Blogger Recognition Award: Why I Blog & Tips for New Bloggers

Woop! I’ve been nominated for a second blogger award! I love these things, it’s so nice to know that other bloggers even know I exist! Yes, that’s a low bar to set for myself but having blogger buddies makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. The lovely Hebah Pervaiz nominated me, you should go check out her blog 🙂

How the spicy bean started

I’ve been blogging for a LONG time. The landscape has changed a lot since I started, in fact there was no YouTube, WordPress, or even Facebook. I really enjoyed designing my own website on Geocities and creating content, but that eventually all shut down. To be honest my old website was embarrassing much like everything I did when I was 13, so the depths of the internet time machine are where it belongs.

Many blogs later I decided I wanted to make more of it than silly ramblings, which is when I landed on the spicy bean. Instead of writing content just for me, I want to write things that might help other people too. Whether that be through sharing something relatable so someone feels less alone, or through posts about tips, recipes reviews etc. It’s good to be useful.

When I started I also wanted to try and make a business of it, but I quickly learnt that focusing on money and statistics is not what inspires me. I cannot force content for the sake of pageviews. I would seriously rather never make a penny and enjoy my hobby, than sell out and make it into a chore. Readers can tell instantly when your heart isn’t in the writing, and it’s a huge turn off.

So here I am nine months later. I don’t post as regularly as I’d like and it’s not as structured as I want it to be, but this blog is mine. The numbers may not be incredible, but I enjoy writing and I love interacting with other bloggers and being a part of that community.

TIPS FOR NEW BLOGGERS

1. Engage

I don’t care what old fuddy-duddies say, social media is GREAT. You get to connect with people all over the world with so many diverse interests and experiences. Use Twitter, Insta, Facebook, Tumblr, whatever – and find your people. And your people might not always be who you thought they’d be. I follow a lot of beauty bloggers, even though I’ve never even bought foundation and I don’t own a contour palette. I still love their writing, their colourful and inspiring blog posts, and their perspectives.

There’s so much information out there from people who run successful blogs, and the best way to find it is by networking. Encourage and support other bloggers, share your experiences and learn from theirs. You’ll make some really great friends!

2. Have fun

The minute you stop having fun with it your blog suffers. Some people thrive on a schedule, but for others rigid demands can be stressful. Spend your first few months figuring out what works for you. Let yourself make mistakes. Take a break when you need to. Don’t feel awful when  you don’t post for a week or two. I believe that blogging should be a hobby first and a business second. If you do end up super popular and making money, that’s fab! But you won’t get there by hating it.

Write about what makes you happy. Take photos of things you love, the things you think are beautiful. It doesn’t matter if it’s not about trendy things like fashion and makeup. You don’t have to do something time consuming and expensive like travel. Write about you, your experiences, your opinions. And if that does mean beauty, then fine, but if that means writing post after post about how BLOODY CUTE cat toes are, then do it.

The minute blogging starts to feel like a chore, take a step back and reassess your approach. Make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons, and you’ll be just fine.

MY NOMINATIONS

I’m going to break one of the rules here… I don’t know who’s already done this so I don’t know who to nominate! Anyone who enjoys this post, feel free to do your own. And don’t forget to tag me so I can read your answers!

Here are the rules:

• Write a blog post to show your award.
• Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
• Give a brief story of how your blog started.
• Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
• Select 15 other bloggers to nominate.
• Comment on each blog to let them know you have nominated them. Provide the link to the post you created.

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