Where did that time go?! I have decided to do a little
Then vs Now post today in celebration of my blogs second birthday!
Then....
Okay, so if we take it back to June 2014 when I decided to create my blog, things were a WHOLE lot different! I didn't really know what to expect, I just knew I had a huge passion for the fashion and beauty industry and of course public relations! After many years of contemplating starting a blog, I decided to go for it and give it a little go!
I began blogging with a normal digital camera, nothing fancy! My mum would take photos for me, (bless her) and I would try and post as frequently as I could. I cringe looking back at the photos now but they're all memories, right? Anyway, the first few months of blogging brought along a whole host of insecurities for me. I remember seeing every other blogger get invited to events and working with amazing brands and I constantly felt disheartened. I would always question what exactly I was doing wrong, whether I should just give up and let it go but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I was working on a placement year with Walt Disney and so I couldn't dedicate as much time to blogging as I would have hoped, but, I continued to spend my weekends shooting and producing content. After a few months I began working with brands and getting invited to a few events here and there, I remember specifically receiving blogger mail from Cocoa Brown Tan and being so happy about it! It soon became apparent that blogging was approaching a whole new level, it became very popular amongst lots of girls and the number of new blogs kept increasing dramatically. Brands began working with more bloggers and it became a 'thing' to work with bloggers.
After my first year, I was happy with the progress of my blog and the amount of brands I was able to work with. I was still disappointed that I couldn't dedicate more time to it but I was moving on from my placement to the most important year of university, so of course, I had to take a backseat.
Now....
Wow, how things have changed! Firstly, I think the photos have improved a lot (I hope you all agree, ha)! I actually took a while to learn how to edit photos and as you can tell from the 'then' image, I didn't make use of the crop tool! I also used to drive around endlessly trying to find 'quiet' spots for photos but I try and keep the location consistent as much as possible now!
I never believed that I would have the opportunity to work alongside some amazing brands and bloggers and attend some amazing events! If you had said to me two years ago that I would be attending events with Benefit and Sleek, for example, I would have never believed you! There is a long way that I would still like to go, but I am now able to look ahead and I have some exciting projects lined up in the future that remind me how lucky I am to do something that I love, bringing with it a host of benefits. I have met some lovely bloggers, something which makes blogging all the more enjoyable! I also massively appreciate the support I receive, that's another main factor that keeps me going, particularly if I am being negative about myself / my blog!
Still to this day, I constantly compare myself to others and put a large amount of pressure on myself. I think there is a high amount of pressure for us bloggers to ensure we have the perfect Instagram 'theme' and such like, something that admittedly stresses me out a little! I am however a firm believer that you should write and photograph things that you like, love and are passionate about. Now I have completed university I have plenty of time to now put all of my efforts into blogging, work my hardest and see where it takes me!
As always, thanks for reading!
Lauren-Faye x
