What I learned from my first year of blogging

Yep, it's been over a year since I wrote my very first blogpost (although absolutely nobody read it back then). In the past year my blog has grown modestly from something I didn't want anyone to know about because I felt ashamed of my ramblings and awkard photos, to 'my baby', something I'm very proud of and that people actually want to read! Especially with my new blog name and lay-out, I feel like I have a second chance to improve my blog even more. So here's what I learned from my first year as a blogger:


1. It takes a lot of effort and time.
Sure all bloggers know this, but when I read blogs from people who update way more frequently than I do (something I'll try to work on in the future) I can't help but wonder (Carrie Bradshaw, I can do this too!) where they get all the time to blog. Most of the blogs I read are written by people who study at university or work fulltime. Most of them have a boyfriend or husband, friends with whom they meet up from time to time and free time we like to spend on shopping (yes, it's a hobby!), watching series (I know you all do this), cooking or whatever you do in your free time when you're not blogging. My point is: after I'm done with this list I barely find the time to write a blogpost or take outfit pictures. I guess I'll just have to plan more and stop myself from aimlessy browsing the internet, checking my facebook or virtual shopping for stuff I will save in my WANT-folder but never will buy. Okay, maybe I should've named this post 'How I will improve my blog the coming year' :)


2. Good photos make a huge difference.
One of the reasons I wasn't very confident about my blog at first was because of my awful (outfit) pictures. It can be quite discouraging to look at other people's blogs and see their pretty pictures while you're stuck with your terrible camera. Getting my secondhand DSLR in October last year was one of the best decisions I made, and not only for my blog: I love taking pictures and I definitely want to improve my photography skills even more! I'm not saying everyone should get a great (DSLR) camera, they are expensive and not everyone really needs it; and above that a lot of bloggers have a DSLR camera and even have mediocre pictures. I'm just happy with my (still improving) pictures :)


3. Other bloggers are nice.
It sounds like a cliché, but it really feels like I got to know people who I almost consider to be friends, although I've never met them, or never will because they live on the other side of the world. I love reading other people's blogs not only for fashion inspiration, but also to get to know more about their lives. I respect it when a blogger doesn't tell anything about her personal life, but to me my blog is a place where I can share stuff with my readers, and not only about my clothes.
Unfortunately I noticed that not all bloggers are as nice. Some never reply to your comment/tweet, others just visit you to promote their own blog or contest, and some bloggers leave nasty comments. I haven't really experienced negative comments yet (and I hope I never won't) but other bloggers have and I think it's sad, but on the other hand it's difficult: can you give your opinion (in a polite way of course) when you don't like something or should you just say nothing? Interesting discussion...


4. My readers are the best!
Seriously, I want to thank all of you who ever visited or commented on my blog, you rock my world! It's an amazing feeling checking my blog and seeing all your kind messages :) Thank you so much! <3


I'll be sharing the first pictures of my holiday to Morocco soon! I took about 1200 photos so I'm having a hard time choosing which ones to show you :)