natjtan I’ll be the first to admit. Blogging and writing doesn’t come easily to me. There are days I struggle to find content, time, writing style and perhaps most importantly direction.
Birds instinctively know where to go. Seagulls being amazing opportunists. Maybe I should be more seagull.
Yesterday (I started this last night and gave up!) marked my 2 year blogging anniversary! Thank you to my regular readers for keeping me going. You know who you are! Few family members and friends know I blog. I get the impression, what do you have to write about and there are some suggestions I don’t need. They’re aware, I have some sort of blog and I’m happy to leave it at that!
What started out as a diary with no direction, still has no direction and I’m still trying to get away from being a diary. I’m not the most exciting person. I crave being outside and free, but you can set a watch by schedule. I’d love to be witty, sarcastic, be word clever, however that doesn’t happen. Create a blog you’d like to read. Thank you to those who do read and enjoy my blog. When re-read posts I cringe and sound like a drone. I’m sure I wouldn’t follow!
That poszzzz
Time is an issue I struggle with. I enjoy blogging and would love to spend more time on it than I do. I try to blog weekdays, but life happens, which really does bug me. I feel like I’ve failed myself if I miss a post, but I have to remind myself, there’s only one of me!
I do have a vision of my blog. Some sort of lifestyle blog. I’d love to be a fashionista. I love clothes, am an avid reader of a few fashion blogs and Instyle magazine. However I’m a tomboy, hardly a fashionista who loves reading National Geographic! I’m slowly letting my love off all things skincare and beauty come through. I’d love to be a travel writer, as I love exploring new places (when I can break away from groundhog days and being a drone!). Fitness is my work, though I’m always hesitant to share workouts, tips in fear of being a fraud!
Shameless, Tomboy changing room selfie. Hardly fashionista!
I’d love to help people to switch over the plant based side, knowing how meat arrives on their plates. I’m a vegan, but I’ll come across too strong, scare readers away or there she goes again vegan bashing. I truly believe it’s the way to eat. Why kill something, let it suffer for you to eat it and flush it away the next day? What type of person works in a slaughter house. Do they enjoy it or was it the only job they could get? How the animals are treated on a commercial scale is horrific. Why only eat a few animals but the others it’s crime to eat (TED talk Beyond Carnism explains it spot on. I wish more people would watch it). But people don’t want to know or say it’s their right to eat meat. I haven’t got time for that. Their minds will never change. If asked I’ll talk about it, but I don’t have to justify begin vegan. It’s who I am. And I’m meant to be this nice girl!
Then there’s this issue which doesn’t help. I’m British, living in Spain with most of my readers being either Canadian and American. I can relate more to the North Americans than the British and Spanish. Everything I read is almost virtually American. That does’t help things!
One thing that has come out of 2 years blogging is that I have a thing for photography. Now I can’t leave the house without my camera phone or camera in hand! Somedays I think, just post photos. Become a photography blog. They get the most interaction. Words just fill the blanks spaces between the photos. Never content! I have posts planning in my head, that when I write the next day have no further relevance. But I like blogging. I love reading others blogs. I get taken all over the globe in just a few short minutes from *Taiwan to North American to Australia. I find I’m following more non related fitness blogs than when I started out. Fashion blogs, lifestyle, the animal kingdom, diaries, the clever ones who can write, tell tales that make me laugh and inspire dry humour, ex pats and DIY blogs. Why be in a box? Inspiration is everywhere!
Always camera at hand
So thank you those who stop by regularly. I value your readership, input and feed back. Write about what you know. I know my crazy life, though reserved in sharing it (I should write how I talk. That’ll add some spice!). I can write about that! 2 years later I still am. I’ve changed, readers have changed. I’m always trying to find direction, that’s one thing that hasn’t changed. Regular readers, please tell me what you think works, I value your blogging know how! Anyways, here’s the next year of balancing blogging, life and letting my personality shine more. Oh and trying to get posts under 500 words. Ha!
