAGRAM