It’s eyeliner wings & pretty things’ one year blogiversary! I can’t believe that just one year ago I started my own blog and it’s grown to what it is today. eyeliner wings & pretty things has officially turned one and I feel like a proud mom. Above is me eating some chocolate chip cookies full of food coloring in a celebratory fashion.
Like, excuse my language but holy shit, this has taught me that a year flies by. There are so many posts that I forget even writing and so many things I forget even accomplishing. I bought a domain, became self-hosted, join blogger networks, did sponsored campaigns, got some freebies, wrote over 100 posts and generally just build a brand. Also, I got business cards which is the coolest most adult-y thing I have ever done.
I thought I’d share some of my blogging lessons learned after blogging for one year, because what better way to celebrate than a bit of self-reflection?
I’ve learned that I shouldn’t sell myself short. While in the beginning I didn’t think I was good enough to get paid for a post, I’ve realized that I’m putting a lot of time and effort into creating original content is worth something. Blogging is definitely a side hustle and getting paid should be a thing. This is one of the most difficult but greatest blogging lessons learned.
I have also learned that requires a lot of self-motivation. There’s no one telling you what to do or forcing you to meet deadlines. In fact, no one’s really setting deadlines at all. It’s all up to me to schedule my posts, do social media and write a newsletter. It’s time consuming as hell but it’s made me realize just how self-motivated I am.
I’ve learned that it looks killer on a resume. When you write that you run a blog that gets tens of thousands of views it shows that you are a self-starter who is capable of actual growth. This definitely was the icing on the cake when I applied for internships this summer. My resume was extra spiffy.
I’ve learned that I’ll never run out of ideas. Whenever I write or blog I’m always paranoid that I’ll run out of things to write about. When you’re constantly writing it’s easy to think that you’ll never have another great idea again or that you’ll never think of a better post, but I’ve learned that that’s totally not true.
I’ve learned how to conquer Pinterest. I went from 300 followers to 1,100 in three months at the end of this year and that makes me feel pretty bad ass since my social media growth strategy is mostly me pretending I know what I’m doing and a ton of trial and error.
I have learned that my roommate and best friend at college is a kick ass photographer. She’s a saint for bearing the elements to take pictures of me posing around campus. She’s also really good at it and has a knack for taking photos. Also, all of those balloons are literally binder clipped to the grass. We get creative for photoshoots.
I’ve learned that you start to gain confidence. It’s not always easy to have dozens of people staring at you while you pose for photographs in hats or with balloons or in dresses, but it’s part of the job. Granted, I don’t take many photos for this blog but when I do, it usually involves me doing/wearing/holding something a little weird. I’ve also gained confidence in my ability to write, design graphics and take charge.
I’ve learned that blogging takes a lot more than just writing. Nope. You have to make sure your website is working, you have to control all of your social media, promote posts, network, take and edit photos, edit your posts…it’s a lot to do.
Ultimately, I’ve learned that I love it. Blogging has been so fun this past year and I’m excited to see where eyeliner wings & pretty things goes. I’ve gotten to work with companies and brands that I admire, I get to write about things I’m passionate about things I want to write about and I’ve gotten to pose for pictures. It’s been a fun year and here’s to the next one!
