If you do not get the reference to the title of today’s post, we can’t be friends. Okay, that might be a bit harsh but seriously, I need ya to do some googling.
Are we ready for some truth time? If I’m going to be honest, I’ve been feeling a little stuck lately. The blog is going steady but not necessarily growing. The past few weeks have been pretty slow income wise (the life of being your own boss = lots of uncertainty). Engagement has been all over the place. And then there’s just so much more other sh!t that just seems to pile itself on every few days.
Last week I started to feel like I was slowly but surely sliding into a bit of a rut and I needed to check myself. I needed to ground myself back into the reason why I started my blog in the first place. To inspire. To empower. To create. While this has only been my job for the past two years, it’s always been a source of fun – until recently. And that’s not cool.
As bloggers, it is SO easy to get caught up in contracts and guidelines and shot lists and approvals. You look up and realize that you’ve drifted from your point of view or your content has gotten stale for the sake of making partners happy. I am guilty for sure which is why I’ve been doing a lot of work behind the scenes the past two weeks to get myself back on track. I’ve been scouring magazines and Instagram and Pinterest and my favorite blogs for new inspiration. I’ve been stalking photographers and fashion editors. I’ve been jotting down ideas and buzzwords and story ideas that bring me back to my mission as a storyteller. And I’ve been sending it like rapid fire to Hannah and Zach – sorry guys, y’all are awesome and patient and are continuously helping me bring my ideas to life.
One of my ideas: dress up in a cocktail dress and snap photos at a carnival. Done. There’s no product to be featured or sponsorship to consider. I just wanted to do something fun and different and start flexing my creative muscles just a bit. And you guys, we had the best time getting these photos. We almost got kicked out a few times, I’m almost positive I ended up on someone’s Snapchat (they were not complimenting me) and I lost quite a few beads on this dress – but I had fun. I tossed popcorn in the air. I played Skeeball. I twirled and danced and served all the glam vibes. Fun.
I’ve talked a lot about my brand. Aesthetically, I want to portray beautiful and powerful and unique imagery. Whether it’s a product feature or a lifestyle post, I want you, the reader, to see an inspiring image and feel even more inspired to read the story. I feel more empowered (and excited) than ever to continue creating content that inspires ME – and you.
I have lot of exciting content planned for the next few weeks and hope this is just the beginning. Stay tuned and thank you as always for supporting all things Lauren Elyce!
