Hi everyone! Welcome (or welcome back) to my blog. If you’ve been reading this for a while, you’ve probably realized that it’s been silent on the blog for about 6 months. I wasn’t entirely satisfied with my blog, and about 6 or 7 months ago, I had truly had reached my limit of trying to write content and create blog aesthetics. Because I’ve had the blog for maybe…3 years (which puts me back at age 19/20), I wasn’t feeling the same about my writing, my focus and the look of my blog as I did when I was younger. When I started the blog, it was more of a general rant and reflection thing, because as a teenager on the cusp of her 20’s, and as a university student, I didn’t have a whole lot to say other than a lot of things about myself, and a lot of random events.
Honestly, I was just creating content that was popular and trendy for that given time, not necessarily things I wanted to write, but things that were easily writable. Hauls, skincare routines, and a lot of pieces that other bloggers were making. Now, I don’t have a problem with that, but seeing as a majority of my posts lacked…shall we say, depth, I sounded more juvenile than I intended. But for that time in life, the juvenile, spendy, trendy, random post filled blog, suited my life and my writing style. But that blog and those posts, aren’t entirely reflective of who I am.
So back to around 6 months ago, I came to a realization that I wanted to start fresh–delete all the old posts, change the layout, basically, start all over. As a 22 year old, a graduate, and a first time navigator of this “being an adult” thing, and a more experienced writer thanks to my English degree and a couple of writing and editing gigs, I felt that my blog wasn’t portraying the same image. And in the online world, image, literally and figuratively, is key.
I made the decision to leave the blog for quite some time. I realize it’s not the smartest thing to do to leave your readers hanging (sorry guys!!!), but I didn’t have the words to explain why I left the blog at the time. On top of the dissatisfaction with my blog, I was still working temporary jobs, which, let me tell ya, doesn’t do much for your self-esteem. Especially when you just want a solid job, or a solid flow of freelance work to give a steady (or near steady) income. At this time, I also decided to try out web design and development, which is actually really useful for bloggers and online personalities. This led me to do a certificate in advanced web design and development over the summer. By the end of the autumn, I had completed the certificate, successfully completed a website, and was in the midst of finishing another. While I do enjoy web design and development, I felt as though I was missing out on the enjoyment of creating my own content and sharing it with the world.
With the distance from writing on the blog, and a bit of personal growth and reflection, and the experimentation with web design and development, I decided it was time to return to the blogosphere.
That brings us to today. With my 23rd birthday (week), I wanted to relaunch my blog. I wanted to start writing (again) with content that better reflects who I am, and content that I think is more useful to share with a new, and perhaps mature and focused look. I’m not completely ditching the beauty and style posts, nor am I ditching the occasional rant or very random event. But I want these posts to have a clearer focus with content that is more relevant to anyone reading. I want to bring fresh ideas with lifestyle, beauty, personal style, and literature posts. With the changes to my blog, I want to grow into a more confident blogger and writer, and project a more realistic and developed blog, all while enjoying the process.
Yes, I am still working temporary jobs, trying to pick up more freelance writing jobs, and looking for more work in the content creating world, but for now, I am happy to be back with my blog. Hopefully, the upcoming year will be a year of growth not only for the blog, but also for me.
Thanks for continuing, or starting, this journey with me!
-Vanessa
