how to get your mojo back!
We’ve seen the Instagram & Twitter polls knocking around, “Do you still read blogs?” “Youtube or blog posts?” “How many times should I be posting on my blog” and if you’re anything like me, your eyes roll somewhat and you desperately try not to take any notice of the results.
When you see how fast paced other social media channels move, it’s so easy to let your blog fall to the back of your priority list. And whilst I really do value taking a week or two out here and there to ensure I’m bringing fresh ideas and am not just churning out content to hit a self inflicted schedule. This is the one space on the internet that is just for you.
“You own it, you control it and ain’t no algorithm gonna decide who sees what you post!”
I had my blog before I even had Twitter, Instagram wasn’t even a thing and Youtube didn’t get a look in. I’m making myself feel old right now but my point is, it’s always been there. It’s the one platform that seemlessly represents who I am in the Online space. I’m not limited to 260 characters or required to fit into a perfectly square box. I designed everything about this space to make it now only functional but beautiful and engaging too. But the most beautiful thing about this space is, you make all the rules. There’s no cookie cutter mould or one size fits all blog and that is what attracted me to it in the first place. I chose what I consumed, who I read and back in the good old days, who I linked on my “blog roll”.
I’ve seen so many girls who I’ve admired, preparing to throw in the towel after years of their lives poured into their blogs and it got me thinking about all the reasons why they shouldn’t and how to get that passion back, when it comes to your blog.
No.1
TAKE A LOOK BACK ONCE IN A WHILE
We are constantly fed quotes about how you should “never look back because you’re not going that way” but sometimes you have to take a stroll back through the years, through the archives to truly appreciate how incredible this thing is that you have created. Screw the follower numbers and Instagram impressions and remember the times when people logged on to read all about the cardigan you found in your local charity shop, or how you weirdly found a way to secure your hat to your head to stop it blowing off in the wind *ahem*. Creating content, building relations with brands whether that is working on campaigns or being on their PR list, for people like us tapping on a computer in our university halls or in our little bedroom at our parents, to even be noticed by these huge global brands, is such an incredible achievement in itself.
NO.2
NEGATIVE ENERGY
Nothing makes me want to get on up and out of somewhere like unnecessary negative energy around me and unfortunately the internet has become a breeding ground for it. Cleansing your space of that energy and making your time spent online enjoyable, is the key to wanting to spend a little more time on it. Filter your mentions, black list words and make full use of the mute button.
You can unfollow or use the block button but sometimes that can be a little too public, making things more negative than they need to be.
Engage with positivity and positivity will engage with you.
No.3
CURATE YOUR FEED
My biggest motivation behind blogging is the overwhelming sense of inspiration. Feeling inspired by fellow creators again after a trend that seemed to hit the space where content seemed to lose its authenticity for a while.
I stopped consuming the content that didn’t inspire me anymore and went in search of new, niche or undiscovered creators. Some of them had hundreds of thousands of followers, but…most of them didn’t. All too often we celebrate creators because of a number attached to their @ instead of their talent and with bots, buying followers and all the other methods used to grow followings these days, a big following does not always denote a talented creator.
My Bloglovin feed, my Instagram feed and my Youtube sub box are now curated spaces where I go to be inspired. I go there to be reminded about what I love about being a creator, what I love about filming videos or writing blog posts. I don’t go there to find ideas and repackage them as my own. Instead using the sudden urge I feel to write about something or film in a new style to better myself.
NO.4
DON’T GIVE UP
I know, I know! Easier said than done, but just don’t be so definite about it. You don’t have to shut down your blog, because right in this moment you don’t feel it’s progressing how you want. I’ve met a lot of people who once upon a time had a blog and every single one of them have told me it’s their biggest regret that they didn’t stick at it.
We all have those moments where it isn’t working, but that is a chance to grow and a chance to evolve. Around September 2017, I had well and truly fallen out of love with my blog. It no longer felt like an intrinsic part of my online world and I toyed with the idea of letting it go. I took a few weeks off and made a Pros and Cons list. But that list simply turned into The Plan. The Plan was how I intended to make my blog work for me without letting it go and it started with a complete rebrand, a new website and a little bit of fluidity for good measure. I decided to throw the rigorous 3-times a week posting schedule I once had for my blog and aiming to blog once a week as long as I am fully inspired to do so. I shoot outfits when I love my outfit, instead of shooting outfits because I have to and I have a an even bigger stage to The Plan, coming in late Spring.
Sometimes, all you need is some fresh eyes, a few minor changes in your life and a plan of how to make your online space, work for you.
