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I was scrolling through Instagram the other night and I realized how similar, how perfect, and how staged everything looks…it’s totally a blogger thing — it’s our brand, it’s what we represent and what we want people to see us as. But there’s so much more to us bloggers than what we portray. There’s an ugly side to it, just like everything else…
1. It’s Not All Rainbows & Butterflies
Look, just because we post a perfectly styled picture on Instagram, doesn’t mean everything is “perfect.” Just about every single blogger I know will post a picture of themselves dressed to the nines or a beautiful product flat lay, but in reality we are sitting in our pajamas, binge watching Netflix with dirty hair. And trust me…that beautiful flat lay was way more work than it should have been. We are real people, with real problems.
2. Not Everyone Is Made For It
For some people it can seem quite simple to just wake up, create a blog and start publishing. I mean, it sounds easy enough, right? Well…it’s not. Running a full-time blog, is like running a business — there is so much that goes into it behind the scenes that not everyone sees. With that said, you can’t expect to take a week off, travel, post once a week and get loads of traffic and engagement. But that’s what I see on social media from other bloggers? You might ask. Yeah, and they all started somewhere and they have worked their butts off to get to where they are now. If it gets to the point where it is starting to feel more like a job and less like your passion…it may not be your thing.
3. You Will Want To Quit
…on weekly basis! If not daily. I’ve come close to it so many times but I love this so much I can’t let it go, it’s more than just a hobby for me now, it’s my passion. But there’s definitely been times where a rude comment, a demanding campaign or just the work itself gets to be too much. But I have to remember, why I first started and why I keep going. And thankfully we live in world where a lot of things can get scheduled and automated, which makes blogging so much easier sometimes.
4. It’s A Lot, A LOT Of Work
Imagine being a web designer, writer, brand consultant, social media manager, photographer, editor and then some, ALL in one?! And guess what…we learn it all ourselves and do it all ourselves most of time. Of course, once bloggers hit full-time status, most of the time they hire people to help…but there’s only so much an intern or assistant can do.
5. And It Costs Money
Sure, you can always start off for free…but eventually, if you want to make it a business, you have to put some money into it. There’s web hosting fees, webinars, e-courses, props, tech equipment, etc that has to be purchased.
6. Some People Don’t Understand It
And they probably never will and that’s okay. To them, we may come off as snobs… weird…materialistic…addicted to social media…etc. It’s a different world and while blogging is much bigger than what it was a few years ago, some people won’t ever understand why you do it.
7. It’s Not All About Free Stuff
Is it nice to come home to packages of PR products….yes, it is. But it takes a lot of work, a lot of growth to get to the point where companies are showering you with free things.
8. People Can Be Really Mean
I once had a lady, that could easily have been my grandmother’s age, tell me that I talked too much, had an annoying voice, nobody took me seriously and that I was too fat for YouTube. I was baffled as I read her comment but I just deleted it and blocked her. Have I forgotten about it…no…but her comment doesn’t define me as a person, but it shows a lot about her. You have to have thick skin for this, people feel really comfortable trashing you behind a screen.
But overall, I look forward to getting new content out and I love connecting with people I’d otherwise never know. It’s become an outlet for me, a way to encourage others, share my favorites, give some advice and help make someones day be a little better. At the end of the day, helping one person feel better about themselves because of something I shared, means I’ve done my job.
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