Heya, friends! I am so glad that you stopped by CWS today because we’re celebrating my 4th Blogiversary! I know it’s crazy. I can’t believe I have been blogging seriously for 4 years already… where has the time gone?
I am so happy that you stopped by CWS today because that means you get to reminisce and celebrate with me! I am over the moon right now because I’m actually on my first ever sponsored trip. I’m in Nashville and am loving it! It’s so neat to celebrate how far I’ve come in blogging by presently being in one of my biggest successes so far. God is good, you guys.
Last week, I asked my Twitter fam what they wanted to see on my Blogiversary. It was a poll between sharing the top 4 things I’ve learned over my years of blogging so far and throwbacks to old posts. The poll ended up being tied so I thought that it’d be fun to share a mix of both. 🙂 It’s a party!
LET’S START WITH SOME THROWBACKS!
So, I’m not going to throw it back all the way to the beginning of CWS… because honestly, it’s a bit cringy, haha! I had NO idea what I was doing and really just wrote about the most random things. Ahhh, so funny.
My First Tutorial… How I Asked My Bridesmaids
My First Blogging Tips Post… 5 Ways To Improve Your Instagram
My First CWS Happenings Post… CWS Happenings // Vol. 1
My First Fashion Post… Comfortable & Classic
My First Sponsored Post… Cozy Date Night At Home
My Most-Viewed & Commented On Post… 5 Reasons To Stop Follow/Unfollow
Looking back at my very old posts on CWS was both extremely funny to me and really neat for me. I have grown so much in the past 4 years! My writing style has developed to be more relatable and my photo skills (shooting & editing) have improved a million times over. When I first started fashion content I was super uncomfortable in front of the camera. I always felt awkward. Today, I am pretty much the complete opposite and love being able to express myself through fashion in front of the camera.
I have also lost a ton of weight which I’m really proud of myself for! My college years and what I ate were not kind to my body, lol! Oh, and now I have 10 tattoos instead of 3… and there are still more coming. 😉
TOP 4 LESSONS I’VE LEARNED IN 4 YEARS OF BLOGGING:
1. Always Stay True To Yourself // The blogging world can be a crazy one and we can often feel influenced to “go with the flow” of others in the industry. I think that’s the #1 one thing that’s tough for many bloggers, being in the influencing market and all. I have fallen into the comparison trap many times before, but I have always come back out of it knowing that I’m doing not only what’s best for my brand, but also what’s best for myself: staying true to myself.
Who cares if everyone else is doing something, stick to what you know is best for your brand. Staying true to yourself through your blog isn’t just about your content, it’s also about your overall tone and voice to your content. Always let your authentic voice echo through. Never force a voice that’s not yours. Never aspire towards someone else’s voice. Your voice is needed.
Overall… stay in your lane. Be you. Do you.
[bctt tweet=”Always let your authentic voice echo through your content. Never force a voice that’s not yours. Never aspire towards someone else’s voice. Your voice is needed. ” username=”SummerTelban”]
2. Quality Over Quantity Always // The pressure to always be creating new content ALL of the time is veryyyy real, my friends. If you’re a blogger, you know the pressure I’m talking about. The thing is, though, you don’t need to be pushing out new content all of the time to grow or be successful. If you’re pushing out a new blog post 5x+ a week, chances are you’re going to burn yourself out and your audience will actually become overwhelmed with your content. Hone in on your blog’s focus and your target audience and create content from there. You want everything you’re publishing to be high-quality reads, not just a few sentences. You want your content to have a deep purpose and for it to help others.
[bctt tweet=”Blogging Tip: Creating content just to get content out is never the answer to growth.” username=”SummerTelban”]
Creating content just to get content out is never the answer to growth. Pushing out content all of the time is NOT going to increase your traffic or shares like you think it will. Some of my best weeks for traffic in all my years of blogging were the ones where I only posted once a week. I could dig in so much more but I’ll save that for another day!
If you prioritize quality over quantity, you’ll win every time.
