Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Confessions of a Fashion Blogger

I'm guest posting for Robyn on What's Hanging today, sharing my favorite summer trends. Be sure to check it out!

I have been having so much fun doing these little "get-to-know-me" posts for the past few weeks, I just had to keep it going today with some confessions. Last week, I shared with you the 7 Deadly Sins of Fashion tag, and the week before was my Glamour magazine inspired "Hey, It's Okay" post. Today, I'm going to let you in on some of the silly/ridiculous/obsessive (read: necessary) things I do for the sake of my blog, or because of it.

{adapted from this meme}

1. I take my outfit pictures in bulk. Normally this happens on weekends, and the occasional weeknight. I'll pick out 4-5 outfits which I have worn recently, or plan to wear, and shoot them all at once for convenience sake. Who takes my pictures? That would be my friend Mallory. She used to have a blog of her own and we took pictures for each other, but she decided it wasn't for her. She graciously still takes my pics, though :) I also had a fabulous shoot last night with my friend Jennifer of Envision Images. You'll see those up on the blog soon!

2. I stalk other bloggers. Yep, I said it. I love to go back through my favorite bloggers' old posts to see how they started, and how they got where they are today. I love a good success story, and I also hope to learn some tips as I filter their posts.

3. I started this blog because I had a major Pinterest obsession. I was that girl who was on Pinterest for hours a day (I'm sure some of you can relate) and would make impulse purchases based on some of the pins I came across. I decided after months of being Pinterest shopping obsessed, I had to make my fashion fixation into something more productive. That's when Style Diary was born. I can't say that I'm not still a frequent pinner/online shopper, but at least I can share my finds with all of you, which is such a fun way to connect with other fashion lovers out there.

4. I follow 445 blogs on Bloglovin'. That doesn't include the ones I follow via email. Now, I don't find the time to read them all, and some I followed to enter an exceptionally awesome giveaway (we've all done it), but I try to find a little time to browse through new posts each day. My favorite thing about Bloglovin' is that you can put blogs you follow into categories (some of mine are Favorites, Nails, Food, etc.) to make them easy to sort through.

5. I am the most fashion obsessed person I know (in real life, that is). In fact, several of my closest friends don't even like shopping (GASP!!). I will be the one in a dress or skirt and heels when going out to dinner, while most of my friends are wearing tanks and jean shorts. And I don't care. I wear what I wear because I like it, not to look like everyone else.

6. I edit my photos with Gimp. What is Gimp, you ask? It's a free software that has similar features to Photoshop, because I'm too cheap to buy the real thing. Or maybe I just use most of my spending money on clothes... Anyway, I find that Gimp is fairly user friendly after you figure out what you're doing, and there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube to help when you get stuck.

7. It's hard not to be influenced to be "perfect." So this one is a little more serious instead of silly or informational, but I wanted to include it because its something I think about a lot. Reading blogs, not to mention writing one, creates a lot of pressure to have it all together. I even feel this way about parts of my life that blogging doesn't touch. To name a few, blogging makes me want to: eat healthier, work out more, grow a couple inches, redecorate my apartment, buy a new wardrobe, etc. To do those things is okay, but I really have to think about the motivation behind them. (i.e. Do I want to work out more to be healthier, or because I'm afraid my thighs look a little bigger than I'm comfortable with in my pictures?) I have to remember to just be me, do what makes me happy, and do it because it makes me happy, not because I think it's what other people want to see.

On the other side of the pressure is a community of wonderfully supportive and encouraging readers and friends who make me smile with sweet comments every day. The positive feedback I get from you guys pushes me to want to put more effort into my blog and create something I am really proud of. Thank you for that!

So there you have it, a little background on how I keep this blog up and running, and why I do it. Are there things you wonder about your favorite bloggers? What are they?

<3 Katie

22 comments:

  1. love ur blogging confessions! i know i suffer from some of the same symptoms lol :)

    XO Meghan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you liked it! I thought it was a fun topic to post about :)

      Delete
  2. I've really been enjoying your more personal posts, too! This one especially, I love knowing what motivates people to blog and to see a little bit of the process behind it.

    I agree, reading all these wonderful blogs makes me want to dress better and be more feminine and spend gazillions of dollars on craft supplies and thrift goods - sometimes, I think you just have to sit down and remember how amazing you are, and that "perfect" all depends on how you define it. I think you're great (and your thighs are great, too! ;) ), and I love reading your blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you have enjoyed these posts! You are so right about the definition of "perfect." :) And thank you so much for your sweet compliment Johanna!!

      Delete
  3. haha I love that meme- it's so true! I follow a ton of blogs, too! It can be hard to keep up, so I only comment on posts when I really have something meaningful to say.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is really hard to keep up. And I totally agree on the comment thing- I try not to leave ones that don't add any value to the post.

      Delete
  4. I cracked up at the meme - isn't that what those graphics or called?? If I am wrong, it's Johns fault. Anyway, my mom thinks its all shopping, too! And truth be told, I normally get posts ready while in bed, no lights, john totally asleep, at like midnight so your graphic is pretty accurate!

    Loved your last point!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, yes, it's a meme! I blog at midnight pretty often, though I try to keep up so I'm a couple of days ahead.

      Delete
  5. Oh my goodness, I could not have said this any better myself! You wrote exactly the same things I struggle with, wanting perfection, being the most dressed person at a party just because you want to, etc. I am totally inspired to write a post like this of my own, thanks for the inspiration!

    xoxo,
    Whitley

    Simply Whit in a Sequined Life

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you were inspired by it! I'm looking forward to reading your post :)

      Delete
  6. Great post, doll- I often stock up on outfit photos to use in the future over a particularly social weekend when I have several outfits to shoot. :)

    I need to check out Gimp! :)

    -Ashley
    http://lestylorouge.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely check out Gimp! I think it's worth it :)

      Delete
  7. Hi Katie, this is such a great post!! I totally stalk blogs too (glad I am not the only one) to see where they started and how they got to where they were!). I also totally agree about trying to be "perfect". Some bloggers are so well put together - hair and makeup - all the time!! I know some of my photos my hair is blowing all sorts of crazy - but I always remind myself that's real life. Also - Gimp gal here too!! Although I still like adobe better .. but gimp is free ..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Lauren! Sometimes it's so fun to share more personal details and then finding out other people do just the same :) Nice to meet another Gimp user! Most people have never heard of it.

      Delete
  8. This was so much fun to read! I can definitely relate to most of your confessions.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I loved reading this! I can relate to so much of what you said!

    It's fun being a girl who loves to dress up :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you liked it! It is so much fun to dress up! :)

      Delete
  10. It's so refreshing to take a peek behind the veil of fashion blogging and get your take about what goes on behind the scenes. I'm guilty of #2 and especially #7 as well!
    www.the-lifestyle-project.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! I love getting to know the real girl behind the blog :)

      Delete
  11. These posts are really inspiring me to want to do one of my own! As you know, I did that 7 sins one, and now I wanna do this one, too. Hmmm.
    I do love your blog a lot - you're so much fun with great style! Thanks for all the inspiration!
    -Carylee

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Carylee! That really means a lot! I'm so glad you liked this post :)

      Delete

Thanks for your sweet comments!