9 excuses I made for not starting a blog until now

For as long as I can remember being online I’ve loved reading blogs, hearing people’s stories, no matter how exciting or mundane. I like to read and I’m nosy. If someone wants to tell me their theory about how the internet world as we know it is changing, or share an in-depth analysis in to their latest purchases from Boots then guess what? I’m all ears.

For years I’ve wanted to join in the club. Share my thoughts. But for years I’ve made excuses for why I haven’t started yet. Actually that’s not strictly true. Technically I did start a couple of blogs but I kept them a secret, not wanting anyone to know. They weren’t great. I didn’t know what I was doing and I only stuck with them on and off for a couple of months. Yes they are now permanently deleted so don’t go looking for them.

Anyway now I’m actually giving this a go. Just like my friends and colleagues told me I should even though I’d always respond with a  ‘yeah…maybe’. For now I thought I’d start by sharing the excuses I made for not starting a blog.

‘I don’t have the time.’

Lots of people don’t realise how time consuming blogging can be. OK, so the act of physically writing the post may not be full time work but there’s planning, developing your site, taking and editing acceptable photos and, if you actually want people to read it, promoting your blog. All that after a full day’s work? Yeah, that will eat in to your down time quite a lot. You have to be dedicated and willing to miss the odd episode of Dinner Date.

‘I don’t have the right equipment.’

Every blogger seems to have a fancy DSLR or Olympus Pen for their snaps. How do they afford them? Until I’m rich you’ll be seeing out of focus shots from my old iPhone and fuzzy digital camera taken in bad lighting. Sorry not sorry.

‘It’s too expensive.’

It costs nothing to start a blog. You can set one up right away for free and write until your heart is content. BUT if you want your own fancy, non-basic blog design you have to pay. To register your domain you have to pay. Hosting your blog? That will cost you. Want a fancy camera? Better phone for taking quick photos? Keep up with all the latest trends? You better start saving. Hence why right now you are looking at a free WordPress blog theme that is not ideal, but we all have to start somewhere.

‘Everyone will think it’s embarrassing’

Now this is the real struggle. The fear that I would be judged by people, friends, classmates I haven’t seen for nearly 10 years, for not only what I write but the fact that I’m even trying. I know when I see someone I know is doing something exciting I’m all ‘You go girl’ but there are definitely some people out there who are more along the vein of ‘Omg have you seen what so and so is doing now? How sad’. I think I’m over this one now, let them think what they want.

‘I’m not photogenic enough.’

I will never be the model that some bloggers seem to be. They can pose for mini photoshoots at the drop of a hat. I am short, stumpy and my face is a bit wonky so that my friends is why I could never be a fashion blogger, daily vlogger or anything else that requires a long time in front of a camera without looking slightly awkward.

‘I can’t do the technical stuff.’

To be a blogger you have to be relatively tech-savvy. Teaching yourself the ins and outs of creating a blog can be tricky if it’s all new. HTML, CMS, SEO, WTF?

‘There’s enough bloggers already.’

As more and more people start blogging it seems that ‘everyone is a blogger these days’. It’s true that over the years blogging has become more and more popular and it’s harder to stand out from the crowd. That’s why despite working in the beauty industry I was always reluctant to start a solely beauty focused blog. Sure I love beauty, I could talk and read about it all day. But we already have huge beauty bloggers, people who are true experts in the fields. Why would anyone come to me to talk about beauty when people like Caroline Hirons exist? That’s why I’m using this space to talk about anything I want to rather than trying to fit in to once niche. If I can carve my own little space then great. If it ends up me just talking to myself then that’s also fine.

‘I don’t have any blogger friends.’

‘Excuse me, can you not eat that yet I haven’t taken a photo of it?’. ‘Sorry do you mind just taking a picture of me whilst I pretend to look away?’. Whilst with some friends, (namely ex-colleagues) wouldn’t bat an eyelid, not everyone understands. My poor boyfriend has cottoned on, ‘Are we just going there so you can Instagram it?’. Yes HUN, yes we are.

Many of the bloggers I follow are friends with each other. They work together. Go to events together. I have no doubt you can do it on your own but surely it’s a little easier when you have someone who is in the same boat.

‘I would want it to be perfect from the start’. 

It kills me already that this blog isn’t the way I want it to look. That’s the trouble with being a perfectionist. I want everything to be just how I imagined it right away. With perfectionists it’s not just a case of wanted everything to be just so, it’s being so worried about things not being perfect that you just avoid doing them all together. ‘I’ll wait until I can do it properly, make it perfect.’ But the truth is that time just never comes. I’ve realised if you want to do something you should always start when you’re not quite ready. Otherwise you never will.
So here I am, not perfect, but starting.