[bctt tweet=”If you prioritize quality over quantity, you’ll win every time.” username=”SummerTelban”]
3. It’s Good To Push Yourself Out Of Your Comfort Zone // I am an introverted and reserved INFJ. I love people but I typically won’t go out of my way to strike up a conversation with anyone that I’m not close with. I hate making phone calls. I feel awkward during online live videos. I overthink every situation and every word I say.
But, blogging has really helped me push past the borders of my comfort zone. Blogging has made me much more confident and not just in my blogging abilities but as a person.
Blogging has pushed me to…
- Become a Blog Coach! I get to work with other bloggers to help them hone in on their blog’s focus so that they can achieve their goals. Learn more here.
- Write an e-book! I wrote an e-book earlier this year all about leveraging your lifestyle blog to the next level. It’s jam-packed with over 50 pages of materials and workbook pages. Learn more about LEVERAGE here.
- Speak at my first social media event! Just last month, I was invited to speak at Oakmoss Collective’s Instagram & Photography event where I was the main speaker. As someone who isn’t about public speaking, this was a huge deal for me!
- Love my body more. One of the main reasons why I fashion blog is because it has helped me grow to love my body more and more. Sure, I have my flaws but fashion blogging is teaching me to embrace and love my entire being.
- Enjoy doing live videos online! I’m one of the founding admins at Blog Passion Project, a Facebook community for bloggers. Each Monday one of the admins goes live to give the community a pep-talk for the week. I actually look forward to going live every time it’s my turn. I’m shocked to say that, but am also so proud of myself.
- Know my worth! As a full-time blogger, it’s really important for me to know my worth and to always fight for it. Brands and networks can easily beat you down with their (shall I say?) very shallow standards sometimes. It can be a bummer, but I’ve always got to stick up for myself. I have grown more comfortable than I ever thought possible in pitching my worth and for that, I am immensely proud.
[bctt tweet=”Blogging can help you push past the borders of your comfort zone.” username=”SummerTelban”]
4. Authenticity Is A Necessity // If you’re not familiar with my entire *internet* background, I started blogging on Tumblr in high school. Back then, it was more of a “diary” type of thing for me. I’d share my deepest experiences and pains, as well as the joys of life. I remember how freeing it felt to write so honestly. Before I knew it, my little Tumblr blog grew to over 35,000 followers in a couple years. I’d get messages every single day from others thanking me for “being so real”. That’s where my passion for authenticity started to take root in my heart. Authenticity and transparency embedded themselves deep into my soul. That’s when I decided it was time to start a “real” blog. CWS has always been and always will be built on a foundation of authenticity and transparency, no matter what I’m writing about.
Now, there have been haters out there who don’t like how open and raw I am. But, honestly. I couldn’t care less, ha! Authenticity scares people yet it’s what they all crave. While authenticity means different things to different people, for me, it’s about sharing the highs AND the lows. Both are important. Both are a part of life. Many people use the internet and social media to only show the highlight reels of their life, but that’s not what I’m about. I’m about the nitty-gritty and the raw – through the joys and the sorrows. Let’s just all grow in life together, okay?
[bctt tweet=”While authenticity means different things to different people, for me, it’s about sharing the highs AND the lows. Both are important. Both are a part of life.” username=”SummerTelban”]
Choosing to be authentic and transparent has always been the right choice for not only my brand but also for myself and how I live my life.
– THE OUTFIT –
Okay, ladies. This outfit is one of my new favorites. It’s cute and casual! It can be worn for pretty much anything. This denim mini is all the heart eyes and is super comfortable. I love that it can be styled so many different ways and you bet I’ll be sharing more of it in the future. 😉 Shop the whole look below. (affiliate links)
THANK YOU!
Thank you all for supporting me and cheering me on for all of these years! I couldn’t keep blogging without your support – the reading, the shares, and your sweet words. It all means so much to me. There aren’t enough words to express how appreciative and how grateful I am that you’re in my corner. Thank you so much. I love you all!
[bctt tweet=”4 Lessons Learned In 4 Years Of Blogging” username=”SummerTelban”]
Let’s connect! >> Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Snapchat