I’ve been thinking about blogging and the pressures of social media and the push to be “perfect”. Now, I don’t see myself as perfect, but through the lens of social media it may seem like I always have everything together. I mean, to some extent, I do have my life pretty together. But, I also have times where I just want to sleep all day and watch vlogmas videos until I can’t see straight. It’s all about priorities. I prioritize writing in my planner and being on top of my sh*t because that’s what I value right now.

I valued my grades and getting A’s my first two years of college above pretty much everything else. It meant I didn’t have the grandest social life and was actually in the library a majority of the time, but that was okay because that was what I wanted at that time. I’m thankful that I spent my early years of college focusing so hard on my introductory classes. My foundation in my major is strong which makes my classes now SO much easier. That means, thankfully, that I have more time to spend on extracurricular activities and things that I truly love doing including blogging and photography.

Find a hobby.

Find something that you can spend hours and hours working on and researching to the point where someone else might think “what is wrong with them?” If more people did that, more people would understand what being a creative is like. I can spend hours writing, designing, and editing. It’s fun, but it’s also a lot of work. I just don’t understand why people give online creatives SUCH. A. HARD. TIME.

Most of the time I can just brush off people who have no idea what they are talking about, but recently it’s gotten a little out of hand. Yes, I spend a ridiculous amount of time on Instagram and yes I really do say things like, “I really should add some more blue tones to these next pictures; it’s getting a little dull.” It is obnoxious. But trust me, I am actually aware of how insignificant that really is in the grand scheme of my life. However, I also really don’t need you to comment on it over and over again.

Taking and editing photos and curating them into an Instagram feed is a hobby. It adds a little joy to my life. Why is that such a big deal? What’s sweeter is that people who follow me on Instagram and read my blog also come away with a little knowledge or laughs [even though I doubt it because I’m really not funny]. But, why can’t people just accept that I like what I do and move on. It really doesn’t concern you.

Like I said before, I really do just brush off the fact that people just can’t comprehend the behind the scenes work of being a blogger. Although most people are impacted by social media influencing daily; smaller scale blogging is so underrated.

I’m thankful for the people in my life who can appreciate blogging and don’t ask questions with a derogatory tone. Who interview me for class assignments about social media(!!); who cheer me on with my photography; and genuinely want to know more about blogging in general. You rock and you keep me going. To all of the people reading, you are probably some of my biggest fans—and friends. I can’t even really put into words how much I appreciate you.

Thanks for supporting me— and hopefully I do the same for you.

keep on keepin’ on,