One year. I can’t believe it has been one year since I started my blog. It feels like yesterday, yet it feels like forever ago when I took the plunge and bought my domain registration on September 3rd. I remember feeling so overwhelmed and wondering how I was going to get this website up and running by my 22nd birthday. But somehow, I made it happen! I remember having my checklist of things I needed to get done beforehand, and going on Canva to create the Maddie Vinton graphic you see when you go on my site. Slowly but surely, everything came together just in time.
The summer before my birthday, there was a lot of thought and preparation that went into my blog. I didn’t want to leave any stone unturned, just so I knew exactly what I was getting into. I remember doing my first “photoshoot” for my ASOS tall haul and feeling so strange and out of place. How would this ever feel normal? What started off feeling so weird about posting and taking pictures two times a week suddenly began to feel normal, and the blog became a part of me and what I do. I love this blog, I really do. I love creating something twice a week, and having it to look back on in the future. I don’t do it for anyone else, I do it for me.
I would say my one downfall is that I feel so strange talking about it with other people. I’ve treated this blog like a hobby, and I’ve been intimidated to share it with everyone. I don’t know if people would care. All throughout this year I’ve been telling myself to share it with others, to post that I’ve created this website that I’ve become really proud of, but than I go about my day, day by day, and never get around to doing it.
I know if I really want to grow from this, I have to make people aware from it. I can’t just treat it like a hobby anymore. As much as I fear what people will think, I constantly have to remind myself that I know my intentions. I love writing. I love reflecting. I love taking the time each week to sit down and write a little piece of different aspects of my life. Looking back on last year, I knew deep down that this was something that I would love doing for the long haul. Not just one year, not just two, but to continuously do for many years.
Deep down I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I loved writing in my journal growing up and still do, but I thought only writers wrote fiction novels and had creative stories in their head to share with the world. It wasn’t until this year that I realized that’s not the case. Sitting down and writing about what’s going on in my life has always come easily to me, which I think is why I’ve come to love writing for my blog so much.
So with my blog being one-year-old today, I realize that I’m in this for the long haul, and I want my blog to flourish. I want to challenge myself with it, but still have fun as well. I’m not the techiest person, but I know if I want to grow I need to find ways to make improvements on that side. For this coming year on my blog, I want to get out of my bubble and my comfort zone. It’s been too easy to just write each week and not think about making any improvements and see what I can do better. If I want to grow, I have to take the time to do things to make it grow.
I’m so glad I took the time to sit and reflect on starting this blog one year later. It puts a smile on my face thinking about how committed I’ve been and how far I’ve come, and how it really has become a part of me. I hope for many more years on this website!