It’s officially spring – my favorite season ever. But there’s more to celebrate than the start of a new season. Today I am celebrating my eight year blog anniversary! My blog anniversary was actually last month but with the craziness of my surgery and everything else, I decided to delay this post for a bit. Regardless, I’m happy to be back and excited to share what I’ve learned in my eight years of blogging and how the blogging landscape as a whole has changed since I started in 2015.
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My Eight Year Blog Anniversary
Well… another year has come and gone. I am now EIGHT years into blogging and what a journey it’s been. This is so hard for me to believe. I never know where to start with a post like this so let’s start from the beginning.
I found blogging in 2012. After being exposed for starting a secret blog, I let three years pass me by before I worked up the courage to do it again. During this time, I got married, graduated from college AND lost my job. It was an incredibly stressful time and reading other’s blogs somehow made me feel better. It allowed me to escape from the worries of daily life and just *dream.*
I especially loved fashion blogs! The first ones that I found were Atlantic-Pacific, Classy Girls Wear Pearls, Pink Peonies and of course, Lauren Conrad. From there, it just snowballed and made me feel so inspired. I could not believe that these normal everyday people were posting their outfits for the world to see. It was such a foreign concept to me. I wanted so badly to restart my blog but I was also incredibly insecure and quite perfectionistic (which understandably caused me to procrastinate).
Finally, I worked up the courage to try again and Lizzie in Lace was *officially* born – woo hoo! I had quite the journey to even get to the start of my blog and I’ve had an even crazier journey up until now. In the past, I’ve talked about this in great detail – you can read all of my previous blog anniversary posts here: see year seven, six, five, four, three, two and one. You can also check out my very first post along with how my blog came to be in the first place. There’s been more pinch me moments than I can count and still, I can’t believe that this is my job. In my first year anniversary post, one of my biggest life goals was to do this full-time. Grateful does not even begin to describe how I feel.
With that being said, I can’t talk about my blogging journey without talking about the elephant in the room. Blogging has changed in a BIG way. And if you are also a blogger, then you know this to be true. As the years have passed, I feel like we’ve passed the golden age of blogging and I think that the authenticity and community of what made blogging so special is just not what it once was. Everything is so FAST. Attention spans are short. Content mediums are ever changing. I’ve embraced these changes myself but it has not been easy.
Life is so funny. I was always a good student in school but I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a writer. In fact, I dreaded essay days. The fashion aspect of blogging was easy because I loved sharing and styling outfits. The writing part… not so much. I was told to “find my voice” and still to this day, I have no idea what that means. I just write in a way that feels most natural to me.
Learning photography was both an incredibly frustrating and rewarding process. It took many, many years of trial and error but now it’s one of my favorite aspects of blogging! And it’s become a passion for my husband that he never knew he had. Then comes video. I was always interested in starting a YouTube channel and after years of promising myself that I would, I finally launched in 2020. Video has been just like photography for me LOL! It’s a work in progress but I’m having fun learning along the way. And then comes the endless amount of social media platforms to keep up on, with ever-changing updates, trends, additions, etc. This is the reality of being a blogger today. But I will save the rest of this conversation for a different day 😉
Over the course of my eight years in the blogging industry, I’ve experienced some of the highest highs and the lowest lows. This is also true for this past year and to be honest, this is just the nature of being self-employed in what is now an oversaturated industry. With this being said, blogging has taught me so much along the way and it has given me so many gifts.
From day one until now, I’ve completely changed in a very personal way and many of you have watched this unfold over the years. Aside from a supportive community, the biggest gift I have received is confidence – the confidence to write my heart out, be in front of the camera instead of behind it, wear the clothes that I love, embrace and accept my body for the way it is, and most importantly, the confidence to unapologetically be myself. I’ve come such a long way from the shy, insecure, people-pleaser that I used to be. For this, I am so grateful!
I have also learned the importance of prioritizing, advocating and valuing myself. I’ve seen first hand just how much hard work and love goes into something that you are passionate about. I’ve also learned to trust the process, the lessons and the timing (which isn’t always easier). Blogging has changed my life and who I am immensely and I’m so proud of myself for taking that *very scary* first step in publishing my first post and putting myself out there. Coming from someone who was fearful of what other people thought – this is huge.
Outfit Details
White SKYE Clothing Dress c/o (Use ELIZABETH20 for 20% off!) | Les Couronnes de Victoire Flower Crown | Joy Dravecky Locket | Woven Kate Spade Heart Handbag | Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick | Hidden Crown Halo Hair Extension (use LIZZIEINLACE for $25 off!)
I have not just learned from my blogging experience but I have learned so much from all of you. Whether we have connected once or many times, online or in person, I have learned so many incredibly valuable lessons. I have also learned that the most supportive people are sometimes, those that you have never met. The internet can be an incredible place in this regard.
Thank you for coming along on this journey with me and for sending endless support, motivation and encouragement along the way. I treasure you all so much and am forever grateful for everything. Thank you for celebrating yet another blog anniversary with me. Cheers to another eight(y) years!
XO
Lizzie
