Heya :)
This is probably going to be a long post, but I've been feeling pretty uninspired with this whole "fashion blogging thing" lately and I feel like I just need to sit here and have a bit of a ramble. Kind of to share with you what I've been thinking, but mostly to organise my own thoughts on the subject!
This is actually my fourth year blogging and I feel like I've lost that spark of excitement that I had when I first started. I'm at a point where I need to figure out what I want to do with my blog, where I want it to go. A few weeks ago I was questioning whether I even wanted to continue with it, but I think I just need take it in a new direction.
Back in 2013 when I first started "Lauren Loves Laughter", I'd just finished uni and had a fair bit of extra time up my sleeve. I'd been reading fashion blogs for years so I figured it was the perfect time to jump in and try my hand at it, and I remember really enjoying it. It was fun learning how to set up a blog, putting together outfits and taking photos, and it was a great place to document my style and new purchases (of which there were many) as well as little snippets of what I'd been up to. Although I never considered myself a particularly "fashionable" person I was definitely enjoying experimenting with my style, sharing the exciting new additions to my wardrobe, playing around with different looks, and it was fun to record it all here on the blog.
One of the downsides though, is that this little hobby was never something I felt comfortable sharing with others, so any time friends would mention or ask about about my blog, I would clam up and get super embarrassed. To be honest, I'm still like this almost four years on, so it's really had me questioning why I still continue with it if I'm so embarrassed by it.
I think part of the problem is that, although I've technically had a fashion blog for three and a half years, I've never felt comfortable referring to myself as a "fashion blogger" (even though that's essentially what I am). I've always felt a bit of a fraud as I'm not a particularly stylish person. I don't really follow trends and I'm not very adventurous with my style, so I never felt like I could call myself a "fashion blogger". Another thing, is that it always felt a little narcissistic. I didn't want people who weren't familiar with fashion blogging to find my blog, because I felt it would be perceived as being really shallow and frivolous (particular as my outfits weren't particularly exciting or creative).
I continued on blogging my outfits though, and I genuinely enjoyed it - sharing my new purchases, talking about what I loved about a particular piece, the different ways I planned to wear it, all of that kind of thing.
Lately though (well it's been a while now really), I've just been totally bored of it! I feel like I have nothing interesting to say and so I feel my posts are just very stale and aren't really offering anything of value.
I think I've stuck with the fashion blogging and outfit of the day style posts for so long because they became easy. Simple to do and simple to post about - an easy formula of a few photos and a couple of sentences about the outfit. They started out from a place of excitement but they've turned into a bit of a cop out - an easy post so I feel like I've been "good" and updated my blog.
I used to get a lot of value and enjoyment from fashion blogging, but I wouldn't say I'm particular passionate about it anymore. I'm realising now that I want to step outside of this niche and share different posts about other things I'm interested in. Posts that I feel are helpful and that I'm actually proud of (and then maybe I won't feel so self conscious about my blog). I've always loved the "online diary" aspect of blogging - how it allows me to record moments in my life and be able to look back on them. The thing is, I want my blog to better reflect who I am now and my interests now, and that's shifted a little from what it was a few years ago.
Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy fashion - I like getting dressed up, I like putting together outfits (and I'll probably still do outfit posts here and there), but I'm not as obsessed with it as I used to be.
Over the past year or so I've become much more interested in simpler living and minimalism, pairing down my things and not embracing the constant need for more. I want to write more posts about that kind of thing as well as my other interests - new recipes I'm trying out, podcasts I've been enjoying, more posts about capsule wardrobes. (I feel much more comfortable with the title "capsule wardrobe blogger" compared to fashion blogger!)
Okay so this has been a long one, but it's been helpful for me to write down what I've been thinking. Well done if you got to the end, and I hope you'll like the new content that will be coming soon!
Lots of Love
Lauren
xxx
