5 Things I’ve learned from blogging

Soooo….what do you think of the new website? It is pretty fab right? I still can’t believe I have a new beautiful home for all my ramblings. I definitely didn’t do it alone though! Many people put serious work and sweat into this! Anyway, more about that later (blog post to follow for sure) but for now I want to share my thoughts on something with you.

With the relaunch of Adorn.ie I thought it was a good time to reflect on how far I have come and what I have learnt (or taught myself) along the way.

Blogging can be intimidating for the best of us. You don’t have to be a newbie to this business to get knocked, question yourself or even feel like giving up from time to time. Blogging and beauty are my world. I spend most of my waking day writing or dreaming of beauty products but at the same time there are days when I wondered why I bothered to blog and was it all worth the effort!!

The truth is, in the beginning I didn’t let myself grow into being a blogger. Yes, you most definitely can set up a Facebook page, Snapchat account or even a website and become a blogger over night.  But, in my opinion it takes so much more than that to be successful, as you probably know or will find out very soon, if you are new to this game.

I have studied really hard to gain high level qualifications in the beauty industry. Even with all that knowledge and experience I still don’t think it is enough to be a good blogger. You need to be a writer, a photographer, a creator, a PR specialist and a PA all wrapped into one. Sounds easy right?!!!

We all start somewhere and that is ok. Once you are aware of what you need to do and are willing to do it then I believe it will all come right in the end.

I have learnt so much along the way that has made me into the “blogger” that I am today. I have had highs and lows, I have met nice people and not so nice people and I have even shed a tear at times. But, here I am now having learnt a bunch of pretty useful stuff and I feel I am ready to share some of those things with you all. Whether you are a budding blogging star or are in the business a long time I hope you find this informative and inspirational.

Here we go. Five things I have learnt from blogging:

1)Do it for the love of it and nothing else. It isn’t easy. You don’t get success without hard work and dedication. If you did, everyone would be doing it. This can entail late nights, early mornings and missing out on spending time with loved ones. Only if you have a passion for what you do will you get a sense of self satisfaction from it. If you are looking for anything more than this (particularly in the beginning) then you are in the wrong game my friend!

2)Create a community. Don’t just dictate to your followers about how they should do their makeup or what dress they should buy next. Interact with them, be friendly, make them feel like you are on the same level as them. After all, you are someone that has a love for something that you want to share with like minded people. Give them friendly advice and tell them about your latest must have products, like you would a friend.

3)Be honest. I cannot stress this enough. Never lead your followers astray, never tell them something that is untrue and never be anything but yourself. Trust me the respect and popularity will follow.

Also, be honest with yourself. Only talk about things you want to talk about, don’t feel like you have to talk about something just because everyone else is or because it was sent to you. If you write about something you love, the words will flow and your readers will feel that passion coming across in your post or video. It is much easier to be true to yourself.

4)Don’t be afraid of change. The blogging world is evolving daily and to keep up with the times we have no choice but to change with it. Try new things, be creative and have fun but in all of the change, still remain loyal to yourself and your followers. The more you try new things the more your passion will remain and grow. Doing the same thing time and time again is boring and pointless. With all this said there is a possibility that you might not succeed at the change. Does that matter? Absolutely not, who learns from always being right anyway!

5)Surround yourself with positivity. This is crucial for me. Surrounding yourself with people in the industry, that understand the hard work it takes is fantastic but make sure they are the people that you would want to know even if they had nothing to give you. Don’t just look for something from someone because chances are you won’t get it.

Some bloggers are amazing at sharing their experience and knowledge while others like to keep their journey a secret. That is their own choice and neither are right or wrong but my point is don’t rely on anyone to give you info. I call it a blogging business for a reason, it is a business and you will have friends, you will have acquaintances and then you will have people that see you as their competition. Competition is healthy as long as you don’t become disheartened by it. I have met some great people through blogging and have met people that I now call my friends. There is definitely more good than bad. The beauty industry in Ireland is home to some of the nicest people I have ever met.

Outside of your blogging network surround yourself with people that, although they don’t do what you do, they know and respect your passion. They build you up when you need a boost and will encourage you to be yourself and explore your creativity. I was missing this for a huge part of my life and I have finally found people that just “get me”. This is more than I could have ever wanted. I hope you can find the same.

Sorry if I rambled on too much. I am not the type of girl to get my point across in three words!! How did you find it? Do you feel the same as me or did you find any useful tips that you can use going forward???

I have so much more to learn and so much more to give to blogging. I cannot wait to take you all on my journey particularly now that I have a smashing new blog.

Thanks for reading and be sure to share it with anyone you think might enjoy it.

Cheers Anita xxx