Welcome to the second Coffee Talk Tuesday!  While you sip your morning mocha, we’re going to talk about going behind the scenes of blogging.  Now, I’ve only been blogging seriously for about a year now, but I’ve experienced enough to know that it’s not all rainbows and free stuff.  Blogging is hard work.  A few weeks ago, I revealed how I think Instagram is all just smoke and mirrors.  Well, the same goes for my blog.

Photo Shoots Aren’t As Effortless As They Look

The typical outfit post photo shoot where I create an outfit, go to a location with a photographer (my mom or boyfriend), and take the pictures.  Simple, right?  Wrong.  First comes the outfit.  Is it trendy enough?  Bold enough?  Does it fit my style and aesthetic?  Should I have gone with the blue pumps instead of the nude sandals?  Statement or stud earrings?  Clutch or handbag?  It never ends.  Outfits that seem effortless are usually anything but.

Then finding locations to shoot at are an entirely different story.  I have to make sure the wall doesn’t clash with the outfit, that the colors in the shoot will match my Instagram aesthetic, that I haven’t taken photos there too many times, that I make the photos look like a stroll down the sidewalk as I’m going for a cup of coffee at a local brew shop.  Let me tell you something: smiling while concentrating on making an outfit look good on camera is the hardest thing in the world.  That’s why I’m wearing what appears to be a grimace in some of my early blog posts.  Not a cute look.

 Balancing the blog with my job, social life, and family of is difficult.

And the blog usually takes the back burner. 

My blog is not my job. Would I love it to be? Definitely. But until I have the numbers to make a steady income from it, turning full-time isn’t feasible. When my job duties demand that I work late or work from home, it takes property. If my photographers (my mom and boyfriend) are busy or sick, I’m out of luck. My blog started out as a hobby and while I’m trying to make it more prominent in my life, it just isn’t possible with my schedule.

The pressure to constantly boost numbers is enormous.

Brands and certain networks wont accept you as an influencer unless your unique monthly visitors are X and your Instagram follower number is X. Seeing growth in my blog is exciting. I can’t believe the people who do read and follow my blog actually find what I have to say is interesting. But thanks to high expectations of brands and networks, there’s a thirst for more and more that can’t be quenched.

Networks have been a lifesaver. 

Joining networks has been more help than I could have imagined. When I need advice or support, the Facebook groups provided with most of the networks have proved to be invaluable. Networks have helped not only boost numbers, but have given me friends and connections. The best and my favorite networks include InfluenceHer Collective, The Blog Societies, and Style Collective.