Slider

Why We Blog Collab

November 9, 2017

| Photo by Hilltop Photo Co. |
For this post, I collaborated with Nicole over at explosive bagel to reflect on why we started blogging in the first place, with the hopes of inspiring others. (and ourselves!)

| "WHY I BLOG" by Laura from The Fashionable Fox

I started The Fashionable Fox back in 2013 as a sophomore in college with a broken heart and a spark of ambition. As a recently single hot mess, I wanted to do something that made me happy and brought me back to who I really was before; a girl with big dreams who loved to write and knew a thing or two about fashion.

Rewind fifteen-ish years and you'd find me in a basketball uniform, or better yet, a knight costume at a tea party-themed birthday celebration. How'd I get here, you ask? Well, I'm still asking myself the same question. But that's a good thing.


I wasn't kidding about the knight costume.
Bloggers all have moments of self-doubt; asking ourselves "why am I doing this?" and "is anyone actually reading?" If a blogger tells you they DON'T ask themselves those questions, sorry but, they're lying.

It's good to ask those questions! In our fit of anger, frustration or sadness, asking "why am I doing this?" can level you out and bring you back to the center to come face to face with the REAL reason you started to blog in the first place.

I didn't start my blog to rip my hair out when it rains the only day I can shoot for a post over the weekend. I didn't start it to second guess if I'm posting a photo on Instagram at the time of day that will get me the most "likes." And I definitely didn't start it to make myself compare my growth to the success of other bloggers.

I started my blog because when my mom began dragging me along thrifting with her as a kid, I realized it wasn't as "gross" as people made it up to be. My first job at a resale clothing store taught me about name brands and designer items, so I put my knowledge and experience together to inspire women to dress their best on a budget and to prove that you can hunt down some pretty amazing stuff from the thrift store. I have a voice that wants to share what I find and what I learn, and the blog allows me to do just that.

My blog is the lifeline I didn't know I needed at the time, but it has since helped me to grow by giving me the courage to move forward, change my major in college, learn more, be more and do more. So on the bad days when I'm ready to throw in the towel, I remind myself that I didn't just start a blog because it was cool; I started it to change my life. And that's reason enough to keep going.

*****

| "WHY I BLOG" by Nicole from explosive bagel

I couldn't tell you what made me first consider starting a blog. Since high school, every couple of years I would toss around the idea but never went anywhere with it, probably because I was afraid of being judged. There were a couple of anonymous blogs that I created over the years where I would write for a few weeks and then abandon it. This blog, explosive bagel, is the first with my name attached to it.

Two weeks after graduating college, I went on vacation with my family. About halfway through, I said to them, "When we get back home, I'm going to start a blog. What should I call it?" The best part, now that I think of it, was that nobody asked why. None of them were surprised or asked what I could possibly write about. They just nodded and threw out name suggestions. And I think that's a sign that blogging is something that, for me, just makes sense.

The question of why I blog is particularly interesting because my blog doesn't really have just one focus. I'm all over the place. I write about books, products, shows, random thoughts, things going on in my life. I've even put up a couple of more abstract, creative-writing-type posts (do they count as poems if they're not good?). I blog about pretty much anything and everything. And I do it all in addition to a full-time job.

But why? Aside from Because I like writing, I think at this point my main reason for blogging is to connect with people.

I post about books I've read in case you're looking for something to read or want to swap recommendations.
I post about what shows I've been watching so we can talk about them if you've watched them too.
When I post about how I'm feeling, I'm honest about it, so you can feel like you're not alone.
I post about things that have been on my mind to spark a conversation or get you thinking about it too.
I post about what's going on in my life because that's what friends do.

I blog so I can be your Internet friend. It's more fun that way.

*****

THREE QUESTIONS WITH NICOLE

| How did you decide on the name "explosive bagel?"
It's funny, the name "explosive bagel" is 100 percent random. When I decided that I was definitely going to start a blog, I was on vacation with my family and they were helping me brainstorm name ideas. At first I was trying to come up with something that had some sort of significance to it, a connection to me, but I didn't feel totally comfortable with anything. I think part of the reason for that is because I am always changing. My interests change, my hobbies change, my goals change, parts of my personality might even change. I didn't want to commit to a blog name that would reflect something about myself that wouldn't be or feel true down the line.

Ultimately, the name was chosen by asking one of my sisters to think of an adjective, asking my mom to think of a noun, and on the count of three, they'd say their words together. We did that for a while and made a whole list of weird combinations. It started out as a joke, but we ended up having fun with it. "Explosive bagel" was the funniest, so that's what I went with.

| What do you find discourages you the most as a blogger? 
Ah, good question. I'd say that I end up feeling the most discouraged when I feel like I'm not doing enough. I'm not getting enough engagement, gaining enough followers, coming up with enough ideas, putting up enough posts. Feeling like I'm not interesting enough or creative enough. It's all about struggling to be enough, but what does that word even mean anyway?

| When you start to feel discouraged, how do you find inspiration again to start writing a new post?
When I'm feeling discouraged and/or am in a writing slump, more often than not, writing about my feelings is what ends up getting me out of it.

I'll write a post about whatever it is that's been on my mind instead of blog post ideas. And posts like that -- the awkward, vulnerable, and honest posts -- not only tend to be the ones that I'm most proud of, but they're what inspire me to keep going. When I write those posts, I remember how good it feels to write, especially if I'm posting about things that other people can relate to or might find helpful.

So I guess, to answer the question, when I'm feeling discouraged, I find inspiration by continuing to do it and not giving up. I'll keep writing nonsense until something sticks.

*****

Swing on over to explosive bagel to find out what questions I was asked! Special thanks to Nicole for collaborating with me on this fun project!

Remember why you started,

2 comments:

  1. Such a unique experience about how your mom indirectly got you interested in fashion blogging! Very cool!

    (Psst--- I'm a Chicago area blogger too!)
    With Love & Style,
    ♥ Amber
    ALL THE AMBIENCE

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Amber- it really is! My mom loves to take credit too ;)

      That's awesome that you are also a Chicago area blogger- I will be sure to check out your page!

      xo,
      Laura

      Delete

CopyRight © | Theme Designed By Hello Manhattan