As more and more people find my blog, I get more questions about what it’s like always being active on social media and having to pair up running a blog and taking a full semester of courses in the sciences. I have let the blog slip in the past and sometimes its hard to stay motivated to write posts to help other people when you are feeling like such a hot mess at the same time. It’s not realistic and it’s not good for my mental health. Self care is real y’all. Now, let’s go behind the scenes of the blog, and separate out the glamorous from the tedious.
BUT, blogging is a blast and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an outlet, a space to express yourself, or something that you can have complete control over. There are some really strange things about being a blogger especially in college that I don’t think people understand. It can make trying to create new content and keeping “random strangers” on the internet updated seem like a silly enterprise. I mean it sounds plum crazy, but it’s one of my favorite things to do!
If you’re interested in the realities and myths of being a college blogger studying science and not having a very high budget to run a blog, keep reading! I know you’ll learn something new and if you’re a blogger, you’ll probably relate!
I actually take photos of everything, and I mean literally everything.
You may feel awkward capturing your meal on snapchat every once and awhile, but I have moved so far beyond feeling awkward. It’s super easy for me to take 40 photos of my food in a crowded restaurant until my food isn’t even hot anymore. The photo of my study session set up in Starbucks has been staged 3 different ways to make it the most aesthetically pleasing and if I’m really into to getting the perfect shot, I have likely stood up and rotated my phone in about 12 different conformations to make sure I had a shot that I would like. I’ve also started carrying around my vlogging camera to capture some higher quality pictures than my iPhone. Maybe I’ve gotten out of hand, but I’m not gonna lie to you and say it isn’t a ton of fun.
For every “perfect” picture, there are at least 20 other ones where I feel fat, have a lazy eye, and/or had a piece of lettuce in my teeth.
It’s been brought to my attention that I always look good in pictures. False!! I always try to tell people that for every good photo, there are approximately 12 where I am blinking, looking absolutely ridiculous with my facial expression, or standing awkwardly trying to transition to the next pose. Here’s an example of me getting assaulted by the wind, not particularly majestic.
I developed the aesthetic while simultaneously joking about it.
I think by now we can sum up my aesthetic as girly prep emphasizing neutrals, warm tones, white marble, and rose gold. Tell me I didn’t just hit the nail on the head. Yeah, that’s what I thought. I always joked that I was multidimensional and wouldn’t fall into the trap of themes and what not. Haha. Once you find what you like, as in fashion and personal style, you will likely stay in that routine for at least a year or two life.
If you ever see me in Starbucks with my game face on at 7 am on a Saturday, I am blogging, not working on homework.
Blogging is a lot of work, is not “silly”, and is not for everyone. If you don’t like taking photos, editing posts and photos, interacting and engaging with readers, then you’ll probably have a hard time building a community. I strive to make our blog approachable and relatable while also staying professional and put together. It really is a balancing act.
I like to dedicate specific times of the week to working on blog things, like Buffer and Boardbooster to really make sure we are working on our social media strategy and maximizing on potential viewership. A lot about blogging is technical, which I love, but can take hours of time to really master! It is not an easy job, and let’s not fool ourselves into thinking it is!
Take me on your adventures, I’ll likely blog about it and get good photos.
I am always ready to get the perfect shot in front of a monument, try a new restaurant, and document a day exploring a city or town. I always joke around about taking trips and scheduling shoots, but I am literally always down for it. We can explore cities, go mural hunting, and eat good food and that is my perfect vacation. It’s exciting to find the hidden gems of an area and see the differences between all the places that I’ve already been to!
Some of my money goes to investing in the blog.
When we first started our blog, we just wanted to share some recipes and write some good advice posts. Who knew that the blogging world had put so much emphasis on the business side of things? Not us. Boy did we have learning to do! Our first investment in the site was probably purchasing our domain name. Blogging doesn’t have to cost a lot of money and if you can find some creative kids on campus that can do web design, social media, and photography; it’ll cost a fraction of the price as most other bloggers have to pay which is super nice.
This is probably where falling into the comparison trap can be the most dangerous especially as a college kid. Most of the upgrades we have made including going self hosted, buying a theme, and social media automization were possible from initial investments. We have a tight budget, so it’s hard to not want to upgrade cameras and lighting equipment and live in an instagram/pinterest worthy apartment like some of my favorite full time bloggers. My life just isn’t there yet, and that’s okay. But, it can be hard to cope with it in an environment that has been increasingly about who has the best photo quality and cutest/newest clothes.
It is super hard explaining the connection between chemistry and this blog.
I mean the answer is simple, however a lot of people still don’t understand that there is minimal connection between my major and the blog. I may not be majoring in advertising, marketing, or journalism; but that doesn’t mean I don’t find social media absolutely fascinating and that I hate every creative outlet in the world. Most of the time, I am writing these posts to forget about acid-base problems and the molecular pathways of epithelial cells. I do enough of that; this is my break from it.
My point in writing this post is to let you know that not everything about blogging is uber-glamorous. I’ve spent hours just trying to find the right hex code for our rebrand and learning about SEO. As a college student, grades and learning will 100% always come first, but blogging is a hobby that I love and I’m going to put 110% into that as well.
College bloggers need balance.
It sucks saying no to campaigns and blogging opportunities, but my grades thank me for taking a step back. How about choosing whether to work with brands that support causes you are fundamentally against? Blogging is great, don’t get me wrong, and it definitely has its perks and fun times; but it is a lot of work.
College bloggers are so dang impressive. As a collective, we are churning out great content, getting killer real life job and internship opportunities, nailing it in academics, and looking darn good while doing it.
