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four years of lydiaelisemillen.com

16th November 2015
At the end of October, I watched the fourth birthday of LydiaEliseMillen.com come and go. I was caught up in the craziness of deadlines and home life. My partner Ali truly knows how to load it all onto me, we had new sofa’s coming, a re design of our front garden under way and to top it all off we had and still have a leak under the floor of our solid oak kitchen ruining the entire floor and wreaking havoc with the wood work. I feel as though I’m moaning but taking into consideration some of us have been logging onto this blog for around about the same amount of time as I have been writing here, I definitely consider us all friends, so I do hope you don’t mind. With every year that passes I’m astonished that I still find myself here in my little corner of the internet sharing my life’s, loves, fears and tears so openly. This year I find myself looking back more and more on what blogging was when I first started, how it’s changed and how I have grown as a blogger. So rather than lighting a candle and celebrating the year that’s passed I decided to reflect on the entire process. T H E   C A R E E R I remember sitting in my university bedroom engulfed in my loneliness throwing back and forth the idea of starting something. A website of sorts where I could put all of my ramblings. I remember discussing it with an old friend, David and he pushed me to start. So I did. I didn’t have Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat, they weren’t even a “thing” yet. Instead I discovered Lookbook.nu and used this to gain traffic to my blog. I loved every minute of it and […]

At the end of October, I watched the fourth birthday of LydiaEliseMillen.com come and go. I was caught up in the craziness of deadlines and home life. My partner Ali truly knows how to load it all onto me, we had new sofa’s coming, a re design of our front garden under way and to top it all off we had and still have a leak under the floor of our solid oak kitchen ruining the entire floor and wreaking havoc with the wood work. I feel as though I’m moaning but taking into consideration some of us have been logging onto this blog for around about the same amount of time as I have been writing here, I definitely consider us all friends, so I do hope you don’t mind.

With every year that passes I’m astonished that I still find myself here in my little corner of the internet sharing my life’s, loves, fears and tears so openly. This year I find myself looking back more and more on what blogging was when I first started, how it’s changed and how I have grown as a blogger. So rather than lighting a candle and celebrating the year that’s passed I decided to reflect on the entire process.


T H E   C A R E E R

I remember sitting in my university bedroom engulfed in my loneliness throwing back and forth the idea of starting something. A website of sorts where I could put all of my ramblings. I remember discussing it with an old friend, David and he pushed me to start. So I did.

I didn’t have Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat, they weren’t even a “thing” yet. Instead I discovered Lookbook.nu and used this to gain traffic to my blog. I loved every minute of it and as the internet continued to evolve I was soon signed up to all of the social media platforms going.

I’d set up my tripod and remote wherever I felt comfortable to shoot my outfits and I continued like that until Ali replaced my rickety old tripod that my dad had found in the loft. I ignored the sniggers from my peers and I didn’t let the comments of “You have too much time on your hands”, discourage me.

Now a day’s Blogging & Vlogging has become one of the most desirable careers and I think those looking for career paths forget the hours, weeks, years so many of us spent simply doing as a hobby and I think thats the best way to start, to know that you love it enough to do it as a full time job. Because blogging takes the meaning of “full time” to another level. There are no 40 hour weeks here.


T H E  C O N T E N T

I have been pretty darn lucky when it comes to readers. You have accepted from day one that I was never sure where this was going to go, that I’m completely incapable of writing about things I’m not passionate about and simply do not possess the restraint to not tell you about my newest interests. Which might I add you have all embraced with open arms, from Health &  fitness to my attempting beauty and now to interiors.

I realised a few years into my blog that I wanted it to be so much more than simply a fashion blog, I wanted it to be a journey of my life as I grew older. Back when I was at University you wouldn’t have caught me dead worrying about the colour of the skirting boards in our lounge but this is a hot topic in our house these days which really does show you just how boring  consumed I have become. What I am trying to say is, there’s more chapters to this story to come and so many more idea’s that I have, I do hope you stick around a little longer.


T H E  P H O T O G R A P H Y

From blurring the background of my images in photoshop to hours spent learning, thousands spent on equipment and a new lens purchase always on the horizon. Over the years I have tried to learn and create a style and process of photography which as much as possible can be identified as mine.

For product shots I shoot all of my images using natural light and my ideal day is a lightly over cast day to get those icey white and bright images without harsh shadows from the sun. I love the way whites and light colours throw up the light in the back ground of the images creating a dream like feel. Outfit shots are usually scheduled for Sunday’s so there are less people around to stare and hang around in the back ground of images as I like all the focus to be on the outfit. Locations are sparse where we live so whilst we do our best we have to experiment with angles and lighting to create different moods and atmospheres.


T H E  O R G A N I S A T I O N

This is where I give myself 10 out of 10 for effort. I long for an organised life so I try my hardest to ensure it all runs smoothly but there is no manual to running a blog and it’s all a case of trial and error. I plan out my posts a week in advance to keep the excitement and momentum I feel before I publish a post very much alive. One thing I have learnt about myself since doing this, is if I’m not excited about a post, it will sit in my drafts folder gathering dust. I also like any information to be up to date and any products being discussed to be in stock in case it’s been top of your wish list too.

However sometimes I will have what I like to call a brain fart and a great idea for a post will come to mind that I simply have to shoot there and then and get live that week. I always find those post to be my most favourite. But as a rule I aim to blog a minimum of three times per week (to go live at 7am on the dot) as I don’t want to dilute  my content. I find the easiest way to follow a long is via the Bloglovin app which even sends you push notifications when I post so you never miss out, you can follow here.


T H E  F U T U R E

The biggest change to come this year has been the work load and as I struggle to cope and dedicate the amount of time I did previously, to creating quality content. I will be making some changes over the next month or so which should only mean that it all gets a lot better here. But as a self confessed control freak this is  has been no easy decision and I’m still coming to terms with the whole idea. It’s a grey area at the moment but exciting and scary none the less.


 

But most importantly I want to say thank you to all of you for your uplifting and motivational comments which you leave here, you are some of the most incredibly kind and inspirational women I have ever come across and I am beyond blessed to have what feels like a small country worth of you visiting and supporting not only me but each other as well. I have such a sense of pride every time I log on and am able to connect with so many of you. You enable me to live my dream and I want you to know how appreciated you all are and how you humble me every. single. day!

 


Shop The Post

Bra – Calvin Klein      Trackpants – Forever21 (similar here)     Cashmere socks – The White Company     Laptop – MacBook Air ’11
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