*Constance, from the From Sanctuary also celebrated her 2 year blogging anniversary this week. She’s written an amazing post on what it takes to be a blogger, the highs and lows, who can explain it much better than me. Please pop over and check it out!
Love your blog Natalie! It has become all those things you wish it to be I think. A great fitness blog, photography (you really have an eye for it), travel via your great pictures, beachy, and fashionista, as you raise the bar for fit, healthy tomboys 🙂 Looking forward to another 2 years and all the places your blog takes us. Cheers!
Awe! Thank you! Trying to keep it fresh and not repeat is difficult. To be honest I didn’t know people actually enjoyed what I write. I thought they were just being polite! Anyways here’s to the next 2 years! Email is on to do list!
Happy blogginversary! 😀
Thank you 😃
2 years blogging! Congrats!!
Thanks so much for mentioning me! I can’t believe that we nearly started our blogs around the same time. I can relate to exactly every word you say and in all honesty, I am still finding my way as well.
I love all of the pictures you post on instagram and on your blog, especially the photos taken around the beach and water. You have your own seaside oasis to enjoy!! Lucky girl! 🙂
Thank you and no worries for mentioning. As I said, you write way better than I could off! Finding direction and keeping ideas fresh is difficult at times.
As for my seaside oasis, it’s a bit crowded at the moment! Weekends especially 🙂
Congratulations! Always enjoy your posts 🙂
Thank you! 😀
I just can say: keep blogging! It’s always great to read your posts. Thank you! And congratulations.
Thank you! And thank you reading my posts! To be honest I never knew so many people actually enjoy what I write! 😃
Happy year two! I’m happy you blog. You’re one of my favourite reads. I can see you are passionate about many things, art, photography, fitness and wildlife as well as plant-based eating. I don’t think your vegan diet comes across as pushy or scarey. You’re just sharing what you love.
Awe! Thank you! I never knew people actually enjoyed what I write that much! I try to combine everything and keeping ideas fresh can be challenging, so coming from you it means a lot! xoxo
Congratulations on your 2 years of blogging! I really enjoy reading your posts, they’re so refreshing and interesting. I hope you continue what you’re doing not many of my friends and family know about my blog either. I think it’s better that way haha. Anyway you should definitely do more fashion-related posts, you look great in that photo! 🙂
Thank you! I never knew people actually enjoyed what I write! I think it’s better friends and family don’t know I blog. From past experience, blogging can cause problems, so it makes things easier all around they don’t. I’ll try to do more fashion-related posts (I kinda draw a few ideas from you!) 😀
I love love love LOVE your blog. You have a unique blending of fitness/lifestyle/photography/nutrition that I don’t see in other blogs or instablogs. And what I love is that, while you’re an animal lover and a vegan, you’re careful not to alienate your readers, as you mentioned in today’s post. More thoughts in fewer words is a goal we can all try to meet, but I wouldn’t even worry about that. Happy blogaversary! 🙂
Thank you my dear! That means a lot coming from you. I just write what comes! (And you always answer questions so concisely. I don’t know how you do it!)
Happy Blogaversary, Natalie! I struggle with posts myself. I re-read old posts and am surprised at how good some of them are (at least I think so). I also forget most of them as soon as I write them! So I’m always in danger of repeating myself. Keep writing. I love what you post.!
Thank you! I forget most posts aside from the idea when I post them too. It’s done, next! It’s difficult trying to keep ideas fresh so I don’t repeat! Thank you for reading! I never knew people actually enjoy what I write!
Natalie, a wonderful post, as you reflect on your blogging experiences from the past 2 years. You were one of my very 1st followers when I started just over a year ago. I have really appreciated your friendship and camaraderie. Always there, always consistent as a regular reader.
It is great to know I’m not the only one trying to find direction. Always important to just be yourself, and you do that Natalie. 🙂
~Carl~
Thank you! Finding direction is always difficult when you want to keep things fresh and not a repeat!