As I mentioned last week… I’m quickly approaching my one year anniversary of Rescue in Style. It’s actually crazy how quickly it’s passed by. It feels like a couple months ago I was sitting in Eva’s cafe writing my “About Me” page and creating my first post. I’m in no way whatsoever an expert (in anything) but I have learned way more than I thought I could. From time to time, people will ask me questions about starting a blog and I try to give them my best advice, but in reality, I tell them things about the blogging world that nobody told me.
For this little pre-anniversary post, I thought it would be fun to compile a list of the things that I wish I knew when I started out on this journey. This list is in no ways comprehensive. In fact, I could probably go on and on about the things I learned. But, in the spirit of keeping things short and sweet (aka readable) I thought 5 would be a good place to start.
1. Taking pictures of yourself is weird – There is no doubt that this was (and still is) something I’m getting used to. I was never a model, sigh, so I learned everything as I went. Trying to be natural in some of the most unnatural settings definitely takes more effort than I imagined. I’ve started sharing some of the ridiculous outtakes on my instagram stories because for every one good picture, there are 15 absolutely terrible ones. If you can’t laugh at yourself, blogging is not for you.
2. You need to love what you do – Throughout my this journey, I’ve met people who have started and then abruptly stopped blogging. It seems simple enough to take photos of yourself in cute outfits but what you don’t see is all the work that goes into those pictures. On top of that, cranking out blog posts every week isn’t for everyone. You need to be passionate about what you’re writing about and even then, it can be tough.
3. You will get hurt – Dog and cat claws aside, it’s absolutely hard to put yourself out there, let alone hear any sort of criticism about your work. Almost worst that critics? Crickets. When you post something and it doesn’t do as well as you thought, yeah that stings. I’ve (slowly) learned to separate my work from my self-worth so I don’t take things so personally. It’s still a struggle but on the flip side, when people love your work, the feeling is out of this world.
4. You will fall in love – This one specifically applies to my work because I fall in love weekly. People ask me how I can walk away from these cute puppers and kittens and sometimes, it’s frankly really flipping hard. Besides the fact that my husband would send me packing, I know my lifestyle can’t handle more pets at the moment so I just stalk their pages until they’re adopted and then I do a happy dance.
5. You will make friends – I really didn’t think that at (a very late twenty-something age) I’d be making new friends, but I have. The blogging world is one of the most supportive environments I’ve been a part of. A few of the relationships I’ve built have become more than a random person on the internet and I’ll be forever thankful for that.
One last nugget of wise insight from yours truly? If you’re thinking of starting a blog, go for it. The absolute hardest part is starting. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve held back on an idea or post because I didn’t feel “ready” but once I started, I figured it out. You will too. This site has been an absolutely incredible ride and I cannot wait to see where it goes from here. Thanks for being a part of the journey!
THE RESCUES:
Congrats on these two pups on their forever homes!
I’m a sucker for a lot of things, but these ears are BEYOND the cutest. Melina is such a sweet lady and with that goofy smile, it’s no wonder she found her forever home.
Nayla is also a little lovebug. She’s a spunky little girl who was looking for someone to tell her how good she is. Luckily for her, she found exactly that!
THE STYLE:
Oh, man, do I miss the Sararose storefront. I was quick to purchase this dress before they closed their doors for remodel. I am sort of in this velvet obsession stage so this dress was such a fun item to add to my collection. I’ve paired it with my Topshop coat and favorite Adidas sneakers. Shop the look below!
xoxo,
Christine
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Yay for almost a year!! Mine year will be in April! I totally agree with your list. I don’t take many pics of myself for my blog, but when i do, it’s so awkward, i need to work on that! I also think getting comfortable finding your voice was a challenge for me too! Keep up the great work!!
Oh yeah, it took such a long time for me to feel comfortable enough to just put myself (and my voice out there!) Congrats on all your success thus far too girl, you’re doing so great (and making me so wanting to travel!)
Keep up the great work! We love your blog & instagram. Such a cute concept that is so needed in the world!
XO
Aw thank you! That means a lot coming from one of the coolest pups (and humans!) I know. Thanks for stopping by!